Summer break is winding down. Your mind is becoming consumed with thoughts about heading back to school. For some, it’s an easy transition, but for others, it’s a shock to the system. As the calendar flips to August, get yourself refocused on lesson plans, gathering materials, and preparing for your first days back to school. These ideas are meant to help make your job a little less stressful.
Take little steps. Don’t try and do everything at once. Create a timeline of things you need to do before school begins and list the things you want or need. Plotting them on the timeline will help alleviate the feeling many get of being overwhelmed.
Make the first steps fun. Whatever you choose to do first, make it as fun as possible. Doing the easier things first, like creating classroom decorations and posters will remind you how much you love teaching and make the tougher items easier. Do more mundane things like unit planning or curriculum development at a café, park, or any place that offers distractions with good food and coffee.
Find a friend. Working with a colleague can make the tasks more enjoyable while cutting the work time in half.
Connect with kids. Interact with past or present students. Send out emails to new students welcoming them, and see if any previous students would like to help you get your classroom together. Seeing students will bring you joy and remind you why you went into teaching.
Organize your mind. The attitude brought into the new school year can often dictate how that year will go. Educators need to find thoughts that energize, empower and affirm all the good things that lie ahead.
Be rested, relaxed and ready – it will help the kids stay calm and focused.
Be organized and tidy – students will be impressed.
Have too much and too many of everything – there is nothing worse than being short on name tags or pens and pencils.
Over plan the lesson – make sure the lessons fill the time and don’t leave you scrambling to fill before lunch or recess.
Rehearse – practice your welcome back speech, check the pacing and if you are using technology arrive early to make sure it is in place and working.
Be ready for anything and everything – make sure a first aid kit ready, have the dean or assistant principal’s phone extension and have rules in place to handle any unexpected situations.
Start learning names immediately – this helps you connect to students quicker and shows them you are interested and care.
If you’re piling into your car or truck for Memorial Day fun, here are important tips to keep it from becoming a “Griswold Family” vacation:
Plan ahead – research the route and possible hazards and know the rules of the road in the new places you’re traveling to
Have your vehicle serviced – make sure it’s road-worthy by having fluids, tires, battery and other essentials checked and replaced
Prepare a safety kit – extra water, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, reflective triangles and sealant for flat tires can be trip savers in an emergency
Get plenty of rest – drowsy driving is dangerous. The effects of driving for 18 hours straight can equate to a blood alcohol level of .05; 24 hours straight is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of .10. Switch drivers or take a short nap if you feel tired
Always wear seat belts – safety groups estimate seat belts save 14,000 lives a year, yet as many as 10 to 20 percent of drivers don’t buckle in themselves or their passengers
Observe “move over” laws – every state now has a move over law requiring you to slow down and move over when you see an official vehicle with it’s warning lights on, to protect highway workers, first responders and law enforcement officers
Never leave children or pets in a vehicle – the heat inside a vehicle can reach dangerous levels in less than half an hour, even on 70-degree days
If you’re having a get-together instead of a getaway, remember these important safety tips:
Understand safe grilling – read grill instructions, check hoses, keep grills away from structures and never leave them unattended to avoid a disastrous fire
Check your deck – inspect and repair cracked boards, loose planks and rails, rusty hardware or rotted supports to prevent dangerous collapsing
Know pool safety – keep uninvited guests and small children out with full fencing, teach everyone in your family how to swim, never leave children alone near a pool, know CPR and consider removing slides and diving boards
Ensure you have enough liability protection – protect your assets with high liability limits or an umbrella policy in case someone sues if they get hurt at your home. Umbrella policies help pay for legal defense, medical costs and loss of wages
Whether you are home or away, some auto repairs may be more complicated. That’s why it’s important to have a reliable backup. Whether the battery let you down, your spare tire went flat or you locked the keys in the car, for as little as a couple dollars a month California Casualty’s towing and roadside assistance pays for:
Dead battery start
Flat tire repair
Lockouts
Fuel, oil or coolant delivery
California Casualty’s towing service also covers getting your vehicle to the nearest shop, even if you get stranded off-road in deep mud.
TAKEAWAY:
Contact our Customer Service department to add Express Road Assistance or to purchase extra liability insurance at 1.800.800.9410 option 3, or email service@calcas.com.
Read all the articles from the this edition of the Calcas Connection Newsletter:
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
The number of students who possess their own device is growing. So true is the number of students who bring said devices into the classroom. Whether you incorporate the use of student devices into your lessons or not, we found 3 creative ways you can manage student cell phones in your classroom.
Using a Stoplight Management Approach (Edutopia.org) The stoplight management approach allows teachers some flexibility to use cell phones when the situation warrants, but also to keep cell phones from becoming a diversion from the learning. This is how it works:Post a red button on the classroom door: Students know when they enter that cell phones should be put in their off location. The devices will not be used that day. The teacher should decide on the off location—the upper right-hand corner of the desk and turned face down, or away in backpacks, or in pocket holders on the teacher’s desk—the cell phone parking lot.Post a yellow button on the classroom door: Students know their cell phones should be on silent (vibrate) and placed face down in the upper right-hand corner of their desk. They will be using them in class, but not the whole time. Having the phones in plain sight—a bit out of reach and turned over—allows the teacher to easily scan the room to see who doesn’t have their device where it should be. It also makes it difficult for students to quickly peek at their text messages because they’d have to turn the phone over and move it from its correct position—which is more difficult than when cell phones are hidden under desks.
Post a green button on the classroom door: Students know they should have their phones turned on (either silenced or set on vibrate) and placed face up in ready position to use.
Create A Cell Phone Jail (TeachThought.com) Have you ever tried to have students leave their cell phones in their lockers and a mysterious glow comes from under their desk? I got tired of the cell phone shuffle and created a cell phone jail. My students had to check in their phones when class started. This accountability and equity eventually leads to focused minds in the classroom.
Cell Phone Parking Lot (TheTeacherToolKit.com) Make an area in your classroom where students can store and/or charge their cell phone. An idea would be to use a hanging shoe storage bag with individual pockets for each cell phone. Put a large number or picture on each pocket so that students can easily identify where they have stored their phones Option: Provide one or two power strips where students can plug in their phone in the “parking lot” for charging.
Teach students your class cell phone procedure.
Sample cell phone procedure:
When entering the classroom you may keep your phone out of sight in your purse or pocket. Or, you may store or charge your phone in the cell phone parking lot.
If you choose to use the cell phone parking lot for storage, place your phone in one of the numbered pockets. Remember the number where your phone is “parked” or write it down in your notebook.
If you choose to use the cell phone parking lot for charging, use your own charging cord. Plug your phone in to one of the power strips and then place your phone (still connected) into one of the lower pockets in the cell phone parking lot.
The cell phone parking lot is only accessible before and after class. If you plan to store or charge your phone, you may not go and get it during class time.
If your phone is not in the cell phone parking lot and is causing a distraction from work in class, you will be directed to “park” your phone and you may pick it up after class.
Students who do not comply or have repeated requests to park their phones will have their phones “towed.” A “towed” phone will be stored in the teacher’s desk and will not be returned until parents have been contacted.
Monitor student phone use during class. When students are improperly using their cell phones, direct them to park their phones in the cell phone parking lot. Encourage proper use of cell phones by regularly thanking students for remembering to use the cell phone parking lot.
In addition to having a classroom strategy for managing student devices, don’t forget to check out your school or district policy regarding cell phones and other devices that are not the property of the school or district. If your classroom system conflicts with the building policy, you may need to meet with your administrator.
How do you manage student devices in your classroom?
Being a police officer, especially in today’s times, is a very demanding job and with each daily demand comes an attitude that can build negatively after a while. We have some ideas to help change your mindset about how you feel at your job in law enforcement.
A positive attitude can make all the difference in a stressful environment. It’s easier said than done, but having a negative attitude for long periods of time will cause more damage. The right approach can also have a lot of benefits you may not realize.
Lowers depression
Lower distress
Better coping skills in stressful situations
Increased life span
Try these tips we have to help start a new outlook on being a peace officer.
Work to keep a positive attitude daily. This is going to take practice, but soon it will make a difference. Start your shift with positive self-talk then repeat positive comments to yourself throughout your day.
Set achievable goals. Take a minute to make a list of what you want in life. Include what those goals are that include your family, work, and life in general. Writing these out and seeing them on paper can help take those first steps to achieving your goals.
Start with daily goals. What do you want to accomplish each day? Next, what about one-year goals? Finally, what do you want to see done in 5 years?
By putting all of these tips into practice, your outlook about the job will change. You will discover a new perspective and find the passion of being a peace officer again.
As a part of law enforcement, you face difficult situations daily. Stress is everywhere and everyone struggles with it. How it can manifest can depend on the individual’s stress management techniques and lifestyle. Research shows that police officers who don’t manage stress properly are prone to burnout, poor judgment, substance abuse, and suicide. With all of this, it isn’t often that you find an officer that isn’t stressed out.
Here are some of the sources of stress officers encounter:
Exposure to Distress: the distress of public that you become involved with will at some point affect you. This can take a toll on stress and mental health.
Danger: Many officers experience physical danger daily, especially departments in areas with high crime rates. The possibility of being injured can become heavy mentally.
Responsibility: The responsibility of protecting lives is a great deal of stress in itself.
The Pace: Officers must always be ready for all situations at a moment’s notice. Switching from office work to crime work doesn’t allow for much rest causing your mind to rush back and forth.
With all the different stressors, we have tips to help manage your stress.
Breathe: Practicing deep breaths can create a sense of calm.
Breakfast: Eating oatmeal is said to help reduce stress. Start your day on the right foot with a beneficial breakfast.
Exercise: It releases endorphins that eliminate tense muscles and stress.
Sleep: Schedules can be hectic, but make sure to get enough hours of sleep. Feeling well rested the next day will help with alertness while on duty.
Have a strong network of family and friends: Close relationships will help provide a strong support system and help with your stressors.
If you feel like the stress of the job is becoming more overwhelming, recognize that there are outlets for help. Reach out to your support system, friends and/or family. Having a life outside of the job will also help with physical and mental health. There are other options for outlets. Seek peer counseling or employee assistance programs, which are in place to assist officers in times of high stress.
If you’re piling into your car or truck for Memorial Day fun, here are important tips to keep it from becoming a “Griswold Family” vacation: