Caffeinate and Teach

At the center where I work, we practice Conscious Discipline. Before beginning my time there, I had never heard of such a thing! BUT, since being exposed to this practice, my life has literally been changed. Not only my teaching style, but my personal life as well. I have learned more about my own brain state, my own boundaries and how to calm myself before responding to all people, littles included. Before you stop reading and move on with your day, this is not an infomercial for Conscious Discipline, although I could do that! This is simply a testimonial of what Conscious Discipline has done in my personal life and the way I have seen it transform the lives of children and families, as well as the culture in my classroom. If you want to check out Conscious Discipline for yourself, I encourage you to and I will add a link at the bottom of this post for your convenience. 😉 Like I said before, I had never heard of Conscious Discipline before I started working for the center I work fo...

Monday was the first day of school. I woke up at 5:30 in the morning both anxious and excited. As I was driving to work, I was reflecting on what last year brought about and wondering about what this year might bring. For three years, I started the school year with a lot of the same children (being multi-aged means that children stay in my classroom for more than a year). Last school year was the last year with this particular group that I had been with for three years. The last day of school was hard for me. I had become very connected to this group and was terribly sad to see them "grow up" right before my eyes. It was a bittersweet moment for me as I walked into the classroom Monday morning knowing that I would not see that particular group. Year after year, children come and go. They grow up, move on to Kindergarten and quite possibly forget all about me. And that's okay. I don't worry that they forget me, because I won't forget them. Each child and family ha...

It is almost the first day of school. Every year, I get "first day jitters" and can't sleep the night before, worry that the classroom isn't just "perfect" and wonder what the children will think of the classroom, each other and of me. Every. Single. Year. This year is no different. Our school year starts on Monday. I have worked with my co-teacher for hours making the room just right, gathering materials and coming up with strategies that will help us become a school family. Yet still, as prepared as I know I am, I worry. I stress and I have anxiety. Not because I don't think that I can do the job, just because at the core of who I am, I am a perfectionist. This is a curse and a blessing most of the time in this field. When three, four and five year old children are involved, there cannot be "perfection" and in all honesty, that is okay. It is okay for things to be messy. It is okay for things to get "out of whack". It is okay for me...