Hello, friend.
It’s February.
The longest short month of the year. I always got depressed in February. SSSSSOOOOOOO long since Christmas break. SSSSSSSSOOOOOOOO long until spring break.
But in the meantime, there’s no better pick-me-up than taking action. (OK. You’re right. A week on a tropical beach without any teacher tasks would DEFINITELY be a better pick-me-up, but you know what I mean.)
Here are three things you can do TODAY to move yourself forward.
Read your contract.
Seriously. If you are thinking about leaving teaching, you need to know what to do to avoid leaving money on the table OR missing some kind of requirement or deadline. Plus, when teachers don’t know what admin can and can’t do, well, some admin can be a bit pushy. (Read: Mislead teachers about what they can, can’t and have to do.) Pay special attention to whether you get paid for unused sick time or personal time.
Hang around the right people
The people you surround yourself with make a difference, even if it’s only on FB. If you want to change your life, you need to get around people who have done or are doing what you want to do. Here are some excellent FB groups, depending on what you want
*If you are interested in changing careers, sign up for Chelsea Maude Avirett’s ed tech job board. Even if you aren’t looking right now, it will give you an idea of what’s out there. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1413717295697474
*If you want to start your own business, check out Stacey Ogden’s Side Hustle Teacher community. Tons of great information about what other teachers are doing on the side. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sidehustleteachers
*If you want to work from home, virtual assistants are big right now. Check out this page for VAs. https://www.facebook.com/tbbva
*If you have ever dreamed of teaching overseas, you don’t want to miss Sorcha Coyle’s Empowering Expat Teachers. Loads of specifics and an amazing group of educators who have been there, done that ALL over the world. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1264742343622793
Make professional connections.
If you aren’t already on LinkedIn, create a profile and start connecting. Unlike 25+ years ago, when I started looking for my first full-time gig, LinkedIN is essential to job hunting, and your connections are a bit part of that. If you want to be a part of our LinkedIn group, it’s a great way to connect. It’s less than 2 weeks old, so we’re small, but growing! https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9154228/
Whatever you do or don’t do this week, cut yourself some slack. It’s tough out there, and if simply making it through the day (with or without crying) is all you can do, mark it down in the victory column.