-
Inside the Kids Anxiety Journal: Tools That Help Children Feel Safe and Seen.
Anxiety in kids often has two very different faces—depending on who’s looking. For us, the parents whose children live under its weight every day, anxiety is personal. It’s not just a label—it’s a constant, exhausting reality. It’s the “big grey cloud” that quietly follows your child everywhere and sometimes looms over the whole family. It shows up in morning meltdowns, bedtime battles, and the heartbreak of watching your child shrink away from things that once brought them joy. But from the perspective of social caregivers—teachers, coaches, school aides—anxiety might look more like behavior problems: trouble making friends, shutting down in class, acting out, or not following directions. To them, it…
-
That’s NOT Me!
To many good and great things in life, I tend to say, “That’s not me!” I don’t go to manicure salons. That’s not me. I don’t have girls nights out. That’s not me. I don’t wear red lipstick. I don’t go to school social gatherings. No Dr. Seuss-themed posters in my classroom. No yoga studios. No housewives of Beverly Hills. That’s not me! “That’s not me!” has become quite convenient to eliminate things I have to participate in, places to go to, people to meet. I’ve been living 30 min from New York for more than ten years, and I’ve never been to a Broadway show. While many times it…
-
5 Ways to Turn The Anxious Teacher Mode Down.
Three years ago, in the first year of my career, I envied young teachers in their 3rd or 4th year of teaching, thinking they already have it all to make the year easy. Being at a higher level of experience might make you a different, happier, more confident teacher, I thought. This September will be my 4th year of teaching, but the feelings are a reflection of the past: lost, overwhelmed without reason. And then it occurred to me that 10th year of teaching might not change anything in the job perception because it’s not about the years of experience, it’s about attitude, the way one sees a career, the…
-
Ways To Shake Off Anxiety Before a New School Year.
New school year announces itself as a familiar soundtrack: TV commercials of back-to-school deals. Really? It’s still August, isn’t it? Am I running out of time or have I wasted hours giving my mind a break instead of planning and preparing? Is this going to be a repeat of the previous year? Unnecessary panic attack… If this sounds familiar, then you need to know how to shake off the unwanted fear or anxiety of having to do everything or start working when your summer vacation is still in a full swing mode. 2019-2020 will be my 4th year as a public school teacher. If you ask me whether I know…
-
You Can Do It Only In Summer!..
“Why would the school have immigrant teachers who can’t really tell much about American life? I’m talking about baseball, football,” – an exchange student of 15 years old was grilling me in the classroom in front of other ten anxious teenagers who came to the US mostly to experience American YOLO type of life. My face was red, I was sweating in a conditioned room stacked with apple computers for smarts kiddos. “Why did I get this group? Why did I agree to teach this summer school?!” – I wanted to disappear into the oblivion. That happened about four years ago. Back then, I was eager to experiment, get more…
-
The Power Of “Why Not?!”
“I’m selling my Etsy store. I don’t think I feel it anymore,” – my voice sounded firm for a second. “What are you talking about?” – my husband doesn’t mind my “whims.” Etsy store was out of his realm of understanding. “Why so fast?” – the question came unexpectedly after a moment of pause. “H-m, you know, it’s just time to try something else.” I had no idea what “something else” would mean for my future. Thirteen years ago, my hometown of Rechitsa in Belarus was the place I returned to after graduating with a degree in teaching. No expectations of excitement, no new adventures or independence became part of…
-
Brainwashing For Teachers or What Not To Do in Summer.
Flip furniture! Drive Uber and Lift! Offer cleaning home services! Run a delivery service! Make meals for others! Weed of mow lawns! Become a real estate agent! Do a medical study! Become a drone pilot! Open up an Etsy shop! Be a pet sitter! Be a nanny! “You are out of your mind! …” My eyes are running through the list of odd jobs offered as a side hustle for teachers to make extra money in summer. “If I could, I would punch you in the face, whoever wrote this post!”- I laughed at my own dismay. I’m a teacher who can afford to stay home in summer because I…
-
My Honestly Vain and Egotistical Desire To Be a Student at TC Columbia University.
I want to be honest to say that Columbia University admission was a plan in the making for more than 10 years. Back then I lived in Belarus. One of my mom’s friends had her daughter immigrate to the United States and getting her education at Columbia University. Apart from my fascination about the greener grass on the other coast, I’ve always kept an idea that one’s value is determined by education one receives, or rather the name of the school one gets written down in the diploma. I felt insecure and unworthy most of my life despite being an A student, getting into a top university in my home…
-
How We React to Teaching Profession Affects Our Mood, Self-image, Life.
I’m not a newbie to negativity. I was negative before, furious in my desire to diminish my self-worth based on the work I assumed I couldn’t do or didn’t have the experience to do correctly. And yes, perfectionism helped to dig a huge hole I was burried in. I was lucky to meet a mentor who shifted my perspective on many things and pointed me to the direction that I may choose to go if I want to be truly happy in anything I do. Such a transformation of viewpoint goes through ups and downs. You don’t stop stressing out all of a sudden, profession does not transform into an…
-
What Do You Do When You Are On The Brink of Quitting Your Teaching Job?
Hey! I’ve been there, so I know how it feels. It was almost two years ago when I was sitting in my cars crying, talking on the phone with one of my colleagues. “I don’t think I want to come back! It’s just too much!” I meant every single word, and back then it was entirely clear to me I was facing a problem I had to deal with. Teaching can overtake everything if you allow it to happen. It can drain you and set you on the way to growing anxiety and stress. But this is the truth: you will have to take steps to either make your teaching…
