Healthy Teacher Happy Teacher

I think all teachers would love to feel like they are thriving instead of just surviving in their career.   I see a couple of ways to feel thriving and successful sometimes, and I share these ideas with you in this podcast! 

On this episode, I dish on my international trips with Bookbag Tours  and share my big takeaways from visiting Egypt this last summer.  Egypt was nothing like I imagined!  It was so different and in this episode I attempt to share my experience! 

I recently transferred from a 4th grade classroom position to a position in an elementary school library where I teach grades K-5 daily!  Here are the ups and downs of my journey so far as a licensed librarian. 

This episode is all about why I left this podcast hanging for over a year!  Teaching is so hard and we all have a different story. This is mine. 

There are so many problems in the teaching career right now.  Every source of media complains about the world of education constantly, and it can be hard to see any positive aspects to the teaching career right now. In this episode, Jess (the whimsical teacher) talks about how to identify problems and use 4 different activist- based pathways to living your best teacher life. So many avenues, so little time~!  Let's get on with the show! 

In this episode, I dish all about setting boundaries at school. **Here are tips for speaking up for yourself**Write down on paper why you need to do this. What are your feelings if you don't do it?  Will you be resentful? Honor these feelings as being valid.  They are real. They are yours. **Setting boundaries at any job**Know your limitsCheck in with your feelingsGive yourself permissionConsider the environment and consequences. ++Take time off- use technology to cut corners, tpt hello!  Google forms for surveys, less paper, less stress. ++

Show Outline:How will I survive this school year!  Another pandemic year?!  EEEK My Self Care comes firstDaily self careMeal Planning/shopping on weekendsFixing my breakfast, and my lunchPreplanning all my outfits for the weekDoing a toiletry/personal care check on the weekendsSpending time with my dogs and husband phone freePracticing things that lower my blood pressureShoe check - because of gout/etc, In school At school.  It's inevitable- contract hours are not enough to lesson plan and copy all the things.  So you need a planI like choosing late or early.  Will I come in early or stay late.?  But never both.  Or a balance of both. Check to see if your school's pta or something like it will make you copies?  This can save a ton of time. Embrace activities that don't feel like work.  Don't guilt yourself over that time.  The job is so diverse there are things that don't feel like work, and I just let myself feel that FLOW. Each week, fix your space. Clean organize, beautify an area.  I start the week asking.. What can I do to make this week easier for myself and my students?So much drama over papers, and work, and grading, streamline the processes. PEOPLE WILL SURVIVE I”””F YOU DON'T MICROMANAGE AND PLAN EVERY LITTLE THING FOR THEM!!!!  Everything will work out.  Sometimes we need to let go.  Duder always says “why do you care about that?”  She'll just keep asking me why until I run out of answers and I realize that everything I'm worried about is just stuff that I'm imposing on my own belief system If you need a little paper with 180 days, that you can shade in each day to see progress.. Do it. 

I did it!  I survived!  I hope my tricks and tips for surviving the first week will help you survive as well!  WE got this teachers! 

In this episode, Jess discusses the year of pandemic teaching and how it impacted her teaching and career. The episode is chalked full of insight, healing, and lessons learned. 

Teacher Life is not for the faint of heart.  There are a lot of hard parts.  If you struggle, listen to this episode, and you might walk away with something that can help your daily routine! 

I am coming up on the one year anniversary of buying a house in Las Vegas, so I thought that I'd give an honest review of the city and my teaching situation.  

Listen to this episode for some hot tips about leaving the classroom.  

This episode has practical tricks and tips for how to remain positive when everything around you sucks. :)   

Let's dish on how to recognize and leave a toxic work environment.  If you're contemplating leaving your job right now or very soon, listen to this episode!  

I'm back to podcasting after taking a one-year hiatus.  In this episode, I quickly review the year and what it was like being a pandemic teacher while balancing all the other duties of life. It's good to be back friendsies.  Thank you for listening. 

Hello and welcome to episode 56. This episode I look back on my podcast journey and health journey as a teacher. This year was full of health problems, but I'm on a new track and I'm not looking back. gahaha I just wanted to rhyme. Anyways, I hope I inspire you to go get a full health scan at the doctors this year, so we can both start out on the right foot. If you leave me a written review on itunes, you can win a happy mail box from me! Please fill out this form if you have left a review! Happy mail delivered every 8 weeks! Thank you! Happy Mail Form here!

Here are my best tips from the King of Kindness himself, Mr. Rogers. Give the episode a listen and I promise it will give you some new things to think about to help get you through until winter break. Fill out my happy mail form! https://forms.gle/t63K1SzsJZVtQwwa6

Well, the title said it best, I am a bit of a hoarder, and with plans to move next summer, I decided to start Marie Kondo-ing my life asap. This is my story about how it's going so far. If you leave a review, please use my form to get on my happy mail list! Thank you!

In this episode I dish about what it's like being a teacher and constantly getting your feelings hurt because of the nature of our job. It's okay to have hurt feelings. Your feelings should be validate, but you should also have a game plan of action for when they are hurt. Self care is a top priority in this episode as I give you several ideas for how to heal after we've dealt with the person who has hurt us.

If you've ever felt bad about the actions of another on social media, you should listen to this episode! You will learn what really drives people to behave the way they do and what you should do about it. Please fill out my google form for happy mail if you've ever left a good review. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Vi0Lop0DpB5wkd7-Rmt0_KEVJ4Wh14KXxeirTIyDhtg/edit

Please fill out this form to get happy mail if you've left written feedback for the show!https://forms.gle/twS19fbgMsH4GRgDAThis episode is all about how to become a happier person and teacher. I share information from two of my most recent reads. I think you're going to gain some insight into your own happiness and hopefully get some ideas for how to pursue it with more passion!

Positivity feels better.This episode recognizes that mental illness is not a choice and sometimes it's hard trying to be positive while still dishing on some practical tips for being more positive and feeling more joy throughout the day!

Sometimes as a teacher, I feel emotionally numb or meh and I can participate in self destructive behaviors in order to cope. I wanted to address these feelings and talk about something called the Change Triangle and how it can help you move away from negative emotions and into more positive ones to make you a healthier and happier teacher.

Looking back on my last 8 years, I started thinking about mistakes I've made and things I wished I could do differently. Maybe this episode will help you reflect on your own teaching practice or at least avoid some of the oopsies that I've made over the years!

In this episode, I dish all about lessons learned from my New Zealand Bookbag Tours trip.In the first part of the episode, I explain a little about Bookbag tours and my experience with the company. In the last 2/3rds of the episode I talk a bit about things I observed, the focus of the school I visited, and new ideas that I want to incorporated into my teaching this next school year!

I went to the tpt conference, and I wanted to share all my juicy tidbits with you. I hope you enjoy. This episode is long, but hopefully a smidge entertaining. TPT conference is more about educational trends than anything because trends help sellers sell things. As a teacher, it's good to know the trends, so you can be aware of those practices for next school year!

In this episode, I wanted to dish on certain ideas for going back to school. Stop trying to balance so many things! You really don't need to. Prioritize your health, family, friends and finances above all else, and your teaching life will fall into place. I end the episode with some actionable steps for improving your teacher work life balance!

I've been listening to an audiobook called The One Thing by Gary Keller, and it got me thinking about how we can use this concept in our classrooms to have a better and more focused school year! Enjoy!

A lot of people are shocked to learn that I have been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. It is a very real and debilitating mental health disorder that impacts several areas of my life. In this episode I talk about my whole history with it. From where it all began to where it stands now and how I deal with it. I hope if you struggle with it too, that you will find some comfort in knowing that you are not alone on this journey. We can be great teachers and struggle with this disorder. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Thanks for listening!

It's hard to believe, but this weekend marks my 5 year journey on Teachers Pay Teachers. Starting a small store on the site brought me down so many interesting roads that I had to take some time out to self reflect about my experiences so far.I explore some hard truths and reflect on things I should have done differently. I hope it'll help you in your small business pursuits as well!

This episode sounds silly, but we all have people in our life that we just wish would go away. Here are some practical tips for dealing with such people. Along with a free side dish of whimsical antics.

I pour my heart out in this episode about things going on in my mind recently. I talk about all the things that led me to having a near breakdown and needing a mental health day. I hope I encourage you to do the same, and hopefully you can schedule yourself one before you get to a dark place. Use your sick days before you make yourself sick.

In this episode I dish on the 3 foundations of self care according to Rob Lowe. It's a fun episode and might give you something to think about for summer self improvement and care!

I got my new teaching assignment! I'm sharing 3 ways I stay out of drama at school, my new assignment, and 3 worries I have about it. 3-1-3 It's going to be a blastie.

I recently listened to some instagram stories from @mudandinkteaching about the time we invest in our schools. Is it healthy to have a school "family"? Are we neglecting our real families? This is just one thing to get you thinking about before you spend another year unhappy and/or miserable!

Whimsical Pre-Summer Smackdown will give you tips on surviving the end of the year, a collection of things to look forward to over summer, and book recommendations! It's a fun filled, jam packed episode to make your May fly by and get you thinking about ALL THINGS SUMMER! *insert all the screams* :)

Let's finish this school year with a bang! I know it's exhausting and grueling, but I want you to feel good about the work you've done this year, and feel confident strolling into summer!

In this episode, I interview one of my pal's, Josanne Skipper about her favorite oils from her favorite company, Young Living. I learned a lot of cool tricks and tips, and I hope you'll find it enjoyable too!Here's where to find Josanne for more info!IG: @josanne_skipper https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=17407253&enrollerid=17407253&isocountrycode=US&culture=en-US&type=member

My first year of teaching was a nightmare. I didn't get along with my boss, coworkers and my students had poor behavior. I blame myself for a lot of these struggles and I talk through my mistakes in this episode. I hope that if you're having a bad year, you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel too because life does get better.

In this episode, I dish all my emotions and struggles as I get asked to take over a single class period for another teacher. I still don't know the exact reason why I was asked to do this, and I probably could have asked, but I didn't want to know. I hope the episode encourages you that sometimes a mindshift is all you need to do something that seems really hard. Enjoy.

Influencer - Schminfluencer.In mid-March, 100 teachers were chosen to go a conference in Miami. Teachers came from all over the country, and a corporation named Genius Plaza gave these teachers scholarships to go. I was one of the lucky teachers who got chosen.In this episode I dish all about this event called the Impact Driven Teaching Conference. I tell my story about getting selected to go and I explain all of the details about what I learned and what we did. I hope it will inspire you to start putting out your own content into the world.

This is my story about how I'm personally searching for self care through 3 big pre-Spring Break Ideas.1. I made myself a 15 month plan for a long term goal that I've been struggling to achieve. 2. I started looking more closely at my finances in order to get close to achieving my goal.3. I'm looking for free ways to make every day more fun and enjoyable in the classroom.I hope this ideas help you out in your long term goal setting happiness seeking journeys as well. Thanks for tuning in Friendsies!

In Episode 29, I interview Crystal Radke from @KreativeinLife. She's a blogger, a public speaker, and the creator of this new teacher self care course and community called The Whole Teacher! Click my link below to join the Whole Teacher!http://bit.ly/whimsicalwholeteacherIf you listened to this episode on March 2nd or 3rd, please enter to win ONE FREE YEAR of THE WHOLE TEACHER! It is a $150 value! To win, screen shot this podcast episode and post on your instagram stories! Please tag me: @the_whimsical_teacher and @kreativeinlife for a chance to win this incredible prize! We will choose a winner by March 3rd at 10pm est! This contest is not associated or sponsored by Instagram or Buzzsprout. Please check out Crystal's website for more information! https://kreativeinlife.com/

Recently, I had a big health scare and I'm taking it very seriously and getting myself on a whole new path in life. I hope my story will encourage you to face your fear of needles and hospitals and doctors if you have any like I do.

In this episode, I get real about my most recent illness: shingles, and what could have brought on this bad time for me in my life.

I opened up a Q&A session on my instagram a few weeks ago, and here are my answers! I got emotional and choked up during some parts and other parts made me laugh and smile. It's a great episode. Thank you to all who submitted questions.

I recently lost 20 lbs by managing my eating meal by meal. I wanted to share those tips and tricks with you in case you are looking to revise your eating habits too. This is not a show about weight loss, it's a show about eating healthy and what worked for one teacher. All changes to diet should be reviewed by a medical professional first.

As teachers, I feel like we use our intuition non-stop through out the day. We almost use it too much, so in our personal lives this instinct.. this feeling in our gut, sometimes gets stifled. This episode is all about learning to use your intuition again in your personal life to make better decisions!

I'm not feeling January, so I decided to do a PART TWO episode of fighting the winter blues. I hope if you're feeling sad or not quite like yourself that you'll give it a listen!

In a recent interview, I was asked about how I deal with online negativity. This episode is all about the different ways I categorize haters in order to get over their nasty behavior! I hope it helps you as you venture into the world of social media. It shouldn't ever feel like a negative space: you should feel empowered and confident to tell your story.

I've been considered plus sized for most of my life, and in this episode I talk about the body positivity movement and how I felt as a plus sized child in school. I think we should be aware of what we're saying and how we are treating every child in our rooms. Through this episode, I discover that the best way to promote self confidence and body positivity is by being confident in ourselves. I talk about a lot of my feelings about this movement and I process how I felt as a plus sized child in school.