It's 2017... already? Ringing in the New Year with a Healthy Living Fitness Challenge in your classroom

The beginning of a new year can be the best time to motivate your students to try something new or kick a bad habit to the curb.  It's a time of reflection on what went well last year and what changes might need to be made for the new year.  Every year, I try to come up with a inspirational idea to motivate my students to be better and to do better, but I'm not sure how effective I've been at it. Sometimes my cute New Year mobiles don't look that hot.  Other times, students don't finish filling out their goals sheets. And then there are times when students just don't want to.

I actually was thinking about NOT doing New Years goals this year.  I know that I've failed in many of my own, and I just didn't want to be disappointed with the lack of enthusiasm from my students. But, as I was planning my next science unit (which is actually a chapter in our health books), I thought of a different idea.  Why not focus on healthy living for our goals?  I KNOW my students need guidance in this directions.  Just look at what they eat on any given day for lunch.  

Our health chapter is all about eating right and exercising.  We're going to be reading about kinds of food that we should be eating, vitamins and minerals, exercise and heart rate.  I put together this fun "Healthy Habits Fitness Tracker" for students to keep track of what they eat and do. 

I teach 2 different science classes, and students in both classes were so excited about this challenge. Classes are going to be competing against each other.  We're going to track 8 different healthy habits: how many vegetables we eat, how many fruits, sugary drinks consumed, how much water we drink, amount of time watching TV/playing video games. how much physical activity we get, if we eat breakfast and how much sleep we get each night.  

Students had so many questions - what's a serving of veggies, how do I know how much water I drink if I just put my mouth under the kitchen faucet (yep, that was a real question), does my gymnastics class count for physical activity, what if I watch a movie with my family - movies are over 60 minutes... So many opportunities to teach real life skills that will hopefully turn into amazing healthy habits!

We're going to keep up the challenge for 4 weeks.  I'm currently looking into getting donations for prizes for my students for completing their weekly trackers and then for the winning class.  But I think another amazing benefit is that I have instant accountability partners for my own healthy living goals.  I need to track these things just as much as my students need to!  And my homeroom is definitely going to be watching what I'm doing to make sure I don't bring them down in our contest.

You can get your own free copy of my Fitness Tracker here in my TpT store, The Owl Spot.  I'd love to hear how you use this in your class, or just for yourself!  

Here's to a happy new year and a healthier you!

Martha from "The Owl Spot"

Bullet Journals for Busy Teachers

I Love Bullet Journaling!

I have discovered the amazing world of BULLET JOURNALING!  After many years of trying to juggle home, teaching, and church schedules (and failing miserably), I was about to give up.  I’ve tried different kinds of planners, but they never seemed to be flexible enough.  I think at one time I had a planner for schedules, a notebook for to-do lists, and random loose notes everywhere for things to remember to put in one of these places.  Needless to say, my life was pretty much in complete disarray! 

Then I found bullet journaling.  I was looking through Pinterest and saw a pin about it.  I read through the blog and was almost convinced that it might work. Bullet journaling has the flexibility to include all of the parts of my complicated life in one place, and to make changes as needed.  And I loved that I could doodle and keep it looking “cute.” 

So, I bought a journal, some fun Flair pens (my favorite!) and got right to it.  I didn’t want to invest in an expensive journal, so I settled with a thick spiral notebook with a sturdy cover.  I knew it would be thrown into my school bag and needed to be quit durable. 

After reading many different blogs about how to bullet journal, I decided that, since it’s supposed to be tailored to my own needs and style, I would adopt the things I liked and change those I didn’t.  Here’s what I include in my journal:

1.      Monthly Calendar – I keep this because I need to see what’s going on at a month’s glance. I use color coding to know if it’s for school, family, church, or TpT. Under each calendar, I list the days of the month so I can record important things going on for each day.

Monthly Tracker and Tasks – I want to track things each month, such as how much water I drink, exercise, hours I work with teaching, hours I put into my TpT store, piano practice, etc.  Placing a tracker chart with in my bullet journal just made sense!  I also keep a task list for the month near my tracker so I can track things and be reminded of things that need done.

Daily To-Do list – After the monthly calendar, I keep a section for each day, keeping an “on-going” list of what I plan to accomplish for the day.  I’ve found that others use a coding system that was a bit too complicated for me.  So, I modified.  Check mark for those tasks that are finished, exclamation point for those that are of immediate importance, a diagonal slash for those things that are partially completed, and an arrow for things that were not finished.  Those things just simply get moved to the next day. 

Other sections I include in my journal are a business goals page, books I want to read page, piano lesson notes, church notes, and recipes I want to try. As the summer ends, I’m adding sections showing shopping lists and sketches for how I want to set things up in my classroom.  I’m sure there will be more parts added later.  That’s what I love about this; I can modify and adjust for my own needs. 

Finally, I feel like I have a little bit more control over my life.  Too bad the journal can’t help me eliminate  the busyness of life… but that’s for another blog entry! 

Here's a few other helpful blogs about beginning your own bullet journals:

The Art of Simple

The Brunette with a Blog

Creative Pink Butterfly

Boho Berry

It's November, and we are all thinking about things related to fall... pumpkins, leaves, cooler weather, and Thanksgiving.  And I've learned a few things about being thankful, specifically how thankfulness affects me in the classroom.

I have found that teachers can be the best complainers.  We have too much to do, too many mandates, too many students (or parents) causing extra problems... And we use the excuse of "I need to talk to someone about this."  Before we know it, we're one of the best complainers in the school.  That's not how I want to be, and that's not how I want to affect those around me.

The best way to cure a complaining spirit is by being thankful.  Even when things look hopeless, stressful, and irritating, finding something to be thankful for changes my mood.  This time of year seems to always be stressful, as the holidays are coming, and, as teachers, we are trying to cover material, keep up with grading, and keep our students calm in the middle of all sorts of holiday excitement.  Not easy.

So, here's my list of things to keep reminding myself to be thankful for.  I'm going to post them in my classroom - by my desk, on my lectern, in my plan book and grade book - anywhere that I may need the reminder to be thankful.  

I'm thankful for...

1. Jesus.  

"By His wounds I [have been] healed." Isaiah 53:5  If nothing else went well in my life, I know that I am still blessed to have my sins forgiven and a hope that is sure and secured through the work of Christ on the cross.  

2. Family

My husband, son, parents, siblings, grandparents, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles... blessings given from God that I tend to take for granted at times.  Each moment together is a gift from God.

3. Church family

As an extension of number 2, these dear people are my extended family.  Time together, encouraging each other to focus on Christ and live in a way that pleases our Savior, becomes the highlight of my week.  

4. My job

Yes, I am truly thankful for my job.  Without my job, bills wouldn't be paid, and we would have tons more problems than what I have now.  Teaching is demanding, no matter what kind of school I'm in.  I've been in public schools, charter schools, and private.  and each has its own pressure.  But the pressure will always be there, because teachers interact with people.  But it's in these interactions that we can find joy - joy in seeing our students understand new concepts, joy in partnering with parents to help their children learn and grow, and joy in collaborating with others to be the best that we can be.  I have to find joy and thankfulness in teaching to combat the tendency to dwell on the frustrations of the job.  

5. Friends

God has given us friends to help us understand and enjoy life.  And they sharpen us to be better than who we are.  I am thankful for my friends who live close by that I see all the time, and for those who live far away that I wish I could spend more time with.  

6. Time

Even though I complain that I don't have enough of it, I'm thankful for the time that I do have.  I'm constantly challenged to use my time wisely, because each moment is precious.  

7. "My Favorite Things"

These little things (chocolate, Dr. Pepper, Flair pens, etc.) are things that make me smiles.  They remind me that, even in the middle of whatever I'm going through, there are things that can still make me smile.  

8. Pets

I love my dogs.  One is gone, and I cherish each memory of Jaggers.  Shamu, our beagle, keeps me laughing.  She is "slightly" overweight, curious, snuggly, and pretty much lazy.  But she brings much joy to my family.

9. Books

I love books.  Especially ones that I can read just because I want to read them. To get lost in a good book is a good thing.  

10. A new day

I'm thankful that God gives us new days.  When I wake up in the morning, it's fresh.  All the frustrations and mistakes from yesterday are gone.  I have a clean slate.  I can choose to dwell on those things from yesterday, but they will rob me of the joy that is in store for me today. 

So, what are you thankful for?  

Martha from "The Owl Spot"