Hey teacher friends! I have a treat for you! We have our very first guest on the podcast- Sara Marye. She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the Science of Reading and lesson planning.    In this episode she is spilling all of her tips for making lesson planning more streamlined and efficent so you can complete your lesson plans without working past your contracted hours.    Sara Marye has over a decade of experience working as a classroom teacher and school administrator. She is now CEO of The Stellar Teacher Company and a literacy specialist passionate about helping elementary teachers around the world grow their students into lifelong readers. Sara's mission is to make teachers' lives a little easier by providing them with endless encouragement, effective strategies, and engaging no-fluff resources. Sara is also the host of the Stellar Teacher Podcast, where she loves to share her favorite literacy tips each week!  

website: https://www.stellarteacher.com/

podcast:https://www.stellarteacher.com/stellar-teacher-podcast-with-sara-marye/

TPT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Stellar-Teacher-Company

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestellarteachercompany/

 

You don’t need a permission slip. But I’m going to give you one anyway.

And more importantly… I’d like you to consider giving one to yourself.

 

Why? Because... Teachers are really good at giving evvverything to evvveryone else.

But how good are you at giving yourself what you really need?

 

We get so caught up in going, going, going… Giving, giving, giving... And doing, doing, doing… That we keep thinking we need to Do MORE. And Be MORE. But I think what we reeeally need most often is to…

 

Do LESS.

When you do LESS, you free up your 2 most valuable resources: Time & Energy.

And when you have more Time & Energy… You’re able to show up as the best version of yourself. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking.

“That sounds great! I’d love to do less! I’m sooo exhausted, BUT…”

 

And then you could go on to give me a gigantic list of reasons why you can’t do less because there’s so much you HAVE TO DO. I get it.

I’ve been there. But I’d like to offer the thought that maybe the “have to” mentality isn’t serving you. What if it’s a sneaky little thought that sounds legit, but it’s actually a form of self-sabotage?

 

So here’s what I’d like to recommend. If you love the “idea” of doing less, but you don’t see HOW it could possibly work for you… I’d like to invite you to consider some new thoughts.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why selfish is the new selfless when it comes to being a great teacher and showing up as your best for your family and friends.
• Why doing less actually allows you to be more in every area of your life - both in and out of school.
• How to make doing less a habit that will help you step into the best version of yourself.

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Do you ever get knots in your stomach over something that happened at school? Do you ever feel like you can't breathe because you can't stop worrying about test scores, evaluations, observations, changing curriculum, changing grade levels, or anything else related to school? Then this episode is for you. 

 

In this episode you'll learn:

• • My interpretation of what "school-induced anxiety" is and why we experience it.
  • Why anxiety isn't the real problem. (I'll tell you what is.)
  • 3 Options for responding to anxiety - and which one is alwasy your best choice.
  • 4 steps to overcome any instance of anxiety in your life.

Taking a break can be HARD.

 

Especially when you love what you do. Whether it’s taking a sick day or a mental health day, maternity leave or a sabbatical, or committing to not bringing work home in the evenings or on the weekends.

 

Taking a break sounds awesome. But it’s not always as easy as it sounds.

 

I’m about to take a break this holiday season. A break from school and from Chalk Full of Life. 

 

If you’re feeling like you need a break, too- I’d encourage you to listen to your head and your heart.

The only person you need permission from is yourself.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to master the art of taking a break from your schoolwork without feeling guilty.
• How to break free from a “Have To” mentality.
• How to consciously choose more of what you want in life by questioning your own thoughts and beliefs.

Is your schoolwork creeping too far into your personal life? If you’re constantly running out of time to get through #allthethings on your to-do list at school, you might wish there were more hours in a day. But would having more time for your schoolwork really solve anything? Or would you find even more things to add to your list? If you’re ready to leave more of your schoolwork at school, it might be time for a mindset makeover.

 

In this episode you’ll learn:

 

• The biggest reason why your school work is stealing time away from your personal life… and it has everything to do with ONE simple priority. When you shift this priority, everything can change for you.  

 

• Four huge problems that are causing your schoolwork to take way too long to complete, and how to solve each of them.

 

• One simple action step you can take right away to make a big difference in how you approach your schoolwork so you can begin protecting your personal time more fiercely.

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Do you have trouble turning off your Teacher Brain when you’re not at school? Sometimes we think way too much about school when we’re not even there. If you ever wished you could just flip the off switch on your buzzing Teacher Brain and be a little more present and in tune with the rest of your life outside of teaching, this episode is for you.

 

In this episode you’ll learn:

 

• How to recognize the key differences between worrying, ruminating, and being present in the NOW - because this is the first step toward gaining control over your Teacher Brain.

 

• What Thought Loops {or Thought Errors} are - so you can become more aware of what they’re doing to you and how you can begin to let them go.

 

• A simple 3-step plan of action that you can get started with today to be more present at home or anywhere else when you just wanna turn off your Teacher Brain to enjoy your family, your friends, or a little more ME time.

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Some days I roll out of bed, get dressed, and feel like a million bucks.

Other days, I curse my skinny jeans for being too skinny. 👖

And I question whether it was them or me that changed size since the last load of laundry. 🤷‍♀️

Ever feel this way?

#FrustrationStation

Whether we’re frustrated with something going on at school, something at home, or something about ourselves…

 

Our culture has a tendency to look at frustration as a negative thing.

After all, frustration doesn’t feel good! 😖

So most of us try to rush our way out of frustration as fast as we can.

We run to the Oreos.

We binge the Netflix.

We vent to whoever will listen.

 

Bottom Line: We seek COMFORT.

But then the frustration rears its ugly head again.

And again.

And again.

#DejaVu

 

So we keep trying to run away from it.

Or we try to numb ourselves from the awful feeling. 🍦📺🍷

 

But what if there’s more to it?

What if we’re missing something really good hidden underneath the frustration?

What if we’re actually creating our own vicious spin cycles when we try to push it away?

 

What if there’s a better way to get through the frustration faster?

...And actually come out on the other side of it feeling like we’ve finally conquered it?

(Rather than feeling like the frustration itself has some sort of power over us.)

 

Let’s look at frustrations with fresh eyes.

And uncover the truth behind what’s really going on.

Whether you’re feeling frustrated at school, at home, with yourself (or all of the above)...

I promise you’ll know exactly what to do with your frustration by the end of the episode.

And fair warning: It might surprise you.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Exactly how to move from frustration toward whatever you want most in your teacher life right now.
• The two types of discomfort you’ll experience when you’re frustrated (and how to know which one is helpful vs. which one is harmful.)
• How to consciously choose the type of discomfort that will help you realize your goals, dreams, and ambitions faster.

 

Join The Balanced Teacher Life Course

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As a teacher, your career might feel like it’s constantly in flux due to decisions that are being made #onthedaily without your input. From decisions about testing to decisions about your curriculum and everything in between… it can sometimes feel like you have little control over your job.

But YOU are the professional who knows what works best in your classroom… so what do you do about the decisions that impact your daily life and career - especially when you don’t agree with them?

Is feeling powerless your only option? Or is there a more useful and empowering way to respond to the decisions that are handed to you from above?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What to do when your school administrators make decisions you don’t like or agree with.
• The 3 steps you can take immediately to go from feeling frustrated or angry to being grateful that you get to be 100% in control of your own thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Why this is one of the greatest opportunities you’ll have as a teacher to grow and experience what real self-empowerment feels like. 

The doors are finally open to the Balanced Teacher Life Program. Click here to check it out! 

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Are you feeling burnt out or overwhelmed as a teacher?

With a to-do list a million miles long, it’s easy to slip right into the #teachertired. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If you’d rather approach #allthethings from a place of calm, clarity, and confidence, let’s uncover a new approach to tackling your to-do’s with ease.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between burnout and overwhelm - and a simple test to find out which one you’re actually dealing with.
• 5 simple steps to regain control of your time, tasks, sanity, and energy. 

Join The Balanced Teacher Life Waitlist

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Do you have a hard time saying No when an administrator, colleague, friend or anyone else asks you to volunteer for something you don’t really wanna do?

On today’s episode, we’ll explore the negative impact saying Yes can have on you and everyone else when it’s not something you’re excited about doing. And you’ll come away with a helpful mindset reframe for how to say No without feeling guilty.

So if you’re ready to become a rockstar at saying no, let’s dive on in.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The hidden, scary truth of what’s really going on when you say Yes to something that you really don’t want to do.
• The #1 thing that matters the most when you’re deciding whether to say Yes or No to a request of your time at school or anywhere else.
• How to say No without feeling guilty.
• Why you never need to explain yourself when you say NO.

Join The Balanced Teacher Life Waitlist

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