Professional Development for Educators: A Choose Your Own Adventure Guide to Growth and Self-Care

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This Choose Your Own Adventure article connects to a recent professional development day presentation on Storytelling and Self-Care. You'll find some articles I've written and others I've found useful. My mission with Why Edify is to embrace curiosity, reflection, and action to maintain my sanity and continue improving professionally and personally. I also want to help other educators do the same.

I hope you found value in my presentation and on this page. Thanks for being here, and feel free to share with anyone who might appreciate these resources.

I send out resources and ideas each week to help teachers become happier, healthier, and stronger. Join us!

Benefits of Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

• Comfort Zones and Adventures - What happens when you leave your comfort zone?
• Adults often can choose when they step out of their comfort zone, while students are often asked to do this. It’s important to stretch yourself so you don’t forget what it’s like to do things that scare you a little.
• Adventure and Comfort Zones - Adventure puts teachers and students out of their comfort zones, where learning occurs.
• Why Edify Manifesto - "Why Edify" represents building up the mind, body, and spirit, with education at the heart of it all.
• Leverage the power of Thirty-Day Challenges to nudge you out of your comfort zone. Here’s a copy of an eBook I wrote. If you decide to complete some thirty-day challenges, please tell me all about it.

Focus and Philosophy

• I purchased The Obstacle is the Way* after the first Covid lockdowns occurred. I had been following Ryan Holiday on his site Daily Stoic for a while, long enough to see that the foundations of Stoicism had applications in teaching, my personal life, and during “pandemic” times. Here are my book notes.
• Show Your Work by Austin Kleon makes a great case for putting your work out there for the world to see. This book is one of the main reasons I started this blog. Teachers and learners will both benefit from reading this book. Here are my book notes.
• Here’s the video that inspired me to write a newsletter. I am certain writing online won’t make me a millionaire, but it has made life more exciting and made me a better person and teacher. I’m a fan.

Benefits Of Telling Your Story

• Tell Your Story - Social media can be an effective way for schools and teachers to engage parents and the larger community when content is focused on storytelling and highlighting core values. Parents with negative school experiences tend to pass that outlook on to their children. Still, social media can help schools engage with them and highlight positives about the school during difficult times. Schools should choose social media platforms based on their goals and target audiences, leverage their content to tell stories and incorporate their core values. Consistency, accuracy, and paying attention to analytics are also crucial to social media success. Teachers can also do this by sending home simple newsletters at regular intervals. Nowadays, it's best to tell your story, or someone else will tell it.
• Teachers can use social media to share what’s working in their classrooms, support other educators, and tell the positive stories that happen daily in public schools.
• “I am committed to positively transforming education. One way to accomplish this is sharing what’s happening in my classroom. As an educator-learner, I choose to publish student work and my reflections via blogs, Twitter, discussion boards, conference presentations, webinars, and various educational organization sites. When student work is broadly shared, it helps the audience to understand what is possible, what can be improved, what could be replicated in other schools, and what could be re-envisioned.”
• I recently read "The Ed Branding Book: How to Build Educational Leadership with Social Influence,"* which makes a great case for teachers and schools to share their stories.

Define Yourself

This is an important step in designing/maintaining your self-care framework. Finding out what will make you happy is tough if you don't ponder who you are. Pondering who you are serves as a foundation you can return to when you drift away from the things you genuinely want to be doing.

• "A personal mission statement is a written declaration of our unique direction or purpose. This statement makes it clear not just what you intend to do in this world but how you intend to do it. It's sometimes just one sentence, but it can be as long as you want." Creating a personal mission statement helps clarify your values and goals, providing a clear direction in life. It also serves as a powerful decision-making tool, allowing you to align your choices with your core purpose and long-term aspirations.
• Here’s an activity I do with my 8th graders that can be adapted for many grade levels and is also great for adults. It’s hard to get where you want to go if you don’t take the time to figure out who you are first.
• The second Habit of Highly Effective People and Teens is "Begin With the End in Mind." Both books are great, and the second habit encourages students—and everyone—to get to know themselves. A great exercise that benefits teachers and students alike is “The Great Discovery.” You might like this as well.
• Explore 13 ways you can craft a solid personal mission statement.
• Identify your passions. Discover how pursuing hobbies and passion projects can enhance teachers' personal well-being and professional growth, leading to more engaging and effective education.

Curate Your Professional Learning Network

• Explore this resource to use “X (formerly Twitter) to curate your Professional Learning Network.
• The nature of teachers’ professional learning through a personal learning network: Individual, social, and digitally connected
• For educators who thrive on connections, Twitter chats may be the perfect form of professional development. They're free. They focus on just the topic you need. They happen regularly. They give you access to an instant community with networking opportunities, emotional support, and the chance to give back. Here are 44 education X (Twitter) chats worth your time.
• Check out this list of the 50 best Facebook groups for teachers.
• “Teaching can be isolating, and that isolation and lack of support can lead to burnout. PLNs help educators to escape the isolation that can become part of the profession. By connecting with like-minded professionals, educators become part of a supportive community of support that can help in many ways. I have reached out to my PLN many times for ideas, especially several years ago when I was struggling with student engagement in my classroom. Reaching out to a network and knowing that I was not alone in having some challenges was so helpful and provided me with many new ideas for my students.”
• Let’s connect. Here are the social sites I’m active in.

STRONG Student and Teacher Framework

This is the framework I created for myself and that I use with my students. Each of the steps has scientific backing and is proven to work. The trick is to make this a priority and stick with it. It has the bonus of creating more connections with students, and I look forward to reading their responses each week.

Successes

• It is important to pause and acknowledge our successes when pursuing goals and achievements. This applies to both teachers and students. Recognizing and celebrating our achievements boosts our confidence and motivation and fosters a positive mindset and gratitude. Celebrating successes creates a more enjoyable school environment. After studying these advantages, I have started to set aside time on Monday mornings for my students to reflect on the previous week and track their successes. It’s a practice I’m starting to incorporate as well.

• Another way to stay focused and track the awesome things in life is to complete “Homework for Life.” This idea comes from Matthew Dicks. I think it’s a great idea.

Tracking: Why You Should Keep Score

We track what matters to us—money, calories, birthdays, exercise. Tracking can be a form of tough love and a powerful form of self-care. It's not always comfortable to face the data we gather about ourselves, but that's precisely why it's so valuable. We can't hide from the numbers, and that honesty pushes us to grow as educators and individuals.

• Discover how educators can enhance their teaching practice and personal growth by implementing effective self-tracking strategies. Learn practical tips for keeping score and leveraging data to improve professional performance and well-being.
• 7 Best Goal Tracker Apps to Get You on Track
• 15 Reasons for Teachers to Complete an Annual Review, Along with a Free Annual Review Template—Completing a review near the end of December and at the end of the school year will help with goal setting and overall personal development.
• A weekly review is a structured process where teachers reflect on their past week's accomplishments, challenges, and upcoming tasks. It typically involves reviewing goals, assessing progress, and planning for the week ahead. For educators, this practice can be incredibly beneficial as it helps maintain focus, prioritize tasks, and identify areas for improvement in their teaching methods and classroom management.

Recover and Renew

We are better teachers and human beings when we support our mind, body, and spirit. However, we often neglect these during busy and stressful times. Here are some ideas and resources to help you up your renewal game.

• Discover how journaling can transform your teaching career and personal life. Learn various journaling techniques, their benefits, and practical tips for educators.
• Teaching is a profession filled with challenges and tough moments. It has its ebbs and flows like the tides of the ocean. In these times, true professionals show their strength - the ability to keep going and stay consistent, even when motivation is low.
• Rest is a crucial component for enhancing productivity and creativity, contrary to the common perception of it being laziness. Key strategies for effective rest include establishing an early morning routine, walking to stimulate creative thinking, taking short naps for mental rejuvenation, stopping work at optimal times to encourage subconscious problem-solving, and prioritizing sleep to maintain cognitive function. Embracing rest as an integral part of the work process can lead to improved performance, increased creativity, and a more balanced, fulfilling life.
• I know it’s tough when you’re tired, but exercise is terrific for reducing stress. It lowers stress hormones and increases endorphins, improving mood and relaxation. In addition to regular aerobic activity, techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation can further manage stress and promote overall physical and mental well-being.
• Mindfulness can significantly benefit teachers by helping them understand their emotions, communicate effectively, manage challenging students, create a positive learning environment, strengthen relationships, slow down during lessons, and build community. By practicing mindfulness, teachers can enhance their emotional regulation, improve classroom dynamics, and foster a supportive atmosphere conducive to student learning and well-being.
• If you want to try Headspace to practice mindfulness, it’s free for educators. Learn more here.

Optimize

Some people shy away from affirmations and intentions because they think they are cheesy or hokey. Even so, the science says that they work. The articles below explain the how and why.

• The Benefits of Affirmations for Students: Cultivating Positive Mindset and Academic Success
• 50 Affirmations for Teachers That Improve Self-Confidence, Reduce Stress, and Help Build Relationships
• In the fast-paced world of education, getting caught up in the daily rush of lesson planning, grading, and managing classroom dynamics is easy. However, setting intentions can be a transformative practice that benefits your personal and professional life.
• Discover how to harness the power of quotes in your classroom to inspire student growth, foster critical thinking, and create meaningful discussions. Learn practical strategies for implementing this effective teaching tool.

Next Actions

Teachers are set up with never-ending to-do lists. It’s impossible to complete everything that must be done daily, contributing to stress and burnout. Building a solid routing to manage tasks and projects can go a long way to mitigating some of the stress. Creating the system that works best for you in this area is important. Here are some resources I’ve used to create a system that works well for me.

• This is my system that combines an old-school paper lesson plan book, aspects of Bullet Journaling, Planbook, and Notion that works well for me. Maybe it will work for you too.
• James Clear's "Atomic Habits” emphasizes that tiny changes in behavior can lead to remarkable results. The book provides practical strategies for forming good habits, breaking bad ones, and mastering the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. Clear illustrates how the concepts of compound interest apply to habits, suggesting that habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.
• Here is where I learned about “Eating the Frog” when it comes to getting things done. When I work with my students and other teachers, I call it “Lifting the Big Weight First.”

Gratitude

• Practicing gratitude is one of those foundational things. When done right, it affects all other aspects of your classroom, school, and community.
• Ten Ways to Practice Gratitude
• “The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude. It is an inspiring lesson in slowing down, looking where you're going, and, above all, being grateful.”

Maybe You Want To Start Reflecting and Sharing Out Loud

• Start your own newsletter. I use Ghost, but some other good options are Substack and Beehive. I double-dog dare you. If you do, share it with me.
• Make a social event out of it. Get together with some of your colleagues and debrief.
• Use your social media service of choice and throw caution to the wind. A good policy is to share things you know your mom and boss will see. Hopefully, that will keep you employed. Here are the places I share.
• Please send me your words of wisdom and share them in a weekly newsletter (whyedify@gmail.com).

Books I Recommend

• “The Four Agreements”* by Don Miguel Ruiz presents four principles for personal freedom and self-transformation: Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, and always do your best. These agreements can help you create a more positive and effective learning environment by improving communication, reducing conflicts, and fostering a growth mindset.
• "The Obstacle is the Way" by Ryan Holiday presents a philosophy inspired by Stoicism, teaching that obstacles and adversity can be turned into opportunities for growth and success. The book emphasizes three key disciplines: perception (how we view challenges), action (how we tackle them), and will (how we cultivate resilience). For teachers, this mindset can be particularly beneficial in navigating the complexities of teaching, helping you reframe challenges as chances for innovation and personal development in your professional practice.
• James Clear's "Atomic Habits” emphasizes that tiny changes in behavior can lead to remarkable results. The book provides practical strategies for forming good habits, breaking bad ones, and mastering the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. Clear illustrates how the concepts of compound interest apply to habits, suggesting that habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.
• "Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators"* by Elena Aguilar is a comprehensive guide offering practical strategies for teachers to build resilience and thrive in their profession. I appreciate that this book has suggestions for both teachers and administrators. It's structured around 12 key habits of emotionally resilient educators, providing month-by-month activities and reflections throughout the school year. Aguilar emphasizes self-awareness, self-care, and mindfulness, offering a blend of personal anecdotes, research-based insights, and actionable exercises to help educators manage stress and maintain their passion for teaching.
• "Dare to Lead"* by Brené Brown explores courageous leadership through vulnerability, values, trust, and resilience. The book emphasizes the importance of having difficult conversations, showing up with empathy, and embracing discomfort to foster innovation and creativity in organizations. For educators, this book offers invaluable insights into creating a culture of psychological safety in schools, empowering teachers to lead authentically, and nurturing an environment where students and staff can thrive through open communication and mutual support.
• "Show Your Work!" by Austin Kleon encourages creators to share their creative process openly, fostering connections and opportunities. Kleon emphasizes the importance of documenting and sharing your work in progress rather than waiting for a finished product. This approach can inspire collaboration and transparency in teaching methods for educators and create a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the school community.
• "Teaching with Love and Logic"* by Jim Fay and Foster Cline presents a compassionate yet practical approach to classroom management and student discipline. The book emphasizes empowering students to make responsible choices while maintaining a nurturing environment, focusing on natural consequences rather than punishment. It provides educators with strategies to build positive relationships with students, enhance their decision-making skills, and create a more effective and enjoyable learning atmosphere.
• "Storyworthy"* by Matthew Dicks is a comprehensive guide to crafting and telling compelling personal stories, teaching readers how to find extraordinary moments in everyday life and transform them into engaging narratives. For educators, this book offers invaluable tools to create more captivating lessons by incorporating storytelling techniques, making complex subjects more relatable and memorable for students. There's an emphasis on finding meaningful moments in daily life that can inspire teachers to reflect on their experiences, potentially leading to more authentic connections with students and improve classroom dynamics. Additionally, the storytelling skills taught in "Storyworthy" can enhance a teacher's ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, parents, and administrators, ultimately improving overall professional relationships and career development. With practical techniques like the "Homework for Life" method and the "Five Second Moment" concept, this book equips educators with the skills to become better storytellers both in and out of the classroom.
• "The Success Principles" by Jack Canfield is a comprehensive guide that outlines 64 timeless principles for achieving success in all areas of life. The book emphasizes taking 100% responsibility for your life, setting clear goals, and taking consistent action towards them. It also covers topics such as overcoming fear, building self-confidence, and creating positive habits, providing readers with practical strategies and inspiring stories to help them reach their full potential.
• “The Bullet Journal Method”, created by Ryder Carroll, is a customizable and forgiving organization system that combines traditional planning, journaling, and note-taking into one streamlined approach. It helps users track the past, organize the present, and plan for the future using a simple system of bullets and rapid logging. This method can be particularly beneficial for teachers in managing lesson plans, tracking student progress, organizing administrative tasks, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance by providing a flexible, analog system that adapts to their unique needs and workflow.
• "From Strength to Strength"* by Arthur C. Brooks discusses how we can adapt as our mental abilities change with age. It suggests that we can discover new paths to success and happiness by accepting these changes later in life. The book offers practical advice on developing wisdom, nurturing relationships, and identifying what's truly important as we age.
• "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens"* by Sean Covey adapts Stephen Covey's original "7 Habits" for a younger audience, offering practical advice for personal development and success. The book covers principles like being proactive, setting goals, prioritizing, seeking mutual benefit in relationships, effective communication, continuous self-improvement, and maintaining balance. For students, it provides a roadmap for developing crucial life skills, improving self-esteem, and navigating challenges. Teachers can benefit by incorporating these principles into their classroom management and curriculum. I prefer this version of the book to the one written for adults.

Tools I Love

• Notion* is a popular all-in-one workspace that has gained much popularity among teachers. I’ve used Notion over the past year to help me write my weekly newsletter and recently started using it to improve my school organization. Here are a few benefits of using Notion that teachers will appreciate right away.
• Readwise is a powerful tool that helps users capture, organize, and revisit important information from various sources like books, articles, and podcasts. It integrates with popular reading apps and e-readers, automatically syncing highlights and notes to create a centralized knowledge base. For teachers, Readwise can be particularly beneficial in curating and retaining professional development material, organizing research for lesson planning, and discovering connections between different educational resources. Additionally, its spaced repetition feature can help educators reinforce key concepts and ideas over time, enhancing long-term retention and application in their teaching practice.
• Voicenotes* is a versatile app that can significantly benefit teachers personally and professionally. I’ve recently started using it to remind me of important things at the end of the day. This powerful AI tool allows for recording and transcribing voice memos, enabling educators to quickly capture ideas for lesson plans, record reflections on teaching practices, or create to-do lists on the go. You can use Voicenotes to record meetings with colleagues or parent-teacher conferences.

Video Inspiration

I stumbled across these videos at various times during my teaching crew. Some are great to share with your students.

You made it to the end. There's a ton of stuff on this page. Just pick something small to try each day, and over the years, it will compound into something much bigger.

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