Work Life Balance Archives - Mike Anderson Consulting

Want to Reduce Your Workload and Boost Student Learning? Try This One Powerful Strategy

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, From Surviving to Thriving, Great Academic Work, Homework, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies, Uncategorized, Work Life Balance

What if there was a learning strategy that boosted student engagement, had many (many!) academic benefits for students, and reduced teacher planning and correcting/grading time? Great news! There is–and it’s a tried and true strategy you have probably been using

Managing Teacher Stress This Fall

Schools will need to pay attention to protocols of physical safety this fall: hand sanitizer, masks, dots spaced six feet apart in hallways, etc. Let’s also not forget the critical role that teachers’ emotional health will play in helping school

What might schools look like in the fall? We can learn from schools that have already welcomed children back to school. In the United States, many of us (teachers, parents, and students) are filled with anxiety about what the

Self-Care as a Professional Responsibility

A Conversation with Mike Anderson, Little Things First This is part 3 of a four-part series on how to support educators in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. In this conversation with the Little Things First podcast hosts, Tracy

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Professional Development, Work Life Balance

Remember those days in the classroom when you thought, “I have friends who work from home. Wouldn’t that be nice?” Well, here you go! COVID-19 is giving you a chance to try it out. No doubt, there are some upsides

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Professional Development, Work Life Balance

Kids who completely disconnect from all literacy and math during the summer may experience the “summer slide.” They return to school in the fall rusty–with little school stamina. They may even lose academic ground that they gained the previous year.

Teach Like Finland: A Must-Read for All Educators

What if the best recipe for creating successful schools was developing relaxed, safe, and joyful ones? What if the key to raising achievement (even as measured by standardized tests) was to have students engage in authentic, student-driven, choice-based, and fun

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Teaching Strategies, Work Life Balance

You already know this, but I’m going to say it anyway. You can’t do it all in these last days of school. Go ahead. Admit it. You have too much planned, and you know no one’s going to come along

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Work Life Balance

For teachers, the return from the holiday break provides a perfect time to reflect. What has gone well so far this year? What could be better? I’d like to offer a bit of advice if you’re considering a New Year’s

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Professional Development, Work Life Balance

In response to a recent Well-Balanced Teacher Facebook post about teacher burnout, a teacher quipped: “When it’s only a month into the school year and people already feel burnt out, stressed, and overwhelmed, there is a problem!” So why is

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Professional Development, Work Life Balance

Teachers are burning out at an alarming rate. Overworked and saddled with increasingly complex and overwhelming responsibilities, not to mention more challenging students and families, many teachers are suffering from exhaustion and chronic stress. Not surprisingly, this has a profound

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Work Life Balance

In the final weeks of school, teachers can feel even more insane than usual. Paperwork and meetings pile up. As the weather warms, students itch to be outside and start to anticipate summer, for better or worse, leading to more

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies, Work Life Balance

One of the most devastating effects of the standardization movement—with its pressures to conform and emphasis on accountability through high-stakes testing—has been the stripping of teacher autonomy—our power to make informed decisions about how best to meet the needs of

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Professional Development, Work Life Balance

We all know the power of positive community in the classroom. When students feel valued, are known for their strengths, enjoy coming to school, and feel safe and supported, they are more ready to engage in great learning. Not surprisingly,

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Work Life Balance

We all know how important a good breakfast is. When our students have a big day coming up (a research project presentation, a debate, a field trip, etc.), it’s one of the things we encourage them to do to be

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Work Life Balance

How successful are you at keeping New Year’s resolutions? If you’re like most, you’re not so good at it. In fact, as a general rule, we teachers often struggle with goal-setting in general. This was something that I emerged from

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Work Life Balance

You have 24 great parent-teacher conferences and one rough one. Many students had “A-ha!” moments in math around a tough concept, but one just couldn’t get it and was near tears by the end of class. At the

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Work Life Balance

You’re on your way home from school thinking through the day and trying to figure out how it happened. You replay events…. It was 11:15 and students were in the midst of a chaotic transition—it was noisy, three students were

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Professional Development, Work Life Balance

(This post was originally published on edCircuit.com.) “Have you ever noticed that a third year teacher and a 30-year teacher have the same job description?” This question, posed to me a while back by a colleague, seems particularly important in

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Teaching Strategies, Work Life Balance

My 22 year-old self can’t believe I’m writing this post. When I was a brand new teacher, I was firmly convinced that I should dress casually for work. Relaxed pants and a button-down short-sleeved short was my normal outfit. I

Work Life Balance

Stay Healthy as You Work from Home

Avoid the (Teacher) Summer Slide

Teach Like Finland: A Must-Read for All Educators

Succeed in (Don’t Just Survive) the Last Days of School

Teacher Resolutions that Work

Overcoming the October Blues: Six Competence-Boosting Strategies

School Leaders: Take Care of Your Teachers! 17 Ideas for Supporting Staff Health and Balance

No Guilt Allowed in the Final Days of School

Reclaiming Teacher Autonomy Through Choice

Supporting Staff Health and Balance: Ideas for Principals

15 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Teachers

Resolutions that Work

Feed the Right Wolf

The Challenge (and Importance) of Saying “No”

The Revolving Door of New Teachers: How to Break the Cycle

What We Wear Matters