5 Tips to Beat the Midyear Slump

I'm Brian Martin, a second grade teacher who find so much joy and fulfillment in what I do. Being in the classroom for almost 20 years, I know all about the time, effort and energy that you are continuously pouring into those you serve. That's why each week, I'm going to bring you an inspiring message to give you a little joy, and help fill your cup back up. Thank you for being here. And welcome to the teaching champions podcast. What's going on everybody, I hope this finds you striving and thriving and doing absolutely amazing. Today, I want to talk about the mid year slump. It's that time of the year when fatigue can really start to set it were no longer the beginning of the year, when we're coming off that summer layoff and we're fired up and we're raring to go. And we're not the end of the year yet either. When we see that finish line, and we know things are coming to a close. We're right there in the middle. And in many ways, this is the toughest and the hardest part of the year. It's when burnout and fatigue really starts to set it. You've been working hard, you've been putting in massive amounts of hours, many of us are feeling really stressed out. And it's all starting to catch up and drag us down. Now, you might not be feeling it every day. But there are days when it's definitely front and center. And understand is normal. It's normal on a given year. But it should definitely be expected during a year like this. So here are five things that we can do to fight that midyear slump. Number one, remember your why. And remember the difference that you make by showing up reminding yourself of why you do what you do is key. Understanding that you're not just teaching knowledge and skills, you're teaching people. You see day in and day out, you show up, and you listen to your champions. And for some of them, they have no one else that will do that. You fill them up with words of strength and hope. You provide your champions with consistency, and someone that they know they can count on. And you do all this just by showing up. By being present by being there by giving what you have. And it may not be 100% every single day, just by showing up by being present by listening. By caring by encouraging, you're making a difference. And when you feel a little burnout, remind yourself of your why and the impact you made today, just by showing up. Number two, keep your circle tight. And what I mean by that is surround yourself with people who bring up the best in you, who fill you with joy, who are there to listen to laugh to encourage, because who we spend our time around, it affects us. So choose to be around positive people and avoid the people who drain you of your energy, who are always negative and complaining. Those who after you've met around them, they make you feel worse. Choose to be around the uplifters the positive people, the people who make you happy, keep that circle tight with all those uplifting people. Number three, and this is important. Reflect, take a step back and see how far you've come. We can get so caught up in everything that we still need to do everything that we still need to accomplish. Sometimes the only thing that we see is that mountain that lies ahead of us that we forget how far we've come. Think back to the beginning of the school year. Think about all the new skills that you've learned. Think of all the changes that you've had to make to your teaching style. But you did that change isn't easy at first. It's uncomfortable. It's filled with frustration and angst. But you got through them. You adapted. You overcame those obstacles. You did that. And you showed up and made a difference for your students. So remind yourself of how far you've come of what you've learned. And be proud and remind yourself of how far your students have come, they've come a long way to number four, schedule your joy. During this time, it's easy to get consumed by different things, the days fly by, and you can end up doing everything for everyone else. And you neglect yourself. So schedule your joy, get your body moving, walk, run, bike, yoga, maybe your joy is reading, or painting or baking. Whatever brings you happiness, make sure you schedule that. And it might just be for a few minutes. And that's okay. Do something to recharge your batteries. Because remember this, you can only give what you have. And if your cup is completely empty, you're not going to be able to show up as your best self. For those you serve. schedule that joy in number five, have a gratitude practice, take time out of each day, and step back and appreciate the day. You know, first and foremost, we've been blessed to have another day. In each and every single day, there's so many wonderful moments, we just have to take time to recognize them. And for me, I'm 100% remote this year. And one of my favorite parts of the day it was we have our morning meeting with all my second graders. And at the end, we wrap it up with a growth mindset song, throw the video up on the screen and we do a karaoke style. So we're still working on that reading skills. And I play that song. And I watch these seven, eight year olds, and they get lost in it. And I see this classroom community that has spent the whole year on mine that's come together. And I see some of them and they'll be sitting there and they'll be bobbing their heads. Others will be singing along with the lyrics. And then there's a couple of them who will get up and dance around. And it's just such a beautiful moment. And I always try and capture that moment in my head and reflect. And remember that at the end of the day. Because each and every single day, there's gonna be good moments, there's gonna be moments that aren't so good. But let's not let those moments that aren't so good outweigh all those beautiful moments. So that's it, my friends, that is five things that we can do to break that mid year slump. It's been a stressful year. But it's been a good year, a memorable year to say the least. And you've done so many great things you come so far, and you've made it special for your students. Well, you've been able to do for your champions, it's been amazing. Look at the knowledge you were able to give them the love, you're able to give them the care that you were able to give them. So when your motivation is low, and you're having a tough day. Remember your why and the power you have when you show up. Keep your circle tight. reflect on how far you've come. Make sure you schedule your joy, and have that gratitude practice my friends. And as always, thank you so much for being part of the teaching champions community. Thank you for your time, I appreciate you. And if you think anyone would benefit from this message, please pass it on. And always remember, it doesn't matter if we're from rural America to urban America, to Canada to Spain to Bahrain. We're on that same team. We're on that same mission. And we're always better together. My challenge for you this week, look around you. Who around you right now is in a slump who needs to be picked up a little bit. be that person this week, who encourages who listens, lifts others up. And one thing I know when we help other people it helps us to so let's be a bright light for everybody around us. Keep being amazing, my friends. And as we go out into this week may step into your strength may step into your shine and light build these champions up. Have a great week, everybody.