The onset of COVID-19 has turned our lives upside down.  We are faced with trying to understand our new “normal” along with many unknowns.  In this episode, I, along with Danna Thomas and Gretchen Bridgers, host a webinar that is meant to bring some calm to the chaos surrounding school closures due to the Coronavirus and COVID-19 Safety Precautions. We will share tips about maintaining balance, creating a productive workflow, and how to maintain collaboration as we discuss our experiences with working from home.  

In this episode, Gretchen Bridgers will:

• Compare the dream of working from home versus the reality of working from home (12:29)
• Help you plan for distractions that will occur when working from home. (18:08)
• Provide ideas to help you structure your day based on whether you have a family with children or you live alone.  (25:27)
• Share advice about working from home. (37:27)

In this episode, I will: 

• Talk about how important your mindset and self-talk is. (44:10)
• Help you start to plan your day by beginning with your vision of how you would like your day to look and feel and having a clear idea of the numbers you intend to work. (51:15)
• Explain the process of “blocking” and “batching” and how to use it to create your schedule.  (1:00:54)
• Share with you what a “Pomodoro” is and how it can be used to keep you productive.  (1:10:10) 
• Share apps that you can use to stay connected. (1:14:05)

In this episode, Danna will:

• Remind you to give yourself a pat on the back, 2020 has been a challenging year! (1:25:24)
• Provide tips and strategies to take care of yourself during these stressful times.  (1:28:15)
• Remind you about the importance of taking care of your and your student’s mental health. (1:29:30)

CALL TO ACTION: THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW 

1. Talk with your family/people you live with about you working from home. Being prepared for this change is important for everyone involved.  Setting clear expectations and boundaries will help keep everything working smoothly.  
2. Create a schedule for getting your work done. Use your vision of what you want your working at home experience to be like to determine your work hours.  Then use blocking and batching to make more detailed plans for how you will plan your time.  
3. Do something to take care of yourself! You cannot take care of others if you do not take care of yourself.  

OUR GUESTS’ BIOS

Gretchen has been an educator for more than a decade, teaching grades 2, 3, and 5 at both low and high-performing elementary schools in Charlotte, North Carolina as well as coaching new teachers of middle and high school students. Gretchen is passionate about educating students through engaging, rigorous instruction where increased ownership developed student leaders. With years of mentoring new teachers, providing professional development to school building staff, and presenting at district and national conferences, Gretchen has now invested her time solely to consulting individual teachers and school staff.

Danna Thomas is a former Baltimore City Public School teacher and the founder of Happy Teacher Revolution: a Baltimore-born, international movement with the mission to organize and conduct support groups for teachers in the field of mental health and wellness to increase teacher happiness, retention, and professional sustainability. Danna served as the national spokeswoman for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Music for Mental Health Campaign. After teaching for seven years, she left the classroom to join the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab, which led to Happy Teacher Revolution winning first place in the Johns Hopkins Social Impact Forum. She currently trains “Revolutionaries” from around the world to initiate Happy Teacher Revolution meetings in their own communities. 

FIND OUR GUESTS 

Find Danna

• Email: [email protected] 
• Facebook: @HappyTeacherRevolution 
• Instagram: @HappyTeacherRevolution 
• Twitter: @HappyTeacherHTR

Find Gretchen

• Email: [email protected] 
• Facebook: Always a Lesson 
• Instagram: @Always.A.Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek

OUR GUESTS’ RESOURCES 

• Danna’s website: www.happyteacherevolution.com 
• Gretchen’s website: www.alwasyalesson.com 

OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED 

• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 
• CNN Article About Tips to When Working from Home 
• Agents of Change 
• Voxer
• Marco Polo App
• Loom
• Zoom

BIT PODCAST FREEBIE

“Determine Your Long Term Goals” chapter from The Burned in Teacher Training eBook