Have you ever been sitting at work and think, ” I’m not sure if I like it here anymore. Wouldn’t ( fill in your fun idea here ) be fun instead?” Sometimes our days become monotonous and we start to crave something new and exciting. I do this all time with my hair color. I start to get bored and want a change. Seriously, I have been blonde, brunette, and a red-head. Feeling restless at work though can be an easy fix, like some highlights, or something that may take a lot more thought and planning. If you are starting to feel restless at work here are a few things to think about.
1. Spice things up
Sometimes our minds wonder at work because we are bored. I’m not saying we don’t have anything to do, but our routines are a bit too, routine. We need something to spice stuff up! Look at your day, are you feeling bored at a certain time? If it is all day, trying creating sessions that you are excited about and carry those through the day. I love doing hands on activities and little experiments. Yes, they take some planning and prep, but when you are looking forward to seeing your kids do the activities, it is well worth it.
2. Create some atmosphere
Sometimes our speech rooms are bland, beige, and boring. Maybe you need a little color in your life? Some paper, party lanterns can add a great pop of color to room no matter how small. Perhaps some new bulletin board decor is in order? If you don’t have a bulletin board you can easily make one by using the bulletin board paper and trim on the walls. I did this outside of my room to create my Inferencing for a Year bulletin board.
3. Get involved
Now, its not like we don’t have enough to do but maybe reshaping part of your day is what you need. Try pushing into a classroom instead of pulling out your kids. Would your teachers be up for you doing a whole class lesson to help target the student’s goals? I pushed into a first grade class this year and did a describing activity using the EET to describing snow globes. It turned out really cute.
4. Its not you, its me
Sometimes it just comes down to the setting your in is not the best fit for you. You may have thought a school setting was going to be awesome, but after a few months your thinking this just isn’t the right place. That’s ok. Think about what setting would make you happy to get up and go to? Maybe it’s the population? Perhaps being on the floor during circle time to work with a preschool student’s AAC device is not how you had hoped your days would go. What population did you enjoy working with in grad school? Is there are group that you have an interest in or a passion for? Sometimes it just comes down to where you are isn’t the right fit and thats ok. The wonderful thing about our profession is that we can be flexible with settings.
3 Responses
It’s so true that only WE can be responsible for our level of contentment! Great suggestions!
For me it is rarely the kids that are the problem. It’s almost always the adults. I get exhausted by being the negotiator all the time to figure out times to see kids, being included in decisions, trying to implement what the student needs, having to flex a million times a day, or just dealing with someone who doesn’t understand that I can be of value to them. It’s the only part of the job I dislike because the kids are fantastic. I have to step back at times to remove myself from anything other than the kids to regroup before I can tilt at some of those windmills.
Yes, many times it is not the kids but all of the extra duties that weigh on us. Giving yourself some space to gather your thoughts is a great idea.