Living the Dream

Are you "living the dream"? I'm talking about your dream. It is special. It is awesome. But sometimes it's HARD to make the dream into reality. But what if there was a way to increase the chances of your dreams becoming reality with a simple visual aid?

I recently read a quote that seemed pretty powerful to me... "Where your attention goes, your energy flows" (Christine Kane). I took it upon myself to test the validity of that statement and created a little thing called a vision board. Take a look...

Thanks to my son Landon for helping
display my board!

It's so simple, it's crazy that I haven't done this before now! It's not a new thing, but it's new to me. A vision board is just a visual of quotes and pictures that represent what you want to be, have, or attain. It inspires you to keep your focus on what you value and are striving to become = your dreams. Essentially, you are visualizing these priorities every time you look at the images on your board.  Visualization has long been recognized as a effective way to help people reach their goals by imagining what the end result will look like and having faith and determination to work out the process involved in getting there.

You don't have to have a special reason to make a vision board. And there's no wrong way to do it!  It can be about acquiring, traveling, developing, or achieving. It can be about deepening your calling. It can be about anything that you feel is a worthy endeavor to living an enriched life. Evoking emotion with images is also an effective tool to connecting with what brings you joy, so don't be afraid to experience all the feels during this project!

Since you are unique, any vision board you create will be unique as well. My vision board is about continuing to develop a few key aspects of my person and how I want to feel about my life.  My relationships, my faith, my home, and my professional mission are all represented because these are things that make me happy.  I've included things that motivate and inspire me. Even the "material" things I found pictures of are connected to how I want to develop a peaceful home atmosphere and trips I want to take with my family. My focus is really on intangibles that are hugely meaningful to me. My time frame for achieving the goals on this vision board is a year, but there's no set time period. It's completely flexible- you decide!

Have I piqued your interest? Here's a bonus- the whole process was a blast! It's like dreaming and decorating all at once. It's getting in touch with what makes you tick and taking ownership of your journey on the way.  Here's a breakdown of the steps so you can go for it, too...

1) Get a bulletin board. Mine measures 24" x 36" and came from a garage sale, but you can get them from Wal-Mart for less than $10. I covered it with scrapbook paper for a background, but you don't have to.

I grabbed my glue gun and  went all out with some burlap and bling on the frame because that's how I roll. If it's something I'm looking at all the time it might as well be pretty, right?!

2) Print off your favorite quotes, inspiring messages, scriptures, photos, or ideas- just whatever represents your hopes and dreams. Cut out photos from magazines, even.  I also put a peacock feather (go figure) because that is a special symbol to me. Remember, there's no right or wrong to what inspires you, and so whatever you get good vibes from is fair game! Then mount those puppies with pins or staples to your board.

3) Display your vision board in a prominent place where you will see it and pause to reflect (even for a brief time) on a daily basis. Mine is on the wall right beside my closet so I see it every morning when I get ready for the day and every night when I prepare for bed. It's the opposite of "out of sight, out of mind". The thoughts that this board has you envisioning need to be at the forefront of your mind, so sticking it in the corner of a room you rarely visit doesn't do you much good.

This digital version is on my
phone thanks to Hay House.

Speaking of keeping it close, there are apps available for making digital vision boards. That way your dream visuals are conveniently stored on your phone which could be a great option if glue guns, bulletin boards, and crafting aren't your thing. I created the very simple one pictured here using the Hay House app.  Isn't technology awesome?!

And here's a little twist I added to the vision board hanging in my room (probably because I'm a teacher and I  like to chart progress in detail!) that has already served as a fantastic encouragement to me. I left some space on my board so there would be room to post things that show how I'm attaining my vision as the year progresses. Even baby steps help keep me motivated to take action and stay committed to my dreams.

For example, someone recently sent me a card with a personal message inside thanking me for inspiring them to discover a new way to reach their students. This is worth more than gold to me because one of my aspirations is to inspire other teachers to impact their students in creative and meaningful ways. So that card is now posted right next to my inspiration quote to remind me that this vision board is more than lofty ambitions. It illustrates the foundation of my purpose in life to glorify God and where I find my joy. These are successes to be celebrated. Not only CAN I do it, but I AM doing it! I bet if you take a careful look, you'll recognize the ways your dreams are becoming reality as well!

Deciding on and creating a vision board has to go down as one of the most empowering things I've done. There are some really good resources out there to jump start your own creative process. Check out the links below for more information or do a Pinterest search for vision boards.

<<How To Create a Powerful Vision Board>> from Acorns and Lemonade Blog

<<Top Vision Board Apps: Making a Digital Vision Board>> from Make a Vision Board

Take action to adapt, execute, and enjoy because you deserve to be "living the dream"!

Keeping It "Classy"

I don't think I'll ever get tired of exploring other teachers' classrooms. It's so inspiring to see how different personalities with their unique points of view and personal visions create environments that set their students up for success!  In this part two of an article I first shared in October, we get additional glimpses inside some more elementary classrooms and see how each teacher's philosophy and desire to reach their students influences their "brand"- specifically, their class identity and the emotions they hope to evoke in making connections with their learners. It's pretty evident that these educators are in touch with what is relevant and meaningful to the students at their grade level. Just keep scrolling and you'll see that the classroom photos speak for themselves.



Mrs. Schad- Second Grade

Mrs. Jacobs- Kindergarten

Ms. Loehr- First Grade

Mrs. Underwood- Kindergarten

Ms. Hayes- Third Grade

Mrs. Robinett- First Grade

Mrs. Imler- Second Grade

There's just something energizing about getting a closer look at the evidence for the excitement other educators have for reaching their kids. Have you felt a little isolated as a teacher? Teaching is one of the few professions where you do the majority of your important tasks without actually observing your colleagues doing their important tasks! Our most important tasks involve guiding, instructing, and empowering our kids to learn. Sure, we collaborate and plan with our colleagues, but we don't actually see each other in action executing those plans. We are all busy teaching our own students in our respective classrooms at the exact same time! But when the teaching day is done and the kids have gone home, ocassionally I get to visit with my fellow teachers in other grades and enter the place where their "magic" happens. That's when I appreciate having a deeper connection with them. I can envision how those plans to guide and impact their students come alive in their surroundings. I get ideas that spur me into thinking of and formulating new avenues to reach my own students. We can feed off of one another's energy and creativity to stay inspired. Our students always benefit when we go the extra mile to engineer these "classy" spaces where they spend the majority of their waking hours five days a week. And benefitting students is what it's all about. So, way to go, teachers! Keep on creating the joy!

Mission Possible- Making Teaching Your Happy Place

If I had to narrow down to one thing that has made the biggest impact on me being positive about the teaching profession and has inspired me to continue to strive to reach my students, it would be this...
I am secure in my teaching vision and how to measure its fulfillment.

It wasn't always like this. I hit rock bottom about four years ago when I felt like a failure because not all my students were scoring satisfactorily on the required standards. Of course, there were other factors contributing to my being disenfranchised with the profession, but in large part my defeated feelings were due to my negative interpretation. My students weren't achieving their predetermined goals for every concept, and I took that personally. I was ready to give up on teaching and began exploring other career options. In the midst of my deep soul searching, I made an important discovery that turned everything around.

The main reason I was jaded and in a constant state of angst about education was because I had unwittingly let my personal vision and calling be overshadowed by numbers. The number of a test score. The percentage of students not grasping a developmentally inappropriate concept. Quite by accident, I had lost sight of why I chose to be a teacher and succumbed to the pressure and stress of winning a numbers and data game.

Now, no one told me to exchange my mission for data. I LET myself become a victim, blaming my dissatisfaction on curriculum, Common Core, the poor home environment of my students, etc., etc. Honestly, there is virtually no end to the "problems" a teacher can point out in education. But the reality was I was operating from a negative mindset and a framework of deficiency rather than a positive mindset with a belief of abundance and opportunities.

The first step for me in re-igniting my passion for teaching was reclaiming and enlarging my personal vision as an educator. After nineteen years of instructing at various grade levels in different states at both private and public schools, my teaching story is unique in its own right and has evolved. As I learn more about myself, my strengths, the needs of my students in the world in which we live, it just makes sense that my vision will reflect that evolution. But what remains the same is my core belief that I am investing in kids and their families by the relationships I build with them.

The following steps were vital in transforming my mindset and breathing new life and excitement into my teaching. I share them with you now in hopes that if you feel on the edge of burnout or disenfranchised with education, you will be moved to receive a fresh perspective and renewed purpose in your calling.

1. Write down your teaching vision as a personal mission statement. Really give it thought and dig deep. Freely and fully explore what you hope people would understand about your heart for kids and why you think teaching is the way to reach them.

2. Establish your own standards for how you will measure your success. If your teaching vision is not primarily concerned with your students achieving a certain test score, then it doesn't make sense that you measure your fulfillment based on that score either!
My own teaching mission statement is shared in the example photo below:

The way I measure the fulfillment of my vision is all about being so immersed in the sharing of my passion and in the caring of my kids, that I can't help but observe the evidence of fulfillment in the daily interactions I have with students and their families.


Here are just a few ways I measure the fulfillment of my vision:
*When a student asks me 'why' questions during a science experiment and later repeats the experiment at home with his mom, I know I've cultivated discovery.
*Escorting my kids downtown to meet the mayor during a community caroling trip and hearing them exclaim, "This is my first time to see City Hall!" lets me know I have created an impactful experience.
*Giving my students freedom to build a new 'invention' in the Makerspace frequently results with me being amazed at the creativity and problem-solving taking place on their level. That gets celebrated!
*When we reflect on their achievements in the framework of tracking PROGRESS in their individual learning folders, I see beaming faces full of pride and radiating confidence based on their accomplishments. So rewarding.
*Communicating with parents on my class Facebook page has been vital in strengthening connections with parents. My efforts are constantly validated by their comments and expressions of appreciation because they are always 'in the know' via pictures and posts about what their children are doing at school and given opportunities to participate in class activities.
*I strive to set the example of embracing a positive mindset, so I'm ecstatic when I hear a student who used to say, "I can't do it" with frustration each time a new skill was introduced, say, "I guess I just need more practice- right, Mrs. E?" with an attitude of perseverance instead!


Each day holds some sort of success when you figure out how to measure in terms of your vision. Teaching IS my happy place. That is where I'm making a difference. That is where my mission is made possible.

Do I still have rough days? Sometimes. Do I wish some things in education were radically different? Of course! This isn't a perfect world. BUT, a bad day does not mean I've failed. I am no longer a victim giving over control of my mindset to a national testing culture. I evaluate my performance as a teacher against my core values of what my kids deserve.
What's your vision? How do you measure success? If you can't immediately answer these questions and are feeling discouraged about teaching, then exploring these answers would be a GREAT place to start. To this end, I am sharing a simple mission statement outline that might be helpful to you. Nothing fancy, but the thoughts you contemplate and the positive focus of your efforts could very well change your life!  It's free and available for downloading here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tjt-e9Paj7p6xyIqbPsbRMeY5YpYuJ1g_WtXDVKsmpc/edit?usp=sharing
Basically, it comes down to this- you create the joy in your classroom. I'm always uplifted by hearing the ways that other teachers stay inspired...how they remind themselves that while they instruct in standards, they TEACH STUDENTS. How will you stay positive and inspired? Your students will feed off of your abundance that recognizes the goodness and opportunities afforded to you as a teacher. Choose now to carry out your mission daily and make teaching your happy place.