Contact+Zone--Personal+and+Professional+Life

English 488, pre-service teachers
 * Context for classroom: **

Contact Zone lesson—teaching pre-service teachers how to balance their personal and professional lives, avoiding burnout, and discussion how involved is too involved.
 * Context for the lesson: **


 * Lesson Questions for Today || Understandings the class is going to work towards today ||
 * * The Big Question:
 * What is the difference between having a passion for teaching and being involved in the school atmosphere, and the difference between losing yourself completely in school?
 * Where is the balance made?
 * What is burnout?
 * How do teachers avoid burnout?
 * What are some of the tips that teachers use to make sure that they have a life? || # Students are going to be able to walk away with different tips and tricks they can use when they are inside the classroom, to make sure that they maintain their own lives.
 * 1) Students will be able to define what burnout is and also be able to recognize it before it sets in.
 * 2) Students will be able to define where the line in draw between spending too much time inside the classroom and not paying attention to their families, friends, and themselves. ||


 * Title of the lesson: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> “A Delicate Balance: Understanding and Maintaining Your Life Inside and Outside the Classroom”


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Recognizing “Understandings” **


 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What specific evidence will reveal that students have explored this understanding, and in how much depth, today? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">While there are many aspects to the discussion, as far as how teachers will be able to balance their lives, students are going to be able to walk away with a concrete list of examples and tips they can apply what we are discussing to their own lives. During our “Hook” students are going to be discussion scenarios about what they would do in a particular situation—while we can offer these tips, the decision ultimately lies in the students to make a decision that they feel is right. We are going to be doing a Jigsaw activity with them where they will be able to share with the other students about their scenario and get feedback from others about their situation.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What assessment process or activities are most likely to reveal this understanding? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Using a Jigsaw activity and discussion is going to be able to allow students to share what they know about balancing their lives inside the classroom. It will also assess where they are in their lives, personally, and have them thinking about where they might be going later in their lives.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Prompting understandings: Use //WHERE// questions to guide your planning for today’s lesson ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: **


 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Where are the students headed today? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">We want to be passionate teachers. We want to love what we do, love where we are working, and overall enjoy the job that we are doing. We, as pre-service teachers, have grown and learned what we need to be a teacher, but we might not have learned how to balance our own life from our work life. We want the students to think about themselves not just as teachers, but also as individuals. While, we have been learning that teaching is a 24 hour a day job, it is important that there be a balance and you make time for yourself. We want to give the students the research that we have found to have some tricks in their back pocket for themselves.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">When and how are students //Hooked//? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Students are going to be hooked at the beginning of the lesson. Although they might not know what exactly what we’re talking about today, we have talked about burning out and some ways to avoid it. It is something that the students are going to be familiar with, and not be able to talk about it a little more extensively. What we want to do for the hook is activate the students’ prior knowledge about balance and burnout. We are going to give the students a list of scenarios where they can talk about in groups, and what they would do in that certain situation. Ultimately, we want to break the students up where a person from each different group would talk about their scenarios with the other students and bounce ideas back and forth with each other and how different people would handle different situations.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">When and how do students //Exhibit// what they know, and when and how are they //Evaluated//? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Students will exhibit what they know throughout the lesson. They will be in a discussion and talking to the other students about what they know already about the topic, and as we go we are going to be asking them questions at certain parts of the lesson that is going to engage them in thinking about the balance they are going to create for themselves. At the end of the lesson, students are going to be given an exit card and asked to think back to the scenarios we did at the beginning of the lesson; after we give the students some of the tips, we are going to ask them what kind of tips and tricks that they plan to implement for themselves when they are teachers. It’s not that the evaluation part of the lesson is not going to be important, but we are going to be showing the students what are some things they are going to face when they become teachers and ways for them to handle what they want to do. Our thinking that, as first year teachers, we are going to want to do everything that we can in school—be involved as much as possible and be a presence in the school.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">When and how do students //Reflect// upon and //Revise// their thinking? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">We want students to reflect on their own thinking of their lives as people, not just teachers. We might be under the thinking that we need to do everything that we can, no matter what it might be, to be a good a teacher. We want students to not only envision themselves as great teachers, but also as everything we are outside the classroom. Through the lesson, we want to grapple with the previous understanding that the students might have, address any issues and concerns that we found, and discuss what we can do as a support system for each other.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">When and how are students //Equipped// to //Explore// such understandings? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Students are equipped to explore such understanding after we give them the tips and tricks that we have found in balancing personal and profession lives. We want the students to take away things that we have found and equip them with tools and support. The exploration comes when we might be put in difficult situations. Explore comes from understand what would work for an individual in a certain situation.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Student and Teacher Enterprises for today: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hook (5-7 minutes)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Scenarios on the handout
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Jigsaw activity
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Movie clip from //Freedom Writers// (3 minutes)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What caused the tension in the clip?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What did Erin do wrong? (According to her husband)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Isn’t she just showing a passion for teaching?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Brainstorm ways to balance personal and professional life (10 minutes)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Bouncing ideas off each other
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What’s the difference between having a passion for teaching and being involved and completely consuming your life in school?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Talk about the duties and responsibilities you face in school
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Prep periods
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Talk about the commitments that they might face in school
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Dances, shows, sports, bringing work home
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Social Networking (2 minutes)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Facebook
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">How much is too much?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Sharing pictures, wall posts, and status updates
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Blurring the line your personal life with your colleagues
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Tips for balancing your personal and professional life. (5 minutes)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> **Sources:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interview with Kathy Engle, Lancaster Mennonite High School
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interview with Grant Leonard, Kennard-Dale High School
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interview with Sarah Dorward, Northeastern Middle School
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|http://www.garlandisdschools.net/page.cfm?p=1882#7burnout]

Contact Zone Handout:

**//<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 24px;">How do you balance your personal and professional //** **//<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 24px;">life, especially as a first year teacher? //**

<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">The answer is SIMPLE!

<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">We have provided you with a list of tips, tricks, and advice from our co-operating teachers, past teachers, as well as sources used online to create a guide to serve as a reminder of the importance of this balance. <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
 * 1) **__<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Avoid Burnout! __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">You can avoid burnout in so many ways, and this is crucial to keeping yourself in top condition for contributing to your classroom.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Easy //<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">: //__Do not overload yourself!__// -- You may feel as though you are on top of the world with a new teaching job. You may even still be very enthusiastic about wanting to participate in as many clubs and sports teams as you can. REMEMBER: YOU ARE NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL ANYMORE! It is fine to take responsibilities upon yourself, but PACE yourself! You do not want to burn the candle at both ends right away by making the mistake of taking on too much.
 * 1) __<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Have a Routine __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">If you are constantly finding yourself misplacing papers, forgetting to pick up the spouses laundry at the dry-cleaners, or even not buying a present for someone special on that day, you lack organization. Having a routine will make the day fly by faster, and will make your transition from home to school more of a breeze.

<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">HOW DO YOU DO THIS?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Allot yourself time at home for school work. If you do not want to take your work home, stay after school for a certain amount of time, and then call it a day (of course, that is, it is crucial that the students receive their grades back immediately!!)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Plan something after school for YOU. Whether it is eating dinner with your spouse/significant other/pet, going to the gym/yoga, or even relaxing to your favorite TV show with a cup of hot tea, never overwhelm yourself to the breaking point.

<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
 * 1) __<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Make Your Home a Home __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This goes along with #2. When you come home, make it your home. Never take frustrations of the day out on those around you outside of the classroom.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Do not bring your “school” life home with you. Yes, it is ok to talk about your experiences of the day, vent about a frustrating student, or even have a night filled with exam grading, but make sure that there are other aspects being brought into this at the same time. Focus on the things that are important at home, too. If you do not have an equal balance, you will find yourself more stressed out than normal. Both are important; remember, you have 2 lives to live—a teacher and an everyday person.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">With that remember that you do have a life. You may not have a public facebook account anymore, be able to go out every weeknight to the bar (this is not college!) or even come to class in sweatpants, but you do not have to give up your interests; they just may not be as public as they were before. It is important to make time to unwind and separate yourself from your school life, so keep those hobbies and interests in mind and plan activities or time slots where you can enjoy them!

<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
 * 1) __<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Let the Small Stuff Go __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">We have all heard this phrase growing up, or at least a version of it. “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff,” and this phrase is something KEY to remember.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">You might have had asked someone to cook dinner (and they didn’t), you may be the coach of the team who lost the championship game, or even had your star of the school’s production forget the punch line on stage, but don’t worry! These things are very small in the big scheme of things, and if you persistently get stressed out about everything, you will be sprouting grey hairs before you are a second year teacher! (if you already have grey hair, you might end up losing it at this point!) Go with the flow—Adjustment is one of the biggest aspects of teaching!! So, embracing it in your everyday life, inside and outside of the classroom, is something that should always be in the front of your mind.


 * 1) __<span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Do Not EVER Forget Why You Teach __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">There WILL be days where you hate your job, and as much as we dislike using this word, it is true. Everyone has their off days, but you have to remember to not let any negativity ruin the reason why you are there.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">YOU ARE THERE FOR YOUR STUDENTS!!!!!!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Be confident in yourself, because you have worked too hard to second guess yourself.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Take chances and break out of the normalcy when things seem to get stagnant.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Challenge students to think, even when they do not want to, or even if you feel downtrodden or tired.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Never let them see that you have given up, because some, not all, will follow your example and start slacking off themselves. You do not always have to be on top of your game 24/7, but you at least have to look like you are!

// Good Luck, and remember, you are not alone! Plenty of resources at your job through other teachers as well as online are available if you ever seem to find yourself needing advice on this balance! //