Stress

The only teaching season more stressful than the end of the year is the beginning of the year! What does it mean to support all of our classroom teachers in inviting their young learners into the joy of the fall holidays? As leaders in a moment of stress and transition, we are in a position to support our teachers to bring huge joy to their classrooms. How do we make holiday learning accessible and bite-sized for teachers?

1. Start with modeling. Find a time to set up a provocation about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, or Sukkot for the teachers of your school and invite them to play.

2. Allow modeling to be geared toward them as adults. Offer Jewish text, a verse from the prayer book, or your favorite song thematically related to the holiday. Their experience doesn't need to be something they can perfectly replicate in their classroom.

3. Plan a time for reflection. Invite teachers to think carefully about:

    ● what they loved about your provocation

    ● what they would modify for their age group

    ● and what questions it opened up for them about the possibilities

When the preparation to teach is joyful, the joy and excitement naturally flows through to our students. Let me share a few ideas of a text you could use and some provocation materials that could enliven your High Holiday prep.

Today is the day the world began. -Talmud Rosh Hashanah 27a

1. Plan a birthday party or a parade for the world. Invite children to plan and do everything you can, to bring their plans to life.

2. Create a list of good choices we can make to take care of the world.

3. Display sprouting small plants for learners to explore tangibly. Bonus: if they are edible seeds that grow quickly, like arugula or microgreens, then tasting is safe. See what they notice about how that creation begins.

4. Take a walk to collect sticks and use them to build sukkot and other structures on a table top. 

When even our youngest learners get to build the community they need, Jewish Placemaking is happening in our classrooms every day at Makom Community.  All our teachers, learners, and parents get to enjoy the experience they are creating for themselves and each other even more.

Beverly Socher-Lerner, Executive Director Makom Community Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. beverly@makomcommunity.org

Four Agreements to Keep Early Childhood Teachers Sane

Here comes summer!! As early childhood educators, we love our jobs, truly we do!  But we are teachers of unreasonable, unsanitary, and oftentimes unruly children under 5-years-old… without a summer break! Before you pull out the seven good strands of hair you have left, I want to share my adaptation of Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements for early childhood educators as we reflect back on the past school year and think about the upcoming one.

(Aside: While this is not explicitly Jewish, I would encourage everyone to see the many parallels.)

1. Be Impeccable with Your Word: Only commit to doing things that you will be able to do. If we consistently make promises we can’t keep, then we will lose the trust of the children.  Trust is the foundation on which all our relationships are built.
2. Don’t take anything personally: Look in the mirror and repeat the phrase, “It’s not about me.” It is developmentally appropriate for some of the kids we teach to be entirely self-centered. As their teachers, it stopped being developmentally appropriate for us decades ago.
3. Don’t make assumptions: This applies more to the parents than the kids. The truth is, we can only guess why Hannah’s hair is never brushed or why David’s clothes always look dirty. It is our job to be kind and compassionate, not judgmental.
4. Always Do Your Best: Do your best to keep your promises. Do your best to not take things personally. Do your best to be kind and compassionate to others and yourself.

 If you are feeling anxious, angry, frustrated, or out of control in any way, take what my class calls a “cookie breath.” Inhale deeply through your nose with your eyes closed and imagine that you are smelling your favorite kind of cookies. Blow continuously through your mouth to cool those cookies off so that you can eat them. Now pretend to eat the cookies.

I love my job.

Emily Jones, BA, MBA, Certified Early Interventionist
Special Educator, Inclusion 3s class
Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center’s Bertha Alyce School
Houston, Texas
ejones@erjcchouston.org

June 2019

10 Ways to be Kind to Yourself During Times of Stress

During Passover, we savor time with family and friends as we gather around the Seder meal. The weather begins to get lovely with the sun shining and flowers blooming. It is the perfect time to sit outside, get out in nature and just be grateful for the changing seasons.

As much as we would like to take time to enjoy the sunshine, we are usually inundated with pressing thoughts and reflections. We are thinking about the end of this school year, and looking ahead to the next school year. We are meeting with and evaluating staff. We are working on our budget. And to top it off, we are busy planning for Passover at our school and home. All of which can lead to uneasiness and stress for the heart and mind. 

The following is a list of 10 ways to be kind to yourself during times of stress:

1. Take 5 minutes. Sit by a window and look outside. What do you see? Notice the colors, shapes and movements at play. Buildings sitting still. Birds flying. Trees swaying. Clouds. Take it in. Breathe. Find beauty in our world and this life, at this moment.
2. Connect your body to the breath. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Inhale through the nose. Gently tilt your head to one side sending the ear towards the shoulder. Exhale through the nose. Inhale, gently tuck your chin into your chest and rotate head to the other side, sending opposite ear to shoulder. Exhale. Repeat a few times and then do full head and circles. Don’t forget to breathe.
3. Listen to music. Put some headphones on or turn the music up loud in your room.  Play a favorite song or one that is meaningful and makes you feel good. Sit. Dance. Laugh. Cry. Take a deep breath. Inhale and exhale. Turn it up. Be the song. Let the rhythm move you.
4. Be grateful. Upon waking or before going to bed, write down 3 things you are grateful for and state why you are grateful. 
5. Turn off technology. Take 20 minutes to an hour and “unplug” from technology. Turn off the television, computer or radio and leave your phone in another room entirely. Maybe read a book, write in a journal, or you just sit in the quiet. Resist the urge to go to your phone.
6. Get up and move.  If you are at work and have feel stuck at your computer, stand up once or twice an hour and move. Walk down the hallways, around the building, or the long way to the restroom.
7. Say no. Prioritize what is most important for you right now.  When we don’t set appropriate boundaries, it leads to stress, exhaustion, and meltdowns.  Recognize that you can’t do everything and that is OK.
8. Smile.  It is that simple. The physical act of smiling, even when you may not necessarily be in a smiling mood, is proven to reduce stress. 
9. Remember that you are human.  It starts with awareness. We all make mistakes. Let go of any perfectionist tendencies that may be dragging you down. Let go of any unrealistic standards that you set for yourself and fail to reach.  Relax. Remember you’re human, and move onward.
10. Take it all in for a moment.  At some point during your Passover Seder, pause for just a minute. Listen to the discussions. Notice the sounds, smells, feelings, and the movements. Notice voices and facial expressions. Breathe. Notice your body. Relax your shoulders. Remove the tongue from the roof of your mouth. Relax the belly. Soften the eyes. Breathe. Love. Live. Be grateful.

Mary Passell
Director, Temple Chai Early Childhood Center
Temple Chai, Phoenix, AZ