What I Do When I Have A Bad Day

I definitely think an important part of classroom management is learning how to manage ourselves.  How to put the things that happen in our classes into perspective, and keep ourselves focused, happy, and energized.  And how to keep ourselves from not feeling tired, regretful, or hopeless.  We have to keep ourselves fresh and away from negativity, which is easier said than done.  Especially on those days where it’s not working for us.  Those days where a disruptive student got the best of us, and has us feeling outmatched.  So I’ll just tell you that when I have one of those days –  I always recite the following quote to myself:

“Finish each day and be done with it, you have done what you could.  Blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day.  Begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have it reserved to memory and recommend you do too.  It cheers me up and gives me energy to face each day anew.  For me, it is exactly what I need to hear at that moment.  I won’t talk about what else it means to me, I’ll let it mean to you whatever you want it to.

Another thing that helped me tough days I wrote about here.  If you are having issues with a couple students who are really frustrating you, I recommend reading it.  It is a technique I use to reframe my thinking on problem students into a positive and productive mindset.