➡️🔥 Why SLEEP is Your Teaching SUPERPOWER (And How to Get More of It)

If you want to skip the why, here's the teacher freebie this month. 

Now, here's the reason I made it… 

On a scale from one to ten, how tired are you? If you're like me, you're probably at about a 37 right now. 

 Between the back-to-school to do  list that seems to be a portal into another dimension, to the Fall Fever crud that has hit like a Mac truck, to the hope that is slipping through your fingers like water that you miiiight settle into a routine sometime before next July… 

I get it. Teacher tired is REAL. Especially this time of year. 

Thus… This month's teacher challenge. I'm calling it The September Sleep Challenge. Here's how it works. 

• Accept the invitation to get enough sleep this month.
• Commit each day to practice healthy sleeping habits.
• Invite one other teacher to be your accountability partner, and share your progress.

Teaching is hard. 

It's nigh impossible when you're physically exhausted. As a still-in-recovery insomniac, I'm here to testify. My absolute worst teaching days were the ones when I had zero emotional capacity because my physical reserves were depleted. 

And because I've had to fight to understand how my brain works and have even consulted with a neurologist to learn how to sleep better, here are a couple of healthy sleep tips if you need them: 

1. Create a Restful Sleep Environment

Your sleep environment plays a huuuuge role in the quality of your rest. Studies from the National Sleep Foundation show the importance of a cool, dark, and quiet bedroom. Minimize exposure to screens and blue light before bedtime, as these can disrupt melatonin production and delay sleep onset. Consider using blackout curtains, earplugs, or a white noise machine to enhance your sleep environment… which improves sleep quality… which increases cognitive function… which is essential for managing your classroom effectively.

2. Practice Preventative Conflict Maintenance. 

Did you ever have one of those gut-wrenching battles with someone that kept you awake for hours (days), reliving every word and nuance as you obsessed about everything you wish you'd said? 

(No? Just me?) 

There are  few things that cause sleep loss more than contention. Soooo… Why not prevent conflict before it happens? Try building these habits:

👉 Clarify your expectations. 

👉 Create healthy boundaries. Protect them. 

👉 Have difficult conversations before they escalate into wars.

👉 Practice active listening. 

In an effort to help you practice preventative conflict in your classroom, I'm sharing out the Parent Contact Bundle: Five customizable letter templates that every teacher should have in their tool box.  Student Celebrations, grade updates, parent teacher conferences, and more! Regular communication with parents is one of the best ways to prevent conflict with parents. 

And no conflict means better sleep, better teaching, increased joy. 

Get your free copy of the Parent Contact Bundle by clicking HERE.

Photo Credits: 

• Josefa Diaz on Unsplash
• Matthew Henry on Unsplash