Teaching Middle School ELA
Welcome to the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, where we are dedicated to helping English Language Arts teachers create dynamic and engaging lessons for their students, while also managing the day-to-day responsibilities that come with being a Middle School ELA teacher.
As educators ourselves, we understand the challenges of finding a work-life balance that allows us to pursue our passion for teaching while also enjoying our personal lives. That's why each Tuesday, hosts Caitlin Mitchell and Jessica Cannata share practical and innovative solutions for managing your workload and staying inspired in your teaching practice.
Whether you are looking for fresh ideas to inspire your students, strategies for improving your writing instruction, or tips for managing your time more effectively, this podcast is designed to provide you with the tools you need to thrive as a Middle School ELA teacher.
Join us each week for curriculum and lesson ideas, classroom stories, and interviews with fellow educators who are experts in the field. We believe that with the right support and resources, you can create a classroom environment that encourages students to become strong and passionate learners.
If you teach reading and writing to middle schoolers and want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in ELA education, then this is the podcast for you! Tune in every week and let us help you make a difference in the lives of your students and in your own teaching career.
Teaching Middle School ELA
Mindset Favorite: Quiet Quitting
In another re-air episode of one of Monday Mindset Favorites, I explore the transformative power of the CTFAR method by life coach Neil Williams. Learn how Circumstances, Thoughts, Feelings, Actions, and Results can help you shift your mindset and approach teaching with renewed purpose.
I also dive into the concept of "quiet quitting" and how, inspired by Ed Mylett and Dean Graziosi, teachers can find fulfillment even in difficult environments. Gain practical tips and reflective insights to thrive in your educational career and take control of your happiness.
Tune in for an episode filled with strategies to help you become your best self!
Here’s to another day of living intentionally.
Well, hello teachers, and welcome to your Monday Mindset podcast episode. These are short, little snippets of thoughts, reflections that I share with you on a weekly basis, that are focused around mindset things that we can do to live our best lives, to live an intentional life, and I invite you to not just listen to these for yourself and how they apply to you in your life, but consider sharing them with other people too. Consider sharing them with your students every Monday and having a conversation about it and doing a reflection together, because I think a lot of these thoughts, these topics, these questions are just a part of being human, and sometimes being human can feel lonely and to know that other people are struggling through some of the same challenges that you are and are benefiting from having these types of conversations is hugely powerful in allowing us to get to be the best version of ourselves, to take who we are and who we be and who we show up in the world as to that next level. So I really hope that you enjoy these Monday Mindsets and, if you do, let us know over on our Instagram at Evie Academics. Thanks so much for listening and let's dive into our Monday Mindset.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about this concept of quiet quitting. I've seen it everywhere in the recent last couple of weeks and months, and basically it's this idea that staff does the bare minimum as a way to push against the system that's not valuing them or their work. And I find this fascinating, especially in education, because, let's be honest, education is not in a great spot right now, to say the least. Right, something, or a lot of things, quite frankly, have to deeply and fundamentally change, and while I'm not here necessarily to discuss that, I'm here to support you and your own mental health with these Monday Mindsets. I just want to acknowledge that what many of you are facing as educators right now is a system that is flawed, that doesn't value and support teachers the way that they should be. The list could go on.
Speaker 1:You know all of this right, but all of this got me thinking about what's called the CTFAR method that I learned from Neil Williams, who is my life coach, and that goes as such, ctfar stands for the following C equals circumstance, t equals thoughts, f equals feelings, a equals actions and R equals results. While this concept won't be for all of you, I think it will serve many of you, especially those of you stuck in a position that's just not positive, but you really want to find a way to still be happy. This is your life, after all. And so, while you can't control all aspects of the CTFAR method right, we can't control our circumstances by any means Well, guess what? We can control everything else. We get to be in charge of our thoughts about a circumstance which ultimately leads to our feelings, our actions and, ultimately, our results, which is, quite frankly, the reality that we experience in our lives. And so it essentially takes that old adage of life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you react. We've all heard that, but it puts it in a much clearer, more concrete way for us. And so my thought for you around this is the following While you cannot control your circumstances at all, you do get to control your thoughts around those circumstances, which means that you get to control your happiness.
Speaker 1:And this isn't an either or situation, this is a both and Right out of the system, frustrated to no end at unsupportive admin, left in disbelief with bad student behavior, and you can empower yourself to control the narrative of your life. In fact, in a recent podcast episode I'll put this in the show notes where you're listening to this In this recent podcast episode I listened to with Ed Milet and Dean Graziosi. They were talking about using the pain or pleasure that we face as humans to kickstart us and propelling ourselves forward, to control that exact narrative right, with the ultimate goal of using pleasure things that make us happy to take inspired action toward a different life. And so, while I know this concept isn't for everybody, I have found it to be extremely powerful for me in every aspect of my life, from work to relationships, to personal growth. So, at the end of the day, the gist that I want you to walk away from this Monday Mindset with is we cannot control our circumstance, but we can control everything else. So here's to another great week living intentionally.