I don't know about you but there are a few things that I need to consider before I am in the right frame of mind to start report cards. Many teachers do not need to do all of these activities, but I find them to be beneficial for me. I hope you find something that helps you in your journey through your report card writing!
1. Have a good drink readily at hand.
What I drink varies depending upon the time of day. Often my drinks are of a coffee early in the morning or an iced tea in the afternoon.
2. Have a snack to keep me focused.
Although I don't like to admit it, a good snack helps to keep any urges to wander to the fridge due to boredom. Sweet peas and blueberries are my favourite to snack on.
3. Have a comfortable place to kick my feet up.
I don't know about you, but I need to be able to relax and write at the same time. Some need a good desk or table to write but I am not as productive as I am looking out my front window, enjoying the view to stay motivated.
4. Good Music
I think I use this as a deflection so I cannot always hear everything that is going on around me in the house. It helps keep me focused!
5. A general house clean up.
I do this because if I don't I'll stop writing due to the distractions all around me.
6. A clean classroom.
Yes, I did clean my whole desk this week and I did tackle my art closet in my classroom. Sound crazy? Yes! But a good purging also declutters the mind! It also is a nice reward to walk into your class in the midst of the stress, and after reports are done, knowing you don't have a mess to greet you.
7. Supportive colleagues who are willing to share ideas.
Don't be an island! Find colleagues who are willing to collaborate with you and share ideas. Writing report cards can be very stressful, especially if you are having to change how you write them. This term we have decided to share our comments on our Google Drive at work. It has worked fantastically for generating new ideas and different comments and allowed us to collaborate from home!
8. Find something to distract you.
Every once in a while you'll need to take a break. Find something that you'll find distracting enough to be a little lure for a brain break but not too distracting to totally disengage you from writing your reports!
Yes, I will admit, I wrote this post in the middle of writing report cards this year! Yikes! This was one of my "good" distractions! I hope you've found it helpful!
Good luck! You've got this!
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