Are you an educator who needs encouragement?

Are you flat lining in and out of the classroom?

Are you feeling frazzled?

Are you interested in learning how to spark your emotional intelligence and

develop skills to avoid compassion fatigue?

What about those really tough days in teaching?

How many tickles does it take to make an octopus

laugh?

“Ten tickles”

A Little About Me

Aline Kaprive

The demands placed on today’s teachers are

much more varied and difficult than ever

before in history. There will be days when we

feel like shark bait ready to be gobbled up by a

school of hungry, seething predators. There

will be times when we truly wonder why we

ever went into this wacky profession and how

soon does the next plane leave for Siberia.

To be the best at our jobs, we must perform

daily maintenance on our personal well-being in

order to best serve our students. It isn’t the day-to-

day load that weighs us down, it is how we carry

and manage it. If our general outlook upon life and

moods is not at its best, we will be less effective

with our students.

• This book is dedicated to the educators of the

world who need encouragement. Its purpose is

to help teachers keep the fire and passion for

teaching alive by providing daily support and a

specific actionable step for caring for one’s self.

We must keep the magic alive in teaching. One

answer is to give support to ourselves before

stepping one toe into the classroom. A happier

teacher is going to be far better able to nurture,

educate, and help students.

Our Make-Up“Our character is but the stamp on our souls of the free choices of

good and evil we have through life.”

John C. Geikie

Concept for TodayAll of our past experiences, mistakes, victories, trials,

and tribulations make us the people we are today. If you

had a painful childhood, does it reflect in the adult that

you have become? If you were bullied are you now a

wishy-washy person? If you were raised by loving,

positive parents, does this make you a more generous

and compassionate individual? If you have children, are

you raising them the way that you were raised or trying

new methods? Do you think that you have any character

defects such as stinginess, control issues, self-

centeredness, a short temper, dishonesty, or

cowardliness?

In The ClassroomEach teacher brings his or her own personality and

life experiences. What makes one teacher stand out

more than another? During my college days, I can recall

that everyone had a favorite professor named Arabella.

This makes me wonder what past experiences made her

the wonderful teacher that she is today. What

experiences do you bring to your students? What if you

never learned to deal with responsibility? What if you

have little patience or cope with anger through sarcasm?

Does that flow out into the classroom?

On a Personal Note…For myself, I hated some parts of my childhood and had

resentment, and anger. I also had triumphs as well as

failures, beautiful loving relationships, joy, and

excitement. All of my past experiences make up the

woman that I am today.

Action for the DayToday, analyze and evaluate your own assets and

defects. What can you do to reduce the defects and

magnify the assets? What life experiences,

knowledge, gifts, and wisdom do you have to offer

your students?

6 Seconds MomentTake six seconds to write three assets that you

possess. Post them on your rear view.

Optimism

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an

uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.”

Helen Keller

• What does optimism mean to you? When I view the

• world as a positive place and feel optimistic about my own

• life, I am a happier person. However, living with optimism

• is always a work in progress.

• In The Classroom

• Always remember that teaching is the greatest act of

• optimism. How can you help yourself to demonstrate

• optimism each and every day? How can you teach your

• kids to be optimistic?

• On a Personal Note…

• During my college days, there were many times when

• I felt exhausted, burned-out, and negative. Teaching school

• during the day and attending night classes was a challenge.

• I had to keep myself up and optimistic in the classroom. A

• technique which was quite helpful was having something to

• look forward to, whether it was a weekend when I could

• sleep in, a shortened school day, a fabulous movie on TV,

• or a play date with friends.

• It helped when I concentrated

• on being one day closer to graduation or a mini-

vacation. I

• had to persevere, so being optimistic and affirming

that I was moving forward was very helpful. Being

optimistic

• means that I realize that “dark periods” are

temporary, do

• not flood my entire life, and that I have the power

to make

• changes.

• Action for the Day

• ✓✓✓✓ Today, be optimistic for each moment by having a

pleasant experience to look forward to,

• remembering a happy time, or making a difference

• with one of your students. Look in the mirror and

• affirm that you are an optimistic person and your

• future is bright.

• 6 Seconds Moment

• ◆◆◆◆ Before bed, take six seconds to recall something

• optimistic about your day.

Pick an Emotion

• What does this emotion

look like to the world?

• In your classroom?

• On a personal note?

• Action for the day? How

can you make this

emotion work for you?

• Take “6 seconds to:

Emotional Intelligence Skills

Know Yourself gives you the “what” – when you Know

Yourself, you know your strengths and challenges, you

know what you are doing, what you want, and what to

change.

Choose Yourself provides the “how” – it shows you

how to take action, how to influence yourself and

others, how to “operationalize” these concepts.

Give Yourself delivers the “why” – when you Give

Yourself you are clear and full of energy so you stay

focused why to respond a certain way, why to move in

a new direction, and why others should come on

board.

You’ll notice we present the model in a CIRCLE – it’s

not a list, it’s a process! The process works when you

spin it, like a propeller moving a ship. As you move

through these three pursuits you gain positive

momentum!

Pursuit Competency Definition

Know Yourself

Enhance

Emotional

Literacy

Accurately

identifying and

interpreting both

simple and

compound feelings.

Recognize

Patterns

Acknowledging

frequently recurring

reactions and

behaviors.

Choose Yourself

Apply

Consequential

Thinking

Evaluating the

costs and benefits

of your choices

Navigate

Emotions

Assessing,

harnessing, and

transforming

emotions as a

strategic resource.

Engage Intrinsic

Motivation

Gaining energy

from personal

values &

commitments vs.

being driven by

external forces.

Exercise

Optimism

Taking a proactive

perspective of hope

and possibility.

Give Yourself

Increase

Empathy

Recognizing and

appropriately

responding to

others’ emotions.

Pursue Noble

Goals

Connecting your

daily choices with

your overarching

sense of purpose.

A Vision For You

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart.

Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”

Carl Jung

Concept for TodayWhat are your dreams and hopes for your career?

How far do you want to go in this occupation? Perhaps

you will write a textbook or teach college part time.

Maybe you will become a curriculum director or open

your own school. Perhaps, you will star in a video

highlighting best teacher practices. Maybe you will

become a mentor teacher. There are many career

opportunities in teaching, just open up your heart and

allow yourself to enjoy the experience.

In The ClassroomWe must guide students to create their own visions

for their futures. Students can paint the most wonderful

dreams, visions, hopes, and imaginings. We are the art

directors feeding them visions, color schemes, and

designs for their canvases.

On a Personal Note…Today, I have a vision of what the ideal classroom

would look like. It is a place that has radiant learning,

creative freedom, much needed safety, incredible

exploration, and dynamic imagination. It is a place where

great learning takes place in a soothing and peaceful

environment. I have a vision for what skills and lessons I

want my students to have when they leave my

classroom. They will be able to: ask questions, work with

others, know their learning styles, implement strong

study skills, and will have strong conflict resolution skills.

They will begin to know who they are as human beings

and will be able to rise up and face any challenges with

wisdom, humanism, and dignity.

Action for the DayToday, take time to write your vision for your

career. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

What is your vision for your students and teaching

practices? Do you believe that the Teacher’s

Promise will come true for you? Why or why not?

6 Seconds MomentTake six seconds to make a copy of the Teacher’s

Promise found at the beginning of this book and

then post it in your classroom.

Take Away’s

• practice good posture, it improves thinking and concentration.

• Take the “6 second” pause.

• Practice being a “human being” rather than a “human doing”

• “6 second” moments