Category Archives: Education

Upcoming Professional Development

Educate and Exhale: Wellness Tools for Resilient, Empowered Educators

Date, Location, & Time

When: Saturday, October 25, 2025

Where: Virtual

Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (CST)

Breathe in healing. Breathe out burnout.
Join us for Educate and Exhale, a one-of-a-kind wellness conference designed by educators, for educators. This empowering day of restoration blends the science of wellness with the soul of teaching. You’ll explore the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, learn to set healthy boundaries, reconnect with your physical and emotional needs, and leave with fundamental tools to support your well-being throughout the school year.

Whether you’re a classroom teacher, administrator, counselor, or support staff member, this is your moment to pause, pour into yourself, and walk away renewed.

Cost

Early Bird price is $79 has been extended to October 15th!.

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The price increases to $97 per person after October 16th, 2026

Join us on Saturday, October 25, 2025. Attendees receive CPDU credits and a wealth of information and knowledge to support their wellness journey. You will have the chance to win giveaways and raffle prizes.

Session Descriptions

  • 1. 🌅 Opening Session: The Purpose of Pause
    This heart-centered opening invites educators to reflect on the power of stillness, the cost of burnout, and the opportunity to shift from survival to sustainability. We’ll explore how the Eight Dimensions of Wellness create a more balanced life and career—and set intentions for the day ahead.

    2. 🌈 Whole & Well: The Eight Dimensions of Educator Wellness  
    In this interactive session, we’ll explore true wellness through the Eight Dimensions: Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Social, Spiritual, Environmental, Financial, and Occupational. You’ll identify your strengths, notice gaps, and map out your path to wholeness.

    3. 🚧 Boundaries That Build: Saying No to Burnout
    Are you tired of being stretched too thin? This workshop provides practical strategies for creating and maintaining the six types of boundaries (Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, sexual, Material, and Time) in and out of the classroom. You’ll learn how to communicate your limits with clarity and confidence so you can give your best without giving it all away.

    4. đŸ„—Food Truths and Consequences
    Healthy habits start in the grocery store and kitchen. This session offers realistic, nutrient-packed food strategies for educators on the go. Discover how to fuel your body for energy, clarity, and calm. It includes a sample meal guide and snack hacks you can start using immediately.

    5. 🧠 Know Your Capacity: The Power of Check-Ins  
    How do you know when you’ve reached your limit? This session guides you through tools to assess your energy, stress, and emotional load. Learn how to listen to your body and mind—and design your day with realistic wellness boundaries in place.

    6. đŸ€ You Are Not Alone: Building Your Wellness Support System
    We heal in community. This powerful session breaks the silence around asking for help. You’ll learn how to seek support—whether it’s therapy, coaching, peer groups, or wellness mentors. Plus, get connected to real-world resources that support educator mental health.

    7.   Are You Financial Fit? Money and finances can contribute to our overall wellness. This session gives guidance about financial, saving, and spending tips. This is an opportunity to learn and set financial goals for the present and future.

    8. Yoga in the Classroom (physical)
    Learn new techniques and yoga or pilates positions that address stiff joints, an achy back, and sore legs and feet from all the walking and standing. 

    9. Closing Session: Exhale Together (social)
    We’ll end the day with a collective exhale—a moment of reflection, restoration, and renewal. Expect breathwork, affirmations, and a guided visualization to help anchor your wellness goals. You’ll leave feeling reconnected to your purpose and ready to thrive.

Do You Need PD Credits?

Continuous Professional Development Units (CPDUs) are available to participants.

Register Here

To register for the Educate and Exhale wellness conference for educators, click on this link.

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Click here to complete the speaker application.

Rate your wellness using the Wellness Wheel of Life. Download the PDF below.

Educators, Listen to Your Bodies

 I’m here to talk about stress and burnout and stories from people I know who were or are currently school administrators, including myself.  I was once a principal, but what I hear is alarming, and I can speak for something that I did that should have been alarming to me, too.  I’m hearing stories about how people do not listen to their bodies. 

The Job is Stressful

We know that this job is stressful. School principals, assistant principals, district administrators, and even classroom teachers are feeling the weight of stress these days, and they are walking out the door. We have to take care of ourselves, but our districts will not do it. No one’s going to do it for us. We have to save ourselves. 

Click to view the Top 100 Education Blogs

Teach and Take Time for You was named a Top Education Blog by FeedSpot.

Stories from the Trenches

I will tell two stories about three principals I know who did not listen to their bodies. One person was an elementary principal at the time. He was in his office when he began to hyperventilate and get chest pains. He told the school secretary, “I’ll be back.” 

So, he gets his coat, gets in his car, and he drives to the ER because he thinks that he’s having a heart attack. He’s having every symptom of a heart attack, but he drove himself to the ER and found out it was anxiety.  Afterward, he left the hospital and drove himself back to the school. When he entered the school office,  the clerk asked what was happening. She said,  “You know you don’t look that great!”  He told the clerk, “I drove myself to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack.” Unbelievable, but true!

No Time to Heal

That’s one story, and now it’s time for another story.  The second story that I 

I heard another principal discuss something similar in nature. She was sitting at her desk, and she had just finished a meeting, and all of a sudden, she started to have chest pains. Like the first story, this principal leaves the school. However, 

she leaves and goes to the doctor, not the ER. She leaves the doctor’s office and returns to work the next day. Fortunately, she did not have a heart attack, but she didn’t take any time to heal either. Most likely, this principal had an anxiety attack. Again, another educator is not following or ignoring their body.  Your

body tells you when it is breaking down.  Your body is the receptor of the stress.  Your body keeps counting or scoring the dings from stress. 

Am I Having a Stroke

So,  I want you all to start paying attention to your body.  I am guilty of not paying attention. One day, I woke up with the worst headache of my life. I mean the worst headache of my life!   I was talking on the phone to a friend who was also a principal, and she said you really should go to the ER. I told her I would be okay,  and I went to work.  During my drive to work, she continued to call and said, “Please get your blood pressure taken.”  

 I stopped at a walk Walgreens store on the way to work.  Meanwhile, on the way to work, I’m getting blurred vision. I’m getting to the point where I can’t even think straight enough to stop in the pharmacy to have my blood pressure taken. 

The pharmacist took my blood pressure, and it was 199 over 120! I was possibly having a stroke,  but what did I do? I continued on my way to work.  Upon arriving at my school, I called my primary care physician.  Next, I drove myself to the doctor. However,  I should have driven myself to the ER.  By the grace of God I was I did not have a stroke, but I was on my to be a victim, a statistic, or a corpse. 

Listen to Your Bodies

 I did not listen to my body, but I learned some things about life and had to make important career decisions. My dear educators, please start listening to your bodies. They tell you when they’ve had enough and will sit you down. Otherwise, you will end up in the grave. You have to prioritize your health and wellness. 

 Take it from me; take it from those stories you just read. I learned to recognize the signs of too much stress and its effects on my body. Take the time to recognize what doesn’t feel right. If it persists, make an appointment to see your primary care physician or a specialist. Begin journaling your thoughts and how your body responds to certain situations or tasks. Seek counseling if the burden is too heavy.

Click on this link to purchase the Wellness Chronicles: A 15-Week Journal.

Reach out to me and let me know you know your story. Tell us a time you ignored your body. Next, let’s advocate for educator wellness and make our voices heard. Join Exhale and Educate: Educators’ Wellness, a new online community for educators to collaborate, discuss, and problem-solve how to advocate better for teachers, school administrators, and district educators to live healthier lives and improve teacher retention rates. 

Please,  let’s take care of ourselves and prioritize our Wellness. 
Click on this link for more information or to join Exhale and Educate: Educators’ Wellness


Use Community Resources

Use Community Resources to Improve Teaching and Learning

Use Community Resource

School administrators and teachers always seek ways to create and foster partnerships. However, school budgets are getting smaller and smaller, so searching for additional resources is the norm these days. Schools need more money and services to improve the lives of their students. Did you know you can use community resources to enhance teaching and learning? Here are a few ideas of where to search for additional resources.

Parents and Community Members

One way to enhance teaching and learning is to use parents and community members as resources. Parental engagement is vital to a successful school. Sometimes, it isn’t easy to get parents to participate due to work schedules, childcare, and other obligations. However, welcome those parents who can join with open arms. 

Also, contact community members to volunteer or donate resources to your school. The school is a big part of the community it is located in, so developing relationships with your neighbors can reap excellent rewards.

Social Service Agencies

Another community resource to use is social service agencies. These agencies offer many different services that can benefit your students, parents, and staff members. Often, the institutions provide housing, mental health counseling, medical, or legal services. Many of the agencies want working relationships with schools. They see this as an opportunity to increase their outreach to community members.

Colleges and Universities

Colleges and universities are an important community resource for schools. Like social service agencies, higher education institutions want to build external relationships with schools and community members. Many colleges require students to participate in community service projects, and some college departments require students to fulfill internships. 

Internships

For example, students who major in social work must complete a counseling internship. If your students need social work services, an intern may be a way to fulfill the need without breaking the bank. Marketing majors must complete portfolios if you’re looking to market your school. Perhaps the marketing student can be the senior project. Think about these two examples because they are accessible to you. Of course, you may have other ideas, but this is a start.

Community Resources
Using community resources to improve teaching and learning means success for your students. Photo by Gerald Altman on www.pexels.com.

Student Leaders and Community Service

Another helpful example is that in some states, high school students are required to do community service. Your school and students are a part of the community! Recruit some high school students to become tutors for after-school or extracurricular programs.

Contact the local high school to get more information about the community service requirements for students. Also, don’t forget about your student leaders. If you have a student council, give the kids a fundraising project.

Small Business

Small businesses can provide some additional resources, too. Many small business owners are willing to help your school. Sometimes, they’re eager to donate school or office supplies. They can provide raffle gifts for special events. They may also offer the staff or parents an appreciation breakfast or lunch. Many times, a small business will sponsor an event or sports team. Every act of kindness or donation helps.

Senior Citizens

Don’t forget about retired or senior members of the community. Senior Citizens are very giving of their time. They will volunteer in your school by helping teachers in the classroom, tutoring students, or helping in the main office. Most cities or states have a Department of Aging. This agency may be able to give you the contact information of retirement homes or groups you can speak with regarding volunteering.

Local Churches

Lastly, another resource is local churches. Congregations have a spirit of giving. There is an organization in Chicago called One Church One School. This group supports churches in developing relationships with local schools. Church members are willing to do coat drives, food drives, school supply giveaways, and more. Research the names of nearby churches. Then, call the church office or ministerial staff for more information.

Conclusion

Use community resources to support teaching and learning. It is a beautiful way to develop external partnerships and additional relationships. Think of your school as the hub of the community and connect to people, businesses, agencies, and organizations who believe in passing it forward. List possible partnerships or projects to recruit or solicit support from the various community resources. Many are willing to assist, but you have to ask. 

Additional Resources
The Handbook on Family and Community Engagement
http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/downloads/FACEHandbook.pdf

One Church One School
http://www.onechurchoneschool.org/

Resources for Building Community Partnerships, Edutopia
https://www.edutopia.org/article/community-business-partnerships-resources

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