Teaching La Vida Loca
Teaching La Vida Loca
Episode 85: You Deserve to Flourish: Let’s Talk Uprooting & Replanting
I'm baaack! Did you miss me!? In this episode I share about my personal journey as I search for a job for next year, as well as some real talk for you... I want you to really think about whether you're growing where you're planted or if it is time to be uprooted and replanted elsewhere where you can truly flourish...
Here are the links mentioned in this podcast:
Job search with JOY Workbook (Resource of the month for La Familia Loca PLC)
Episode 5 - Listen to your Gut
Podcast Blog: When Staying Home Isn’t the Dream: Honoring the Unexpected Path
Wanna be a fly on the wall in my Adult Spanish Class!? I'm inviting Spanish teachers to take part in a POWERFUL learning opportunity to learn and grow each Tuesday as you observe me teach! We will debrief every week after class for 30 mins! Click here! If you want to ACQUIRE Spanish, join as a student! Click here!
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Spanish teachers, listen up, before you hear this episode of teaching la vida loca, I want to tell you about an incredible opportunity. I am about to start my new adult Spanish section. I teach adults online every Tuesday night, and my spring section starts on the 22nd of April. And all Spanish teachers, I'm inviting y'all to join as flies on the wall, so cameras off, mike's muted, not engaging in the chat, to observe the whole class and then join me for a 30 minute debrief after every single class. So that's 10 sessions that you'll get, and the price is only $97, so it's $9 per class to not only get to observe me in my classroom, my virtual classroom, but then get a 30-minute debrief on what you saw and get any questions that you have answered. This is an insane deal, and it's beta pricing, because I've never done it before. I would love to have you join me. Or if you're somebody who wants to acquire Spanish, you can join as a student. The details of this are in the show notes. I hope you enjoyed this episode of teaching la vida loca. Thanks for listening.
Welcome!
Welcome back to teaching la vida loca, the podcast you come to for short and sweet and sometimes spicy, episodes full of enthusiasm, magic and tips and tricks for your classroom. I'm Annabelle, your maestra loca, and I'm here to bring you inspiration, unapologetic, authenticity and ideas to spark more joy in your teaching journey. I'm turning up the excitement and elated to have you right here with me. I'm not just your host, I'm your cheerleader, and I'm thrilled you're tuning in. So, let's do this. Let's tackle teaching La vida loca together.
Hi!
Hi, it's me. Can you believe it? What La Maestra loca still exists? Who is this person? It has been four months since my last episode that I published here on teaching la vida loca. And it is not that I didn't want to be recording podcasts for you and coming and chatting, but I have gone through the most challenging year of my life this year.
I have lost part of me. I have lost part of my identity, and I have struggled with depression for the first time in my life, really severe anxiety, and I'm finally getting support with all of it, but the biggest thing that has helped me is starting to be real raw and honest and authentic with the people I love, and real raw and authentic and sharing my story with teachers that I know I care about and that care about me, so I encourage you, if you want to hear about this last year and this journey that I've been through, I published a really raw blog this morning all about my feelings of what it's been like taking this year out away from the classroom to be with my beautiful, joyful, wonderful, incredible daughter that I am so lucky to have. I can't even believe that I get to be her mom, but the challenges that have come with that which is truly feeling like I've lost a huge piece of who I am by not being in the classroom this year, and that's okay, and I'm learning that now, and I share that and a lot of other thoughts in my most recent blog posts. So go and check that out. I'll link it in the show notes. But this podcast is a really good, I don't know, partner to that blog.
I want to talk to you a little bit about what I've been sharing in La Familia Loca PLC this month. This month is focused on teacher professional growth, and so each month, we have a theme in Familia loca, and the guest of the month is related to that theme. The workshop is related to that theme. More often than not, the resources related to that theme. And so, this month, for the workshop of the month, I presented on this idea of really examining whether you are flourishing and blossoming and blooming where you are planted, or whether you need to be uprooted and planted somewhere else so that you can grow. Thrive, Bloom, and really be in a place that nurtures you. And so, I want to talk to you about that today.
What we’ve been talking about
I'll give you a little window into what we've been talking about in Familia. We also have done some mock interviews. We've examined our resumes and figured out how to make those way more dynamic, way more powerful, and I am really excited to talk to you about how you can really start to reflect on where you are, what you love about where you are and perhaps where things need to shift so that you can continue to thrive. As a teacher, because right now, granted, this time of the year, unfortunately, it can feel really hard to be thriving in the classroom. I know this. I've been a teacher for 12 years prior to this year, and I have experienced March through April, and it's a hard time here. But regardless of that, we're looking at the big picture of where you are, your administration, your school community, your prep load, your planning time, all of those things, and taking some time to really evaluate, what are your non negotiables? What are the things that help you thrive as an educator, and how can we make sure that you're not completely closed to the idea of uprooting yourself and planting yourself elsewhere? So, are you ready? Let's dive in.
So, whether you choose to read the blog on how I got to where I am now or not, I hope you can assume that the end result is I have been actively searching for a position for next year, and a lot of people assumed, which, wouldn't this be glorious? A lot of people, when I've said, oh, I'm on maternity leave, thought that my school gave me like a year off, and I think that my principals probably would have and wanted to. But my principals aren't necessarily the only people who get to make decisions at my previous school, so I did have to quit in order to take this year off. But I don't regret it. I would have always wondered, what if, if I hadn't. and the bond that I have with Ophelia is unmatched. I am so fortunate to have had this time with her, to really, really bond with her and have the connection that I do, and also to just experience, you know, snuggles in the morning and every phase that has been this first year with her. So, I've been very fortunate.
Having said that, my first instinct was, obviously, I just wanted to go straight back to where I was, because, you know, from this podcast, I was very happy at my last school. I had never felt a place where I had felt seen, heard, loved, cared for and empowered, just like I try and do for my students, as much as I had at that school, especially under that leadership, under leaders who observed me just as much as every other teacher down the hall who valued my strengths, let my strength shine, let me present to my colleagues, a place where my colleagues loved all the things I tried to do to boost our morale and keep things positive and joyful. Here’s the thing, everywhere we go, and that's one of the things I'm going to ensure you understand really, really at the end of this episode, everywhere you go, you're going to have amazing children, right? That is what we do. We are teachers, and we are going to find amazing children wherever we go. We're also going to find children who need great teachers wherever we go. So, I loved the children, the community. I loved the families. I loved what the school stands for. And I say loved like past tense, I still love it. I love what the school stands for. Its values align with my values. They are still doing this work. Work of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Now more than ever, they are fighting for our immigrant families. They are doing the work and, what an incredible place to have worked.
So, the therapist that I found through all of the honest trauma that I've been dealing with this year, I had a conversation with her, and I said, “oh, there's this school that's been pursuing me since October, and there's another friend who texted me that there's an opening at her school, and it would be so cool to work with her again, but I'm not going to apply to either of those jobs. I'm just going to go back to the school where I was at and try and pursue something there, even though I know it's going to be a challenging year and this school is going to go through a lot of change”. And she's like, wait what? And I said, well, you know what's happening at my old school is there's a middle school building closing, and so the sixth and seventh grade is moving into the Lower School, and then the eighth grade is moving to the high school. And so, a lot of classrooms are going to be, obviously needed, including Spanish classrooms. So, they have been trying to work with the Spanish team, and it sounds like there's going to be a situation where there's a shared classroom for part of the week, but that you're going to be on the cart for some of the days. They don't even know if there's going to be a position available for me. I don't know who's planning on staying. I don't know. I know some people might want to apply their positions within the building, like El positions. So at that point, it's like, we don't even know if there is a position for me, and if there is it, it's probably lower elementary grades, which are not my favorite, like, I love pre K, but I've taught kindergarten, first, second before, and they were definitely not my favorite, but I think part of it was I didn't get to see them every day and all these things. So anyways, my therapist was like, Wait, there's potential that you'd be on a cart. And I said, yeah. And she said, well, we've talked about that before. You said your husband would never let you go back to teaching on a cart because it was the one time that you thought you were going to quit your job because you were miserable. I said, Yeah, but I mean, the school's values align with my values, and I love it for my kid. And she's like, Wait, are you choosing the school for your kid or for you? I was like, well, both, you know, again, it aligns with my values. And she's like, What about plan time? And then I shared that I'd be going back to very similar plan time, which is like, literally split into two different sections of the day, but essentially outside of meetings, maybe 30 minutes and 15 minutes andvery limited planning and a lot of other things that are not ideal.
Looking for other jobs
And so, she said, Annabelle, why are you not applying to other jobs, like, why are you not exploring all options? And I said, well, the other two jobs are in the private sector, and I'm not sure I want to go back into the private sector because of my terrible experience. The first when I taught at a private school before. And of course, my terrible experience had nothing to do with the children or families. Well, somewhat to do with families, but nothing to do with the children. And she was like Annabelle, not all private schools are the same, not all independent schools are the same. I need you to apply because it's only one year. That blew my mind. Can I say that again? It's only one year. Oh. Why is that revolutionary for us? It's revolutionary because in our brains we see a job application calling for, hey, we need a teacher for the 2025, 2026, school year. But our brains are thinking, is this somewhere I could see myself in the long term. Is this? But the reality is, we don't have to think more than a year. We are in a serious, scary teacher crisis. There's a shortage like we've never seen, and it's only growing because teachers are listening to their guts and getting out of the profession when they have found no joy left and good for them, and if you're one of them, I'm proud of you for listening to your gut. That's literally the most listened to episode on this podcast. It’s Episode Five. Listen to your gut, and it's all about listening to that and getting out of the profession when you're ready.
So, the reality is, we are interviewing schools just as much as they're interviewing us. We do get to see whether we think it's a good fit for us, and if it turns out that it's not, we can go and find another job in the next year. Is it super ideal and easy? Not necessarily, but if we know we are going to thrive elsewhere, then bye, bye. So that is what caused me to start applying. And I applied to those other two schools. Interviewed at both. I was asked to come back for a sample teach next week for one of them, and the other one, I already received an offer, and I countered with a request for a higher salary, because it was significantly lower than what I was making in public school, and I knew that would be the case, but I also know that Louisiana is already one of the lowest paying states, and I know that if I'm gonna have to put my child in daycare, I can't come home with only what equated to like $800 a paycheck. So, I am waiting to hear whether that will work or not, but what I realized is, wow. You know, I could really thrive at a place that gave me almost two consecutive hours of plan time every day. I could really thrive at a place where I don't have to pack my lunch, because lunch is included and it's not during my plan time every day, I could really thrive at a place where I have curriculum flexibility to the maximum, and I am on a team with a person who happens to be a really good friend, who believes in acquisition driven instruction, and we work really well together, and she's a Familia loca member. Like, what a dream. I could really thrive at a place that, when they heard the dates of conferences and Keynote speaks opportunities that I have next year, they said, yeah, no problem, even when I said one of them is in Australia and I'll be gone for two weeks, and they said, okay, we'll make it work. I could really thrive in a place that allows me to leave at the bell at the end of the day and not worry that I must do things because my plan time is so little that I just realized, like, wow, what? What do I need to be able to come back to the classroom and thrive as a teacher, so that I come home and have energy left to be the best mom for my children? I left that school after a six and a half hour interview, six and a half hours, two sample teachers and I danced with my kids, we sang, we played so hard that night, and I felt so joyful, so joyful, and it made me realize like I don't think my daughter, Ophelia, has even experienced me as a joyful mom yet, and I deserve to feel fulfilled in the way that the classroom fills me so that I can be the best mommy for her. Again, I talk about all of that and more in the blog, but, when it comes to applying for jobs or thinking about what it is you need or want. I realized that the main reason I was feeling so tied to the school where I was working is it was twofold. One my non-negotiable, my biggest non-negotiable is dei work. I want to say black lives matter. I want to anywhere I go, be able to hang a pride flag in my classroom and create a space where kids of all backgrounds and all identities feel seen, heard, loved, cared for, and empowered in my space period. And so, my fear of going back into the private sector was that I wouldn't find a school that honors that, and not just honors it, but supports it and backs me 150,000%, right? And I wasn't willing to even look.
The other piece was my loyalty to my colleagues, my admin, the families, and most of all the students where I was teaching. I had an amazing conversation with my good friend, Profe Bennett, Morgan Bennett, last night, and we were just chatting as friends and getting together for a little wine date, a virtual wine day. And we she was like, teacher, loyalty is the absolute worst thing. It was so powerful I can't even remember her exact words. It's not like I'm gonna record our friendship conversation to be able to write down her exact words, but I asked her permission to share more or less the thoughts that she had around it. And teacher loyalty keeps teachers trapped in schools to a point where not only are they not growing and flourishing, but it's killing them. It's completely robbing the joy. And if you feel like, no, no, I still am joyful. I love my kids, I love what I do, but you have been loyal to a place for so long that you just feel like you could never leave, because this is where you've grown as a teacher, and where you've grown up and you were deeply rooted here. And, literally, your classroom is ingrained with your scent. There are other places that will allow you to flourish more, where you won't be teaching five preps a day, where you will have the plan time you need, where you can say black lives matter, where you can have the admin support to be deskless, where you can have the admin support to teach with acquisition driven instruction without having to hide it, where you have the days off to go and attend PD, and you don't have to take your own personal time and pay out of pocket, but they will support you in pursuing PD, where they will pay for La Familia loca PLC. For you, you can find a school that prioritizes you and you and your mental and emotional health. I hope that wasn't too harsh.
But the reality is, you can find all those things, and you are deserving of those things! In the resource of the month that I created for Familia loca PLC this month, is an 18-page ‘job search with joy’ handbook, and it includes a section where it helps you work through your non negotiables. What are your non negotiables? It helps graph their non-negotiables. Gives them tips for researching the school that they want to work at, gives them practice interview questions and a place to journal their thoughts on how to answer them. Gives them tons of questions and ideas for questions to ask the school based on their non-negotiables that they establish, and then further questions to ask family who already go there, students who already go there, people who work there or have worked there. And then it ends with affirmations. And this workbook, I've decided to just release it for sale to non-Familia members, because I'm really proud of what it is.
So, if you're interested in that, check the show notes. I just want to read some of the affirmations for you as a little brain break. Are you ready for a brain break? Okay, I want you to close your eyes, but not if you're driving. God, please don't close your eyes if you're driving, but if you're driving, I want you to breathe in deeply and in through your nose, out through your mouth as you listen to some of these affirmations, and if you are not driving, I encourage you to just close your eyes and breathe deeply while you listen to some of these, I bring something unique and special to every classroom that I enter. I am allowed to outgrow positions that no longer serve me or bring me joy, my skills and experience are valid and invaluable. I do not have to shrink to fit. I am worthy. I am enough right now exactly as I am. I am irresistible. I am an excellent educator, and I am deserving of a school that knows this. I am so fortunate to do this work, this important work, and I will ground myself in that before each and every interview, it's okay to search, because I don't know what's out there, and I won't know until I start looking. I've got this. Annabelle believes in me, and so do I. Yay, a different little brain break for you. I hope that was helpful.
Non-Negotiables
Okay, so back to this idea of establishing what are your non negotiables. Some of these things that are written in this workbook are like, I want you to consider location, values, duties, planning, time, leadership, support, curriculum, flexibility, coaching and PD, salary and benefits, mental health, and well-being. And literally, there's another 20 categories after that, and then there's questions under each of those. So, for example, under the one that's really important to me, which is, about values? Does your school prioritize Dei, work, joy, and student voice? Or how does this school support that? Will I be supported in creating a classroom where all identities are welcomed, represented, respected, and empowered? Questions under duties are like, are there any extra responsibilities, like before, after school, duties that are part of the role? Are they outside of plan time? Are they compensated? What about duties outside of the school week? Prom, Homecoming. What are the expectations around that? Is it equitable across the board? Are teachers encouraged to sign up, or is it a requirement? All of these things? It depends on what your non negotiables are. I gave you questions to really consider and ask yourself as you're establishing your non negotiables, and then the questions at the end of the PDF workbook allow you to really think about what questions you can ask them at the end of your interview that align with those non negotiables. And some things might be answered during your interview, but other things not so much. But what I want you to take away today is that I want you to just sit for a minute and really think about what it is you love, about where you are, and what it is you would love to shift or change for yourself so that you can flourish and blossom and grow even more. And if you think that that shift can happen where you currently are, then great start advocating for it. But if you don't think that shift can happen where you currently are, don't do yourself the disservice to be so loyal that you are robbing your current and future students of your joyful, best teacher self. Don't do yourself the disservice of not looking because there are jobs open.
I was recently coaching a Familia loca member who purchased some one-on-one coaching sessions with me, and I was like, it doesn't sound like you're thriving, and I know it's just one or two things that are bothering you, but my God, are they bothering you? Those one or two things are really bothering you. So what harm is it in looking? She's like, there's probably nothing anyways near me. And then she looked, and there were, like, seven positions open in her area already, and some of them paying significantly more but then it comes down to what are her non negotiables? Is it that she wants curriculum flexibility to be able to teach acquisition driven instruction wherever she goes, without having to fight for it or hide it or argue? Is it that she needs teacher well-being and boundaries, things in place to like, what systems are in place at that school to protect time and prevent burnout? How does the school support teacher, mental health, and emotional well-being, right? So, do yourself a favor and just look and if you're totally happy where you are, then yay! I'm so glad to hear that, because we deserve the best. So that's all for today. I'm grateful that I could come here and share what's going on with me right now. I don't have a plan for next year. I'm not solid or sure where I'm going to be, but I do know that I am going to be somewhere that gives me ample planning time, that allows me to teach exactly how I want that has a classroom space for me, that I can decorate exactly how I need to and want to, and in a way that my students can thrive in in the world language in that I teach in Spanish, where I can honor diverse identities and center marginalized voices. And I'm going to find a place that that meets all my needs, and I can't wait. I'm so excited to get back into the classroom, and I'm so excited to support you. I hope this podcast was helpful. I'm grateful for you listening. I'm grateful for you supporting me. I'm grateful for your patience as I navigated this challenging year, and I'm really grateful for you. Really, really grateful for you. Thank you for all you do for your students. Thank you for supporting me. Go ahead and send this to a friend that you think needs to hear. It needs to be reminded that teacher loyalty is not always the best thing. Maybe a teacher who needs to be asked the question, are you truly growing where you are planted, or is it time to be uprooted so that you can flourish and grow somewhere else? I love you. Teacher, until next time, you'll be teaching la vida loca, and I will be frantically, not frantically, but I will be grounded in my non negotiables and searching for my next amazing job for the next school year, and I can't wait to be back in that classroom teaching la Vida Loca together with you. Take care. Teacher, bye, bye.