Advice for New Mentee

I would tell my mentee to remember to breathe and take everything one day at a time. Heck, take it one hour at a time if it's one of those days. This mantra has helped me survive 15 years of teaching. As educators we can easily become overwhelmed with our responsibilities but everything is manageable with a little organization and prioritizing of tasks. One of my strengths is organization. I can help my mentee establish a system to manage the many types of paperwork educators deal with on a daily basis-- if it be student work, documentation of standards, commentary, parent notes, or office correspondence. It is extremely important to work on tasks daily rather than procrastinating and letting things pile up. All procrastination will do is create even more stress. I don't leave school each day until my desk is clear, my board configuration is done, materials for the next day are ready, and my to-do list is on my desk for the following day.