Transcript

 Hey, teacher friends!  Welcome to the Teacher Support Network podcast. I'm your host Antoine and this week we're continuing with our Whole Life Teacher Series, where we’re digging into what it really means to thrive as a whole person in this wild world of education that we're in. And if you haven't listened to any of the other episodes that have dropped so far in this series, please do so and see how your life fits into those areas that we've talked about already.

And today we're talking about something we say we want but rarely make time for…it's our FUN. Yes, fun is one of the seven F's that often fall to the bottom of the list. And here's real talk. Fun isn't just fluff. It's fuel for us. Too often we treat fun like a luxury.  Sometimes we get to do it after the grading, after the pd.  It's something we do after we handle everybody else's needs.

But what if fun is part of what keeps us going? What starts to really give us life and really fuels everything else we do. As teachers, we carry a lot, and when we push joy to the back burner, burnout isn't far behind.

So fun looks different for everyone. I mean, fun doesn't have to be a big vacation or a big trip. It could be something simple like learning a new skill, diving into a hobby, baking bread, painting, hiking, karaoke with friends, or just laughing at silly TikTok or YouTube videos.  Whatever it is, do what's fun for you. And it might be totally different from your colleague or your bestie. That's the beauty of it all. There's no one size fits all kind of joy. It's what works for you. 

So let me ask you this. Do you schedule fun? I know that might sound weird, but hear me out. We schedule IEP meetings, our PLCs, PD trainings, doctor's appointments and so forth. So what would happen if you scheduled something fun each week?

A date night? A hike? A walk? A game night? Outing with a friend or some other creative activity? When fun is on a calendar, it reminds us that our joy is just as important as our responsibilities. It says, “hey, I matter too.” 

So now let's talk about fun at work.  Because fun at work can be a game changer. Sometimes school can feel like a real stressful zone with deadlines, testing, paperwork, and so forth…I mean, I get it.  But finding ways to sprinkle joy into your workday can completely shift the energy you bring to your students and your team.  Whether it's a joke of the day, classroom theme days, staff lunch potlucks, once a month happy hours, or just sharing a laugh in the teacher's lounge. 

Fun can fuel your creativity and connection. In the last episode I talked about my mentor team being my family at work. Some of the best work I've done has come out of moments of fun with my team. Laughing together really made us stronger, more resilient, and it reminded us of why we did the work we did. When I think back on it, I look at all the fun moments that we had during those times and it really helped make sometimes stressful work, a lot less stressful. 

So here's a reflection prompt I wanna give you for this week. How do you want to bring fun back into your life, especially if you haven't been doing things that have been fun, especially during the school year?

I would suggest starting small. Just choose one thing this week that brings you joy and then make time for it. Not because it's productive, not because it's part of a goal, but just because it lights you up. You deserve that. So, teacher friend, joy should be part of the job. And laughter as that saying goes, “it's good medicine for the soul.”

Don't wait to feel alive again. Take small steps to make it happen.  Fun might feel hard to reach, but It's never out of reach. 

So, as we're closing up this episode, I just want you to think about fun, and I want you to put it to the top of your list this week. I want you to be intentional about what you want to do to make something fun happen for you.

So, in closing, if you're looking for a way to bring more joy and collaboration into your work, check out the show notes for a free resource, my Gen Ed and SPED Teachers Collaborative Conversation Guide. It's a simple, powerful tool that can really help spark the kind of conversations that create more connection, creativity, and support your students, especially students with disabilities.

That’s it for now. I'll see you next week on the next episode of the Teacher Support Network podcast, where we will continue with our Whole Life Teacher Series. Until next time, take care of yourself and God bless.

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