In the meantime, Jen Carbonneau (who shared a lesson in Week 2 of the project), sent in another piece of advice to tide us over:
I have learned in the past several years that laughing with your peers is vital. Truly, you need to find something to laugh about each day if you are going to survive with good spirits--especially if you are facing particularly difficult groups of students. Lunchtime is the best time. It breaks up the day and allows you to begin fresh in the afternoon. Last year we managed to go the whole year sharing the responsibility of make a lunch to share each Monday. It allowed us to grow as a family and find laughter easily. I find that if I am able to laugh and joke with my coworkers before school begins, the day is all the more bright. Find that time to laugh and smile. It'll make all the difference.Remember, besides being a current or former teacher, there are no qualifications as to who can submit an answer to this central question:
What is the most important advice you can give to other teachers?
I know that many of you are dealing with standardized tests (and their results coming in) and the absolute madness that are the last days of school. If you've been thinking about participating, but are feeling too stressed to do so, just keep in mind that I'm not expecting Shakespearean prose or Earth-shaking revelations. I think we all need to share those little nuggets of wisdom that we probably consider common sense, but may be overlooked by our peers. If you have something like that it mind, it's exactly what we need for this project.
Thank you to everyone who has participated thus far, and I look forward to getting this project back on track next Monday! Email me at teachforever AT gmail DOT com.