Teach Happier This School Year

Being happy both at home and at work means we're not just cheerier, but more clear-eyed and effective at what we do. But happiness takes practice and ongoing contemplation. In this inventive new book—part professional development resource, part personal journal—educator, author, and podcaster Suzanne Dailey contends that small shifts bring big gifts: that is, small positive changes, practiced over time, will help you feel more balanced, content, and aligned. To help you on this path, Dailey provides 40 readings and reflections, aligned to the weeks of the school year and designed to ensure that you glean joy and insight from every moment inside and outside the classroom. In these pages, you'll find * Reflection activities for assessing the health of your relationships—not only with coworkers and students, but also with family and friends. * Inspiring stories about educators who have sought and found ways to improve their practice by following the tenets of positive psychology. * Weekly goals for shifting your thinking and developing more positive habits of mind. * "Report cards" for assessing your progress on the book's challenges and goals. * Minilessons you can use to share your new learning with students and influence classroom culture and community. Steeped in the teachings of positive psychology and fired up with a passion for teaching, Dailey mines both her own experiences and the insights of psychological thought leaders to provide this indispensable resource for educators at all levels.

Teachers are amazing. They spend their days inspiring, motivating, encouraging and preparing our children for the future. Many times, they go above and beyond their contractual responsibilities to help their students find success, and they do this without asking for special recognition or rewards. They are increasingly asked to do more with less as the demands placed on them grow each year. Still they show up each day and give it their all. That is amazing. Unfortunately, there is a growing number of teachers who are feeling the pressure of this demanding profession, and they are losing that enthusiasm they once had for teaching. That is where Teach Happier can help. Sam Rangel knows firsthand of the demands and frustrations of a school teacher. He taught 22 years in a middle school. His website, SuccessInTheClassroom.com, offers tips and strategies for new and soon-to-be teachers. In Teach Happier, Sam shares 21 practical strategies from his research in the fields of neuroscience and positive psychology that will help teachers invite more happiness into their lives, and as a result find more success and make a greater difference in the lives of their students.

"Amy Carney talks straight about the problems parents face when it comes to raising a child in today's complicated world and then shares practical advice, solutions and strategies on how to better connect family values with your behaviors, attitudes, and decisions while simultaneously preparing your son or daughter for adulthood. In this book, you'll learn how to better: LEAD: Embrace your parental authority. LOVE: Cultivate a strong and connected family culture. LAUNCH: Prepare your child for adulthood"--Amazon.com.

Teaching got you feeling down? Have the stresses of the job made it harder for you to be happy at work? Do you wish you could find the joy you hoped for when you started what you thought would be a long and fulfilling career?Teaching is a rewarding job. It's also exhausting and stressful. Today's teachers face challenges their predecessors never did. High-stakes testing, legislative attacks, and the loss of autonomy in the classroom have made the job harder and less enjoyable. It's challenging to be a happy teacher these days.But you can be one! By applying the latest scientific research on happiness to your job in the classroom, you can be the teacher you always thought you would be. You will look forward to going to work, have more energy when you're there, and be the happy teacher every student wants and deserves.In this book, you will learn:*What makes teachers unhappy at work *What teachers think will make them happy and why they're often wrong*What science says about how teachers can be happier in the classroomBased on the latest research from the field of positive psychology, Happy Teacher will arm you with the knowledge and strategies you need to add a pep to your step and a smile to your face. You'll be happier at school. Your students will be happier in your classroom. And your colleagues will ask you how you did it!

From The Author Unlocking Unlimited Potential is about how inside of all educators there is an infinite power that once harnessed can be contagious among all those we serve. Divided into three parts. Building the Foundation, Challenges as Opportunities for Growth, and Believing in You, this book reminds readers of their why. Unlocking Unlimited Potential is at the core of what every educator is trying to achieve with all those they serve. In order to stay true to this vision, you must first look within. Editorial Reviews In a well-written and engaging book, Dr. Brandon Beck underscores the importance of believing in one's self. Those of us who develop programs know that the teacher's role is critical to the success and well-being of students. He inspires readers, telling his own and others' stories, gently weaving in research and showing that all of us have unlimited potential. A must read for new and experienced educators. Dr. Matia Finn-Stevenson - Yale University, Director of School for the 21st Century Unlocking Unlimited Potential is about understanding that inside all of us is an infinite power that we can unleash. Controlling that power allows us to overcome any challenges we face in our classrooms and our schools. UUP is full of ideas, exciting stories, sound wisdom, helpful exercises, and valid support from a wide range of leaders in the field. Educators must understand that they have the power to unlock unlimited possibilities with all students, and this book takes that mission to a whole new level! Thomas C. Murray - Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, Best-Selling Author of Personal & Authentic If you want to get better, to take your game to the next level, this book is a must! In Unlocking Unlimited Potential, Dr. Brandon Beck gives readers exceptional insight from his experiences as a teacher and as a coach. Among the gold nuggets you'll find action steps for implementation that are not only meaningful but bring a shift in mindset with them. Whether you're a teacher, a coach, or a school leader, grab this book and Unlock the Unlimited Potential found inside you. Dr. Darrin M. Peppard - Author of Road to Awesome -Superintendent - Speaker- Consultant Dr. Brandon Beck tells you what you have been waiting to hear. Through a compilation of research, experiences, knowledge, theory, and common sense, he allows you to discover your strengths. You have the tools. You are capable of unlimited possibilities. As you proceed on your journey in life, you tap into your greatest gifts, and you allow other people to realize their strengths. Move forward and discover your unlocked, unlimited potential with Dr. Beck. Dr. Frank Rudnesky - Author of Fired Up Leadership - Speaker - Consultant - Retired Principal Leading by example in the classroom, on the field, and in life, Dr. Brandon Beck is a force for positive change and transformation in education. In Unlocking Unlimited Potential, he draws on insights from Brene Brown, Carol Dweck, Simon Sinek, and other notable voices to make the case that there is always more than meets the eye: more growth to be achieved, more learning to be realized, more inequities to be removed, more successes waiting to be won. In a turbulent world, our students and communities count on educators to step up. Unlimited Unlocking Potential helps us do just that. Tim Cavey - Host of Teacher's On Fire Podcast

'Adrian Bethune is an inspiration and this book should be required reading for everyone involved in teaching young children.' - Dr Mark Williamson, Director of Action for Happiness, @actionhappiness This award-winning guide for teaching wellbeing and positive mental health in primary schools is packed with practical ideas for every classroom. This timely updated edition recognises the need for more guidance in schools following pupils' rising levels of stress, anxiety and depression due to the pandemic. Evidence has shown that happy people (those who experience more positive emotions) perform better in school, enjoy healthier relationships, are generally more successful and even live longer! Many schools and teachers are looking for accessible ways to address these mental health problems in young people, and this revised edition is the essential tool needed to support healthy emotional development in the primary classroom. The book includes new chapters on: - the importance of nature for health, behaviour and concentration, - digital wellbeing and helping children to navigate life online in a healthy way, - and includes updated statistics and research on mental health and wellbeing of children and teachers. In this must-read book, experienced teacher and advisor on children's wellbeing, Adrian Bethune, takes the latest evidence and research from the science of happiness and positive psychology and brings them to life. Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom is packed full of tried-and-tested activities and techniques, including mindfulness, positive reflection, physical activity and acts of kindness.

Both practical and inspiring, this book is designed to empower educators and school leaders to make clear and simple adjustments to their practice for a lasting impact on the happiness and well- being of staff and children and ultimately on academic standards. It includes practical tips and activities to help teachers generate a lasting atmosphere of positivity and happiness in the classroom plus clear strategies to help leaders to embed the Spread the Happiness approach throughout their school and across the curriculum. This book includes detailed case studies, a five-week programme of taster challenges and a section on measuring outcomes and sharing success. The Spread the Happiness approach invites teachers to undertake a 27-day challenge, which encourages problem solving and challenges them to make their immediate workplace happier. It identifies the strengths of adults and children and sets realistic goals to achieve as an individual, as a team and even as a community. This powerful resource will be of great interest to all teachers and school leaders, as well as trainee teachers and students on leadership or early educational courses.

Who is responsible for student learning? Walk into an effective school and ask this question of anyone--a teacher, a student, the principal, a parent volunteer, a secretary--and you'll get the same answer: "I am."Shared responsibility is something school communities build from within. It's what happens when all school people accept that what they do makes a difference in how all students learn . . . when they have the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about the best way to promote learning . . . and when they have the skills and opportunities to translate their ideas into effective action.Anne Conzemius and Jan O'Neill present a practical framework for building shared responsibility within schools and school systems. They identify three critical components:* Focus--The common vision, mission, values, and expectations that provide clarity and lead to new levels of performance.* Reflection--The commitment to test assumptions, learn from data, and adjust practices accordingly. * Collaboration--The process of developing relationships where all work toward the same objectives and rely on each other to achieve their goals.Building shared responsibility for student learning is an ongoing activity--a journey and not a destination. This research-based resource provides a map in the form of effective structures, systems, processes, and policies. It explains how to set powerful goals and shares inspiring stories of educators who have embarked on this journey toward higher professional competency, increased staff satisfaction, rising test scores, and improved student results.