I Love My Job but It's Killing Me – Page 2 – A Mindful Approach to Music Education

Does the Thought of Self-Care Stress You Out and Feel Unattainable Right Now?

With all the things you have to do to prepare to teach next year, you may not have the time, energy, or desire to read a book to help yourself get healthy while you’re also figuring out how to do things in education without a playbook or the training you need. It might seem like too much work.

But what if you don’t invest in your own personal well-being? How in the heck are you supposed to be there to support struggling students, colleagues, your own family, and yourself when you’re dealing with all kinds of stressors and so many things you can’t control?

GREAT NEWS: All the strategies I wrote about in my books are now available in an online course where I guide you through the nuggets you need to manage the never-ending stressors that come with teaching and parenting. This course cuts to the chase with real and practical solutions you implement to get you the results you need so you can weather this storm.

I’ve had thousands of people use the methods I teach in my books to help them conquer the chronic stress and exhaustion that comes with teaching, and now that information is more needed than ever.

Now that summer is here and there’s a limited amount of time for you to spend on getting your own stamina built up so you can be successful next year in spite of all the challenges we’re facing, I’ve reimagined my curriculum (my books) and put them in a format that can better serve busy stressed-out teachers during these unusual times. You can work at your own pace, easily completing the activities in a matter of a few weeks and then you’ll benefit from the changes you make from now on!

In this self-directed course, you will develop the skills you need to:
Find a better balance between your work and personal lives
Get your mental and physical health to a place where you are able to handle all of your responsibilities without crashing
Identify your biggest stressors and take the necessary steps to reduce their impact on your health
Spend less time spinning your wheels and more time getting results
Get yourself ready to handle the 2020-2021 school year…no matter what happens next

I know first-hand what happens to our minds and bodies when we are exposed to constant stress and impossible expectations. It sucks. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’d like to show you how you can build your resilience and not just make it through some unprecedented times, but how to do it without burning out.

Click the button below to find out how you can get this course at 90% off the regular tuition. As a special offer, I am introducing this online program at this rate as a way for a very limited time in order to make it accessible to every educator who recognizes the need to keep ourselves mentally and physically fit for the jobs we were born to do.

The course, which you’ll have access to for life, is available for $250 this week. As a FREE BONUS, I will include a 30-minute one-on-one strategy session to help you get the most out of this course for you if you download the class in the next seven days.

After you sign up, I will send you everything you need to get started on your road to better health now.

Why would I offer this program at a fraction of the regular tuition? I’ve been an educator for over 30 years. My parents and grandparents were teachers. My three children have all taught. I have a vested interest in the health and well-being of educators. Our future depends on us being able to do our jobs. This is my contribution to helping make it a sustainable profession.

We’ve got some serious work to do to be ready for whatever comes next.
With you on this bumpy ride –
Lesley

Sign Me Up!

Is This the Summer You Finally Figure Out Your Work/Life Balance So You Can Survive Next Year or Are You Going to Wing It?

The challenge of not knowing what to prepare for when school starts in the fall is stressful. Stress contributes to all kinds of health problems, both physically and mentally. I know this from first-hand experience.

Are you prepared for whatever comes your way or are you already envisioning the 14-hour work days that involve Plans A, B, C, D and more? Will you have the energy for your own family while teaching in person and/or remotely while also monitoring students’ health and safety?

How will you keep yourself mentally and physically fit so that you can handle all of your responsibilities at school and at home without collapsing?

If you aren’t sure if you’re prepared for the challenges of having a healthy work/life balance come September, check out my Music Teacher Mojo Meter. This quick self assessment lets you get a snapshot of your readiness for teaching during a pandemic.

By asking yourself these questions, you can easily identify where your strengths have been and what your biggest obstacles will be moving forward. You can’t fix what you can’t identify.

Music Teacher Mojo Meter

Summer is the perfect time to invest in YOU – and this summer is the most important summer to put habits in place that will support you in the upcoming school year. We’ve got important work to do – and we must have the stamina to be able to do it!

I hope my Music Teacher Mojo Meter is a helpful tool in helping you figure out what you can do to support yourself through this stressful time.

With you on this journey –
Lesley

Where Do I Start to Rebuild My Students and Music Program after This Pandemic?

Helping your students and program thrive after this long school shutdown and months without in-person instruction is going to be incredibly challenging, even for the most experienced teachers among us.

And supporting your students while you are grieving the loss of this school year, missed opportunities, and proper goodbyes will be emotionally draining.

What’s your plan for maintaining your own sanity and stamina so you can serve your students without experiencing the emotional drain of secondary trauma? And how will you engage students who will experience increased anxiety, depression, distractions, and trauma of their own that will make learning even harder for them?

I’ve thought about this a LOT, and in week three of Music Ed Mondays with Moffat, I go through some concrete steps you can take to help you prepare to teach in a post-COVID world.

I can’t make your situation change, but I can share proven strategies for coping with the emotional and physical toll it takes to effectively connect with students and reach them when they are struggling with difficult issues that make it challenging for them to settle down and focus on learning.

I invite you to check out this link for all of the webinars and slide decks, which include links to tons of FREE resources I’ve created in my mission to help music teachers combine their passion for music education with a lifestyle that keeps them healthy enough to have the stamina to stay in the job for a very long time.

Previous Music Ed Monday Webinars and Resources

Please join me on my webinars every Monday in April for Music Ed Mondays and use the time you are away from school to prepare for the new kind of educational environment in which we will all be immersed. You can be a leader in the transformation or wait and see what happens then figure out what to do. I prefer to be proactive and prepared, and I hope you’ll come on this journey with me.

Webinar Registration

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it every day for the rest of my life – music educators change the world. Let’s do this together.

Peace-
Lesley

Teachers Are Grieving – Yet Somehow We’re Supposed to Keep Calm and Teach On…

If that seems a bit overwhelming to you in the current situation, you are not alone.

Music teachers are known for being uber-prepared, super organized, and ready for anything. And now our whole world has been turned upside down, and yet we teachers, who are still trying to acclimate to this unusual scenario, are redesigning everything we’ve ever done and are working miracles to ensure our students don’t miss out on learning while we’re apart.

But this is SO hard to do – especially since there’s almost TOO much information out there to filter through. That’s why I’m offering to help.

In case you missed it, on Monday’s webinar I shared a few things that you might find helpful during the school shutdowns and resulting upheaval to education as we know it.
A few highlights from the webinar include:

Understanding the “three types of teaching,” pre-, during-, and post-COVID

Recognizing how our roles as music educators are changing and will continue to change and how to use this opportunity to grow rather than feel overwhelmed

Discovering the power of how we music teachers can emerge as leaders to help our students and communities deal with the losses and changes that are happening at warp speed

I want to be sure to invite you to be part of my FREE series on Mondays in April where I’ll deep-dive into the content of my second book, in which I teach teachers how to reduce their own stress levels and how to most effectively teach students who come to us distracted by overstimulation of electronic devices, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and so many other things that keep them from learning.

When I wrote the book, I knew teachers around the world struggled for ways to keep students engaged in a very distracting world. Now more than ever, the techniques I share in my book are critical building blocks for helping students and teachers adjust to a new normal that faces us when we return to school.

Rather than waiting until the book comes out in May, I am sharing the content on these webinars NOW. This is the time to start thinking about how you’ll teach students who have experienced all kinds of trauma, new stressors, and situations that will make “normal” learning even more challenging.

I’ve taught over 30,000 classes during my career (so far!) Long before the COVID-19 outbreak happened, I’d experienced personal challenges of teaching when I was dealing with my own stress and exhaustion, and over the years I’ve seen more and more kids coming to my classroom with all kinds of barriers that make it difficult for them to learn.

That’s why I wrote my books – to share what I learned so you can learn from my lessons and not have to struggle as much. The content of the books are more relevant now than ever.

Here’s what Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser said about my most recent book:

“What is uniquely wonderful about Lesley’s writing is based on her own teaching journey. Her wisdom reflects reality rather than hypothesis. She has “been to the well,” she “walks her talk,” and she does it with a sense of understanding unknown in common hours. Rather than simply focusing on the obvious, she delves into the WHY-WHAT-and-HOW of the given situations:
* Here’s WHY you need to take stock of this concern or breakdown.
* This is WHAT you can do to reset your compass to achieve resolution.
* …and this is HOW you can do it to reach your destination.”
Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, excerpt from the foreword for Love the Job, Lose the Stress, releasing in May 2020

Join me on Music Ed Mondays to dig in to the new realities of what it takes to be a successful music educator in a post-COVID world.
See you on Monday! Lesley

Music Ed Mondays with Moffat: Replay March 30

After 32 years as a high school band director, I was going to retire this year. But things have changed.

Now is not the time to leave my students. I still have work to do and I need to be in my classroom with my kiddos when they return to school next year for a different kind of experience than what any of us have known.

In addition to the many ways they’ve always counted on us, our students will need us in new and different ways. It will require intentional preparation to have the mental, emotional, and physical stamina to serve them without becoming overwhelmed in the process.

This is the exact topic of my second book, which comes out in May, but I’m going to be sharing the content NOW because it’s relevant to any music teacher who wants to use this time to be prepared for what’s to come but who doesn’t know where to start.

I’ve already thought through a lot of this and have a plan – and I’m going to share it with you so you don’t have to start from scratch.

Join me tomorrow for Music Ed Mondays with Moffat to find out why I believe our roles as music educators are critical to the healing of our students and communities during and after this pandemic and resulting upheaval to everything we’ve ever known.

I will share a plan you can access for no cost that will guide you step-by-step through the process of being fully prepared to support yourself and your students through crisis and beyond.

The webinars will be on Mondays at 9:00 am pacific time and I’ll share how you can access the full course of my signature program that goes with my second book, Love the Job, Lose the Stress, for FREE!

_______________________

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Mar 30, 2020 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Music Educator Mondays with Moffat

Webinar Registration

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Can’t make it? Register anyway and I’ll send you a recording!

With you on this journey.

Music Educator Mondays – Let’s Prepare for the Future of Music Education Together!

I am STOKED to have Dr. Matthew Arau of #upbeatglobal joining me on a webinar for Music Educator Monday this week at 9:00 AM pacific / noon eastern time, where we will talk about the realities of what our roles as music educators are during school closures and what we should be prepared for when we return to our classrooms, whenever that may be.

Matthew and I will be sharing our thoughts about the critical role music teachers play in helping our students and communities cope during this crisis.

We’ll also be sharing tools you can use to keep your own stress levels managed so you have the stamina to do this for the long haul.

If you can’t make it to the webinar, register anyway and I’ll send you the replay.

Together we rise!

Webinar Registration

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sX3udf6DSqW3EvW7kIlz_A

HELP! What Do I Do Now?!

So many questions in light of COVID-19 and how we serve our music students during this challenging time

I teach at the first school in the US that was shut down for a confirmed case of coronavirus at the end of February, so I’ve had a little bit of time to think about this and start asking a bunch of questions.

In case you missed it, here’s a replay of the webinar from Saturday morning where I share some ideas for music teachers who find themselves with all their major concerts, festivals, trips, activities, and recruiting up-in-the-air.

If you’re wondering what you’re going to do next, join Elisa Janson Jones, Shannon Shaker and me for resources, ideas, and practical advice.

We are with you on this journey, because together we rise!

WEBINAR LINK

BANDing-Together-for-Success Supplemental Material and Links Download

Registration for Next Year’s Classes Can Be Challenging: Here’s a Possible Solution

It’s that time of year again when kids sign up for elective classes for next year, and it can be hard to navigate all of the things you need to do to communicate with the middle school teachers, students, parents, administrators, counselors, and others who are involved in the scheduling process.

If you forget a step, if students or parents aren’t clear about what to do, or if you don’t have a plan at all, then kids who should be in your program will fall through the cracks and you won’t get to have them in your band. That defeats the purpose of building a music program!

Students have lots of choices when it comes to the classes they are going to take. They will have opportunities to hear about your program from their current teachers, friends, family members, you, and in lots of other ways. Your program has a reputation that can go a long way in influencing their decision as to whether or not to sign up for band.

But ultimately kids need to know what you offer, how they can sign up, what the appropriate class is for them to sign up for, and how they can be a part of your program. The easier you can make it for them to understand what you have to offer and what they need to do to register for the correct ensemble, the more likely you are to have a robust program with the numbers you desire.

Clear communication is key to helping everyone navigate this process seamlessly and with the best results. After all, isn’t everyone going to be happiest when students are in the level-appropriate classes with good instrumentation? So why not build that in starting NOW so that when school starts in the fall, you have all your kiddos in the right place and you can hit the ground running!?

In my 32 years as a high school band director, I’ve learned a few things about what does and doesn’t work in terms of recruiting. This year I’ve put together a 10-minute video that will be shared with incoming students. The video, along with a short letter to parents, gives everyone the information they need to make the best decision about which class is right for them as the next step in their musical journey.

You don’t need to reinvent anything. If what you’ve been doing isn’t getting you the results you want, give this a try. Feel free to steal any of the ideas and try them with your students and see what happens.

I’ve been fortunate to have lots of great mentors who shared their tools with me in the past, so it’s my turn to pay-it-forward with this resource.

If you’d like me to email you a copy of the letter I send to parents of incoming ninth graders, shoot me an email with “Recruiting Letter” in the subject line and I’ll send you my document which you can edit and reuse yourself.

Let me know how it goes!

Lesley

RECRUITING VIDEO

😳 My school will be closed on Monday because we’ve had a confirmed case of coronavirus.

As a band director, I want to take the opportunity to be proactive in helping our kiddos stay healthy while playing wind instruments. 🎷🎺 💪 One way to do that is to share information with their families that helps them make choices that minimize their exposure to bugs that could potentially make them sick.

I created a poster to hang in the classroom and a letter to send home to parents as reminders about how to keep their horns healthy so their kids stay healthy.

Feel free to steal and use these. We can band together to lead the way to make sure families have the information they need so their kids can keep playing music without being unnecessarily exposed to unhealthy germs.

You can download pdf versions to share in your community here:

FREE POSTER/LETTER

Love the Job, Lose the Stress

When I was at the end of my third decade of teaching, I found myself saying, “I love my job, but for the love of God, it is literally killing me.” My body and mind were worn out from the sheer numbers of students and events I managed every day. Decision-making was becoming too taxing because my brain was being overstimulated all the time. I nearly walked away from my life’s work in order to keep from losing my battle with chronic health issues that were exacerbated by the sheer exhaustion that came from my job.

In what turned out to be a very smart decision on my part, I decided to do whatever it took to figure out a way to balance my professional and personal lives in a way that let me be the mom and band director I wanted to be and that my children and students needed me to be.

Luckily, in that process, I discovered some strategies that helped me overcome the health issues and fatigue that had become my new normal and made it so teaching is now not the stressor it had been.

I have just finished writing the book that is literally the answer to the problem I’d struggled with for so many decades. In it, I share the secrets of how I’ve been able to up my game as a badass band director and regain control of my health in the process.

The changes I’ve made have impacted me in a million ways. Here are just a few:

I haven’t gotten sick from being over-exhausted this year
Teaching has become much less taxing, going from requiring my active management to students monitoring their own behaviors
I no longer require medication for anxiety, depression, or ADHD
I’ve lost 75 pounds
My classes are SO easy to run – and that’s with 60 kids per hour, with instruments
Students remember and retain what we work on in class
Parental involvement supports the program in ways that free me up to spend more time with students and less time managing the program
Classroom management is a breeze
My stress levels are so low that it helps ground my students in my presence

In my second book, I teach you how you can take your high-stress job and restructure a few things in order to make it more manageable – so you’ll have the energy to do the things you love so much.

Let me know if you’d like to be on my list to receive an advanced reader copy of the manuscript draft. I’ve completed my rough draft and will have a high-level edit ready in a few weeks, so be on the lookout!

If this sounds like you a book that speaks to you, just click this link and you’ll automatically be put on my “Book 2” list to get it as soon as it’s ready to go!

Book 2 Advanced Reader Copy Request

Wishing you a joyous spring. May you rekindle that spark that lights you up with joy in your classroom and at home. You really can be living the dream!

With you on the journey!

Lesley