Home
About Me
- Contact Me
My Classroom
STEM
Beauty
Lifestyle

Teaching from Beyond the Desk

with Laura DeMars

Contact

Your Name (required)

Your Email (required)

Subject

Your Message

TFBTD Instagram

teachingfrombeyondthedesk

This is what my schedule looked like today: [afte

This is what my schedule looked like today:

[after spending the majority of the weekend working on getting things ready for hybrid learning & communicating with parents]

5:00 AM—Wake up after a restless night.

6:00 AM—Drink 24 oz of water because I know I won’t have time during the day.

7:00 AM—Arrive at school (an hour before contract time) to pass all materials out that students will need (since I cannot move throughout my room), make a key for my seating chart, double check that all assignments were posted for my hybrid (at home) cohort.

8:00 AM—Students start showing up & they don’t even acknowledge me, even though I told each of them good morning, though I can’t greet them like I would in a normal year.

10:00 AM—Watch my students leave for a socially distant recess & cry in my classroom, alone, as there is no one to talk to because we are all on our own recess/lunch schedules.

12:00 PM—Walk to my car to eat, as there is no dedicated space for staff to eat, beyond the copy room, which has a maximum occupancy of 2 people.

12:40 PM—Trying to wipe the tears off my face & put my mask, voice amplifier, and face shield back on.

2:40 PM—Feel like nothing was accomplished today & like a failure today. None of my students even said goodbye.

5:00 PM—At home, feeling defeated & having to spend the evening getting everything uploaded for tomorrow.

This isn’t sustainable. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way.

#teaching2020

#teacherlife

Well, we survived this week. We start in a hybrid

Well, we survived this week.

We start in a hybrid model on Monday—which is really stumping me on how to plan for—and there are so many unknowns.

Our Hybrid Model:

💙M/Tues.: Cohort A is on campus & cohort B is at home learning (no live instruction)

🧡Wednesday: Distance Check-Ins

💚Th/Fri.: Cohort B is on campus & cohort A is at home learning (no live instruction).

The planning for this planning has me stumped. We were just getting into a distance learning routine & now all of us are having to switch gears again.

Any thoughts?

#teacherssupportteachers

#teachingin2020

#distancelearning

It was another day, full of new challenges & strug

It was another day, full of new challenges & struggles. I keep looking for a new normal & know that it might be a long time until we find it. There is so much chaos & turmoil in daily life, for so many, that it makes you appreciate the glimmers of light. And if you cannot find the light, recognize it in others.

#teachervoice

#teachingin2020

#allinthistogether

After being told repeatedly that if I don’t like

After being told repeatedly that if I don’t like the conditions, then leave, I decided to write down my thoughts.

Here is a poem I wrote. It’s been in the back of my mind & I finally just decided it’s worth sharing.

And before anyone comments that “teachers are superheroes”.

Please stop.

We aren’t fictional characters.

We are human.

The decisions being made are crushing us.

We are experiencing trauma—just like everyone else during this pandemic.

The emotional burdens alone placed on us are impossible to bear.

We are not superheroes.

If I Die Today: The Voice of a Teacher

By Laura DeMars

If I die today, I want to be remembered for the passion I had, and the love that I shared my students, their families, and my school.

To be remembered for the engaging lessons that I prepared & the details I planned.

To be remembered for the inside jokes that we laughed about & the zany outfits I wore.

To be remembered for standing on the desks & dancing across the classroom.

To be remembered for the love of reading & books that we read.

To be remembered for learning about salmon & releasing them into the wild.

To be remembered for the spirit days & class celebrations.

To be remembered for the silliness & handshakes for each and every student.

To be remembered for the Skype calls with guest speakers & working with classes all around the globe.

To be remembered for the my love for education. My love for teaching students.

My care.The small gestures. And those actions that might have meant a lot.

Will this be my legacy?

Or will I just be another casualty?

A teacher without any say in the workload, the plans or the conditions in which we are to teach.

No voice.

No voice.

No choice, but to teach.

No, we don’t want to hear from you, just do your job or leave.

Burden after burden added to list upon my heart.

My health & safety of those kids are just the very start.

To-do lists are ever growing,

where does the teaching even fit?

Another burden, added to my list of burdens to bear.

Will anyone notice if their teacher isn’t there?

#teachervoice

#teachingin2020

This is what my desk looked like at the end of the

This is what my desk looked like at the end of the day today. It was clean this morning. In fact, it was clean at the start of my open office hour.

I feel like my brain has too many tabs open & too much to juggle.

I’m checking in with each student.

I’m planning lessons to help support them emotionally.

I feel like I could work 24/7 & I wouldn’t be able to complete the bare minimum demands of my job.

I’m constantly having to respond to district requests and my email inbox constantly is overflowing with unread emails—that need responses—but when is there time?

I made parent phone calls in the middle of independent work time today.

I made parent phone calls during our recess break.

I was writing emails during lunch because there was a time sensitive deadline.

I want to give feedback to my students work they are submitting, but honestly, I’m not sure how to fit it all in.

And then there’s the tracking of missing assignments & lack of respect for trying to reasonably complete deadlines.

How am I supposed to be switching gears in about one week—to a hybrid model—that requires more planning, little to no time to support learning for students that aren’t in the classroom?

Teachers want to be incredible, and they are, but we are super human.

Is anyone else feeling like there’s no support & yet the demands just keep getting greater?

And then my health & risk will be in question? That will be on the front of my mind.

This job isn’t sustainable—even at the minimum effort level.

And most teachers put in so much more effort.

There’s a reason why there’s not a line of people waiting to do our job.

There is no support.

Every year we’re asked to do a little more with a lot less.

This year, it’s magnified.

#teacherlife

#tiredteacher

It’s odd how quickly you can fall into a routine

It’s odd how quickly you can fall into a routine, or create a sense of normal—even in a very non-normal situation.

Today I found my self looking forward to our morning meeting & our read aloud discussion time. These are some of my favorite parts of a normal school day.

While distance learning is hard:

💙We are still able to have rich conversations.

🧡We are still able to get to know each other & focus on stress relief techniques.

💚We can still hold space for building a community of learners.

In our distance learning community we are still working on engagement & demonstrating habits of scholars, but I see glimpses of real academic learning happening & that gives me hope.

#distancelearning

#teachertalk

#positivethinking

I’m feel like I’m watching the scales get read

I’m feel like I’m watching the scales get ready to tip in education & for teachers.

Teachers need to stand together.

Our voices MUST be heard.

I’m watching as opening plans are being written & teachers are afraid to speak up.

Teachers naturally want to teach students, but they have the right to feel safe & supported.

Taking every additional request, demand or burden—without question— is not conducive to having high-quality education.

So often, teachers joke about their “teacher voice” & how effective it can be in the classroom.

Why are our voices not being used to set guidelines, when writing opening plans, or discussing the extreme measures & demands for both in-person & distance learning (& BOTH in a “hybrid” option)?

Teachers are resilient & often come up with creative solutions. We are notorious for just making it work—but at what cost?

Teachers can only effectively teach when they are equally supported by the ENTIRE school community

-Colleagues
-Administrators
-Support Staff
-Student Families
-School Board Members

But right now? I’m not seeing that universal support in education.

Maybe it was never there?

Maybe that is part of the problem & challenge to over come?

Maybe the years of budget cuts & undermining public education has now been spotlighted during this pandemic?

Public education is so much more than students & teachers.

The time to use your voice to support education is now.

If you’re a teacher? Use your teacher voice.

If you’re a parent, grandparent or guardian, reach out to your students teachers & see how you can support their classrooms. Get involved.

Band together to support public education. Together, voices can be strong.

#CATeacher #UnionStrong #TeacherVoice #WeareCTA

Our social-emotional focus this week has been work

Our social-emotional focus this week has been working on identifying, discussing, and exploring emotions.

You might be surprised that many 4th graders really struggle with checking in with how they are feeling.

And in fact, because of the world climate & impacts the pandemic has had on everyone, it’s so much more important to check-in with yourself—even as an adult!

When we were checking in during our morning meeting, many students were shocked that even adults have a hard time identifying & working through strong emotions.

We are going to practice specific strategies this week (and into the school year) that focus on identifying our emotions, self-regulation, & how students can practice self-care.

One self-care practice I did today:

I spent my lunch break eating with my dogs (and my husband) on the bed in my office. Having these snuggly puppies close by is definitely a necessity during this stressful time!

#selfcare

#teachertalk

#socialemotionallearning

Who looks after the teachers? Every time I log-in

Who looks after the teachers?

Every time I log-in to social media, almost every post I see is discussing school opening plans—and a lot of discussions center around student social emotional well-being.

Student social-emotional learning is crucial to their well-being. You’d be hard-pressed to find a teacher that disagrees.

But I ask again, who is responsible for checking & supporting the emotional well-being of teachers?

My day working day started at 6 AM this morning & it ended today just after 9:30 PM.

This reality isn’t the sign of a dedicated teacher. It shines light on the insurmountable demands that are facing educators.

197 email messages—just today.

Any minute I had today, I was spending working on:

-The new detailed attendance requirement from our state

-Trying to provide emotional support to encourage my students & families, because much of this is new to them.

-I was answering student questions & supporting students in that have missed several days catch up.

Oh, and I was actually teaching students.

When is planning supposed to happen?

When is grading & providing feedback supposed to happen?

I’ll tell you how I made some of it happen today—I worked non-stop for 16+ hours today.

This is NOT sustainable & it simply wouldn’t be resolved by returning to a hybrid or new face-to-face model.

There has been a statement that compares a teacher’s work to an ice berg. I feel it resonates with what so many are doing right now.

Like many, I had improved so much beyond my first year of teaching, by setting boundaries & getting better at a work-life balance.

Right now? I don’t know how to find that balance.

And the plan that we’re facing regarding a hybrid option only complicates my job, and increases the planning demands.

Again, who checks in & takes care of the teachers?

#teachersarenotokay

#distancelearning

#teachersofinstagram

Load More... Follow on Instagram

TMT Instagram

teachermakeuptips

I’ve been loving playing with different eyeshado

I’ve been loving playing with different eyeshadow looks lately & warm tones have been my go-to. It must be the fall weather... #eyeshadow #makeup #fallmakeup #beauty #natashadenona

I’ve been having fun playing with the @tatibeaut

I’ve been having fun playing with the @tatibeauty Textured Neutrals Volume 1 palette. It’s been my go to eyeshadow palette since I got it!
What is your go-to product lately?

#makeup #eyeshadow #tatibeauty #teachermakeup #playingwithmakeup #teacherfashion #glitter

I love when your makeup makes the look come togeth

I love when your makeup makes the look come together.

What are you for Halloween?
#Halloween #makeup #Halloweenmakeup #tatibeauty #costume #glittereyeshadow #glitter

Just a little Saturday playtime with some makeup.

Just a little Saturday playtime with some makeup. I’m loving playing with this @natashadenona sunrise palette lately. What is your favorite makeup item right now? #makeup #teachermakeup #eyeshadow #makeupshouldbefun

🍃How do you take care of yourself?🍃 Skin car

🍃How do you take care of yourself?🍃 Skin care is becoming a favorite way to check in with my self & spend a few minutes taking care of me. These are a few products that I’m loving lately. 🌿What are your favorite skincare products? 🌿

#teachermakeuptips #skincare #selfcaresaturday #selfcare #favoriteproducts

🌸How do you bring fun into your daily makeup? 🌸

Makeup should infuse fun in your everyday life. It doesn’t have to be boring & can be something that brings you joy. One of my favorite ways to bring fun into a look is to bring color—like a colorful mascara. #teachermakeuptips #funmakeup #colorfulmascara #eyemakeup #teachermakeup #teacherfashion #funmakeupfriday

What is your favorite product or technique that is

What is your favorite product or technique that is part of your makeup routine? 🌺For an easy & simple look, I love dusting my favorite bronzer & blush on my eyes—which makes me feel much more put together. #teachermakeup #teachermakeuptips #nomakeuplook #simplemakeup

What is your one product that is worth the price o

What is your one product that is worth the price or space in your beauty routine?

We all have those products that we use every day. Sometimes they are around because they work or are affordable. & then you have those that you’d buy time & time again, because they are worth it.
For me, this Tartelette in Bloom palette is my #WorthitWednesday product. Is it cheap? No. Does it create the most perfect look for when I’m on the go or running late? Yes. It is one I throw in my teacher bag or with me when I’m traveling because it works. It makes me feel beautiful—even when I’m stressed out due to parent-teacher conferences, a field trip, and report cards being due all on the same week.
#TeacherMakeupTips #eyeshadow #favoritebeautyproducts #makeup #teacherbeauty #teachermakeup

🌸What is your favorite step of your morning rou

🌸What is your favorite step of your morning routine? 🌸

Playing with new makeup—always a fun way to spend the morning. Makeup & subscription boxes are like therapy to me. Sitting down & playing with new products bring so much joy. #boxyluxerose #makeup #eyeshadow #beauty #beautyblogger #teachermakeup #teachermakeuptips

Follow on Instagram

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Email Address

Find it Fast

Past Posts

Past Posts

Grab My Button

BRANDING + WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN · Copyright © 2020