When was the last time you purchased something for yourself? Now think about when it was that you last bought something for your classroom, your students, your study or your school.
Teachers LOVE to spoil their students, with love and positive reinforcement, but also with some of those gorgeous little extrinsic rewards, like stickers, stamps and prize box treasures.
It’s the beginning of the Easter break and on today’s episode of The Buzz, Jill and I are imploring teachers to treat themselves.
It doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money. Listen in for our inexpensive but rewarding teacher treats!
Full episode transcript below.
The Best Bits:
“I would say that I got a bit of tunnel vision. I’d be shopping because it was all about the kids and what they would want, which is wonderful, but you’ve got to look after yourself too.”
“After a week of teaching, I like to just have time to have a bubble bath. I put a face masque on, or a hair masque, a little bit of treat, and then have a nice glass of wine and just wind down. I highly recommend it.”
“For me, treating myself is sometimes more with time. Just letting myself go for a wander around the shops, and not having somewhere to be.”
Full Episode Transcript:
Jill: For The Love Of Teaching is a podcast brought to you by Teach Starter. We save teachers hours each week by creating quality, downloadable teaching resources for their classrooms. Visit teachstarter.com to make your classroom buzz. Need a little motivation on a Monday? Hi, I’m Jill.
Bron: And I’m Bron. We’re experienced primary school teachers.
Jill: We get it. Join us for inspiration and encouragement to get you buzzing through the school week. This is The Buzz. Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s episode of The Buzz. I’m Jill. Hi, Bron.
Bron: Hey, Jill. How’s it going?
Jill: Good. How are you?
Bron: Yeah, I’m good.
Jill: That’s good. All right. We know teachers spend an awful lot of money on their own classrooms, right?
Bron: Yes.
Jill: Even if we’re just buying a stationery, sometimes you’re even just buying things for the kids that they maybe haven’t bought themselves. Stationery is a big one for teachers. It’s also important that we do treat ourselves.
Bron: It sure is. You really do need to actually stop, step away from the educational supplies, and buy something for you, or do something just for you.
Jill: Yes. Well, I mean, for me, when I first started teaching, I would go to the shops and come back with just stuff for my classroom or stuff that I thought, “Oh, my kids would really like this.” Yeah, well, I would say that I got very bit of tunnel vision. I’d be shopping because it was all about the kids and what they would want, which is wonderful, but you’ve got to look after yourself too.
Bron: Exactly, and it is a slippery slope because I actually developed a very unhealthy stationery obsession in my first few years of teaching. I would just say hoard the stationery that I didn’t even need. I’ll just be thinking, “This is so pretty. This matches my classroom. Everything goes so well. Why not just spend all my money?” You’re basically just going to work to buy things for your classroom and not for yourself. What do they say that teaching’s the only profession where you steal stuff from home to take into the work? Is it supposed the other way around stealing some work to take home? It’s like, “No, I must keep all this for work. How can I use this in the classroom?”
Jill: What do you like to do? How do you treat yourself?
Bron: Well, mine isn’t a particularly expensive treat, but it’s just a routine like a little kind of thing that I do. I call it bath, masque and glass night. It’s a Friday night. After a week of teaching, I like to just have time to have a bubble bath. I put a face masque on, or a hair masque, a little bit of treat, and then have a nice glass of wine and just wind down. I highly recommend it.
Jill: What is it? Bath?
Bron: Bath masque and glass.
Jill: The glass one is I’m really liking that part. No, I’m on board with all of it.
Bron: Nice rose in the bath, in the bubble bath, a lot of candle. Oh my gosh, the best part is the candles. Do not forget. You need like a beautiful Glasshouse candle or something in the bathroom.
Jill: For me, I’m more about … This may shock you, Bron. I’m more about the food.
Bron: No way, Jill. Not you.
Jill: I just don’t think there’s anything better, and I spent a fair bit of time thinking about food then a piece of cake from a café. You see it in the little cabinet thing. Then they might put a bit of cream on the top. You can get ice cream with it, that’s my place.
Bron: Ice cream is my happy place.
Jill: With the cake.
Bron: With a piece of chocolate cake like a nice raspberry baked cheesecake.
Jill: Oh, Bron, but I’m like pretty happy to go by myself because it’s so happy to sit there and enjoy my cake. It’s quiet, having a nice coffee. I might take a book or something. For me, treating myself is sometimes more with time. Just letting myself go for a wander around the shops, and not having somewhere to be I have to leave here by 10:30 to go into like, which is very rare I know these days, but that’s a big treat. If I can just wander around somewhere slowly.
Bron: Yes, to feel unhurried in a world where we continually are feeling super hurried. One of the things that are really liked doing was either getting a manicure, but that can be a little bit of exy to do all the time. Even just buying a new nail polish color. The kids love it when you have nail polish on. I don’t know why, and just glamming up a bit or buying yourself a new cosmetic like a lipstick or getting your hair done. We also have to go to the hairdresser at some point so just take the time to go and relax and do that. You can have a coffee while you’re getting your hair done.
Jill: Or some people like to go to the gym.
Bron: Oh, yes, I wouldn’t know personally.
Jill: That’s what I meant some.
Bron: We’ve heard.
Jill: I’ve seen people going like there’s a gym near us and people go into it. I’ve seen that. I have a membership, though. I’m keeping it going. Yeah, I do.
Bron: Wow.
Jill: It’s sort I’m keeping it going, but I go once a month.
Bron: Well, that’s good! It is better than some people.
Jill: Is it? Once a month.
Bron: You’re a busy mum.
Jill: I go to the Body Balance, because generally, there’s like the 15 minute lie down quiet part at the end.
Bron: You’re going for the cool-down part.
Jill: I endure the 20 minutes of a bit of a light stretching. Then the 15, I’m like, “Whoa, thank God. I’ll just like here in the quiet for 15 minutes.” They dull the lights. There’s some nice music.
Bron: That sounds blissful.
Jill: I don’t know if it’s 100% worth the full membership that I’m paying every week.
Bron: Well, I think it’s a good investment. It’s an investment in yourself.
Jill: That 15 minutes is worth it.
Bron: Go and spend that money. Just going to do it. Look, I’ve been known to go for a remedial massage just to have a sleep with nobody prodding me and poking me and asking they can brush my hair.
Jill: You fall asleep.
Bron: Oh yeah, all the time. They have to wake me up.
Jill: Really?
Bron: Yeah, it’s really awkward. I’m a sleep-deprived mum.
Jill: You got a bit of drool coming down.
Bron: You’ve done a little snore/snort. I wasn’t asleep.
Jill: That was you.
Bron: Whatever it is that you need to do to treat yourself, just do it. Just give yourself permission to shine and to really go and do…
Jill: That’s a song.
Bron: It is. I may plagiarised it.
Jill: It’s in my head now.
Bron: There you go.
Jill: Okay, well think about this week what can you do to give yourself a little treat? I’m already thinking about the cake I’m gonna have.
Bron: Oh my gosh, can I come?
Jill: Do you wanna go off now?
Bron: Yeas, please. Let’s do it. See you guys. It’s cake time.
Jill: Yeah, we’re out.
Bron: Bye.
Jill: Thanks for joining us for another episode of The Buzz by Teach Starter. We look forward to bringing you next week’s dose of teacher’s info. Until then, just remember, you’ve got this.
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