🌈 When Every Day Feels Like a Monday: Finding the Fun Again
Ever have one of those weeks where you swear it’s Thursday, but the calendar insists it’s only Tuesday? The grading pile looks like Mount Everest, your students have collectively decided that whispering means shouting, and even your coffee seems tired.
Yep — you’re not alone.
Teaching can be equal parts joy and exhaustion, but here’s the secret: the fun is still in there, hiding under the to-do list. Sometimes, it just needs a little nudge to come back out.
🌟 Try a Tiny Twist
You don’t have to overhaul your lessons. Add something unexpected — play “Guess the Riddle” before math, use silly voices during read-alouds, or let students write a test question for you. A small twist can wake up everyone’s energy (yours included). I remember one year on the way to school I decided my careful plan for the day was bad and so I decided to improvise—perfectly legal. I gave each group of students a list of 10 math problems to review. The first person picked one and passed the paper. The next student could either do another problem or fix an error.
This continued until all 10 problems had been finished and the student with the finished paper had to run to my desk and press a buzzer. Everyone held their breathe while I checked the answers. And I yelled “Sorry” in a cartoon voice. Everyone kept working. It was a spur of the moment type of activity that broke the routine a little, gave them great practice, and of course had a ‘prize’ for the winning team.
💛 Celebrate the “Almosts”
Not every day is perfect, and that’s okay. Maybe you didn’t finish the lesson — but hey, half the class finally got it! Give yourself credit for the “almosts.” Progress is still progress.
🎈 Make Space for Joy
Put one thing on your weekly plan that you love teaching. That one lesson that always brings smiles, laughter, or that magical “aha” moment. It reminds you why you started and recharges your heart for the rest of the week.
When school days blur together, remember this: you don’t have to do it all — just the parts that matter most. The fun isn’t gone, it’s just waiting for you to look up and see it again.
