April 8, 2025 • 22 mins
https://lestallion.com/collections/journal-notebook-for-teachers
Ready to tame the classroom chaos? Teachers everywhere are discovering the power of a dedicated journal to transform their professional lives - and the Lestallion Journal is specifically designed to meet educators' unique needs.
Teaching demands constant gear-shifting between instruction, behavior management, parent communication, and administrative tasks. This relentless juggling act leads many educators to rely on scattered sticky notes, random paper scraps, and digital fragments that create more stress than solutions. Imagine instead having one central hub where every observation, lesson plan, and parent meeting note lives in perfect, accessible order.
The Lestallion Journal's thoughtful features make this organizational dream possible. Numbered pages paired with a comprehensive table of contents allow you to instantly locate student observations during conferences. Premium 120 GSM acid-free paper transforms writing from a chore into a pleasurable experience, while the durable construction and convenient back pocket accommodate the physical realities of classroom life.
Beyond mere organization, this journaling practice offers profound emotional benefits. Teaching continuously drains your emotional reserves - processing these experiences through regular reflection helps prevent burnout while creating space to celebrate small victories that might otherwise go unnoticed. Teachers who maintain consistent journaling habits report reduced stress levels, improved work-life balance, and a greater sense of professional fulfillment.
Successful teacher-journalists recommend focusing on specific areas each day rather than attempting exhaustive documentation. Even five minutes of targeted reflection using prompts like "What went well today?" or "What would I do differently?" yields significant results when practiced consistently. The journal becomes not just another task but a trusted companion on your teaching journey.
Ready to transform your classroom experience? Consider how a dedicated journal might support your organization, emotional wellbeing, and professional growth. Your future self - and your students - will thank you.
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LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.
For More Info on LeStallion, check out:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right.
So you're here with us againfor the deep dive, and today
we're going to be tacklingsomething that a lot of you have
been asking about, yeah, andthat is specifically journaling
for teachers.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Right, and we've seen a bunch of you sharing stuff
about this journal notebook forteachers from Lestallion.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Yeah, it looks really interesting.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, it does seem very targeted.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, so we're going to kind of do a deep dive into
that today and see what we canpull out of it.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I like it.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
In terms of making the most of it for, you know,
organization and productivityand well-being and all the
things that matter when you'rein the, you know, very
challenging but rewarding fieldof education.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, I mean, it's such a multifaceted job being a
teacher, right?
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Like so many different hats you have to wear
oh my gosh yeah so anything thatcan bring a little more calm
and organization, and I thinkthat's really what we're gonna
be looking at with this list,alley and journal yeah, and I
think that's what's sointeresting about the way that
they present it is that it's notjust like oh you know,
journaling is good for you, orlike you know, teachers should
keep a journal.
It's like they've reallythought about, like what are the
(01:02):
specific things that teachersneed to keep track of?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
You know, and how can we design something that will
actually support that?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
I think that's kind of the underlying, you know
theme here is that it's not justa random notebook, it's like a
tool that's been specificallydesigned for this very
challenging role.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Right, that's great.
So let's talk a little bitabout I mean, because you know,
anybody listening to the show isa teacher probably so they know
.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, we don't have to explain what it's like.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
What it's like.
But let's just kind of lay thegroundwork of like why is this
so overwhelming?
Why is this such a challengingthing to manage?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
I mean, I feel like every day there there's meetings
with parents, colleagues,administrators, Like it's just
this constant, you know flow ofdemands on your time.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, and you're constantly having to shift gears
, right?
Like one minute, you're, youknow, explaining fractions.
The next minute, you're, youknow, dealing with a student
who's having a meltdown.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Exactly, exactly dealing with a student who's
having a meltdown.
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Exactly.
And so I think what they'rereally trying to get at with
this journal idea is to createthat central point, the hub, A
hub right when you can go tokind of see everything laid out.
Yeah, have a bird's eye view oflike, okay, what am I actually
working with here?
Yes, exactly, and to reallyjust you know, I think it helps
(02:24):
reduce that feeling of overwhelm.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of times it's just that
feeling of like where do I evenstart?
Right, you've got papers andsticky notes and things in your
head and you know you try to getit all down on the computer but
even that can get reallycluttered.
So just having that onededicated space that's tactile,
that you can open up, that has astructure to it, I think is
really appealing.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah, and what I thought was so interesting in
looking at the Listallion stuffis they tell you a lot about the
quality of the materials, right?
So they talk about using likesmooth, acid-free paper, you
know, and you might think like,oh, that doesn't really matter.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
But if you're a teacher, I was going to say it'd
be especially for teachers whoare writing so much.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
All the time yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Having a pen that glides smoothly over a nice
thick paper.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
It makes a difference .
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It makes a difference , yeah, and you know, just, it
feels more.
You're more inclined toactually use it if it's a
pleasurable experience.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I think so too.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
As opposed to, like you know, some scratchy cheap
notebook.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, no totally and and it you know it also helps
with just like being able toactually read what you wrote
right, because if you'rescribbling things down quickly
and you know, then later onyou're like wait, what did I
even write here?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
yeah, what is this chicken scratch?
Right, exactly, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
So legibility is definitely important yeah, and
so they really seem to havethought about those kind of like
practical aspects of it.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, it feels very intentional yeah which I think
is a good sign.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, so.
So let's get into some of thespecifics then.
I mean, you know you're ateacher, you're in the classroom
, you've got a million thingsgoing on Like, yeah, how does
this, how does this actuallytranslate into like managing the
day to day?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I mean, I think the biggest thing is just having
that, that one place to put allthe information that's
constantly coming at you.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
So, whether it's lesson plan ideas, notes about
student progress, observationsabout behavior patterns,
anything like that, Dates,deadlines.
Dates yeah, parent teacherconferences, all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Instead of having it scattered all over the place
Scratches and scraps of paper.
Exactly yeah, or differentnotebooks for different things.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Just having that one central hub where you can keep
it all organized.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
And easily accessible .
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah, and so, Lestallion, you know they have a
few features that I thoughtwere really smart, Like they
have numbered pages and dashedlines.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Oh, that's so helpful , Right, Just like I mean even
just for like visual clarity.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
You know, having that structure on the page makes it
so much easier to keep yourthoughts organized.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yes, and to like differentiate between different
things.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Right, like, if you're like OK, this section is
about this student, this sectionis about this lesson plan.
Yeah, and then they also havethat table of contents.
Oh yeah, that's brilliant.
Which, again it's?
Speaker 2 (04:59):
like such a simple thing, yeah, and then they also
have that table of contents.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Oh yeah, that's brilliant.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Which, again, it's like such a simple thing.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
But it can be so helpful when you're, you know,
trying to find something quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
You know you don't have to flip through a million
pages.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Right, and especially if you're using it to you know,
if you are using it for studentobservations and things like
that.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Right, you can be like OK, Johnny, page 37.
And then you just flip right toit.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Reminds me of a friend of mine.
She.
She's a teacher and she wasalways.
Like I said, you know stickynotes everywhere.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
She had.
Like you know, her planner wascovered in sticky notes, Her
desk was covered in sticky notesClassic teacher's desk.
Exactly.
Yeah, and she'd always be likeoh my gosh, where is that note
about you know-and-so's, youknow reading progress and
especially for parent teacherconferences, yeah, oh those were
a nightmare for her.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, I can only imagine, because she would be
like scrambling to find all thisinformation yeah, you're trying
to have like a productiveconversation with the parents,
but you're also like diggingthrough this pile of papers,
exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Good luck not a good look.
And so she, she finally got oneof these listallion journals
and and she's like it haschanged my life.
Oh nice, yeah, because nowshe's like it has changed my
life, oh nice.
Yeah, because now she, justlike you know, jots down her
little note, puts the pagenumber in the table of contents
and she's like I can findanything in seconds.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, and she's like, it's just like reduced my
stress level so much.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Oh, that's fantastic, Just knowing that she can find
what she needs when she needs it.
Yeah, that sense of control isso important, I think, in a job
that can feel so out of controlsometimes.
Yes, definitely Right.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
And the other thing I thought was interesting is you
know the size of it Like.
It's not like a tiny littlenotebook, it's like it's
substantial, right.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
It's like A5, I think .
211 pages yeah, plenty of spaceto really write detailed notes.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yeah, and thick paper too.
Oh yeah, 120.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
GSM, so it's not going to bleed through.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Which is important when you're writing a lot.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Yeah, very important.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, so it feels like they really thought about
okay, this is something that ateacher is going to be using
every day, right?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
it needs to be durable.
It needs to be durable.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
It needs to be durable, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And she was also very excited about the fact that it
has a pocket in the back.
Oh yeah, that's so handy Right,because then she can put like
permission slips or like youknow, yeah, all the little
handouts.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, all the random stuff that you get that would
otherwise get lost in the blackhole of your bag, exactly yeah.
So it's like it's thinkingabout the teacher's life
holistically.
Yeah, so it's like it'sthinking about the teacher's
life holistically.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Right.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, not just the journaling aspect but, like, the
practicalities of the job aswell.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, that's great.
So we've talked about kind ofthe organizational side of it,
but let's let's talk a littlebit about the, the emotional,
well-being side of it.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Oh yeah, because that's huge too, right, I mean,
teaching is such an emotionallydemanding job.
It's so emotionally draining itis yeah, you're constantly, you
know, giving out your energy toyour students.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
You're dealing with their emotions, you're dealing
with your own emotions and itcan be really taxing.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And I think it's easy to forget to like take care of
yourself.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Yeah, you're so focused on taking care of
everyone else that your ownneeds kind of get pushed to the
back burner, and then you end upfeeling resentful and burnt out
Exactly, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
So having that space to just like process your own
emotions and reflect on yourexperiences, I think is
incredibly valuable.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
And that's where, I think, journaling comes in.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Right, it's like that dedicated time just for you To
like unpack everything that'shappened during the day, to like
celebrate the wins, to processthe.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah, and I think Lestallion even kind of alludes
to this in their materials likethe fact that they are using
high quality materials suggeststhat they understand the
importance of yeah, of likemaking it an enjoyable
experience.
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
It's not just like a utilitarian.
You know, chore, it's like thisis a time for you to nurture
yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Yeah, and I think it's also about, like you know,
acknowledging your growth as ateacher.
Right you know it's so easy toget caught up in like, oh, I
didn't do this right or thislesson didn't go well.
But if you're journaling youcan kind of look back and be
like, oh, actually, you know,I've come a long way.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Right, you can see the progress you've made, both
personally and professionally.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
And I think that's really motivating.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
I think so too, and it's also just about like
recognizing the little thingsthat go right.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Oh yeah, the little wins are so important because
it's easy to focus on thenegative right, especially when
you're feeling stressed andoverwhelmed.
But if you make a consciouseffort to like write down those
little moments of joy orconnection or success, it can
really shift your perspective.
It can really make a difference.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah, I remember I had a friend who was going
through a really tough time afew years ago and she was just
feeling really down on herself.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
And I was like you know you should try just like
writing down one good thing thathappened each day.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Oh, that's a great.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
It's like one little thing you know, and and she's
like, OK, I'll try it, and shedid it for a week yeah and at
the end of the week she was likeI can't believe how much it
helped wow, she's like Irealized that even though things
were really tough, there werestill good things happening,
yeah, and it just kind of likelifted her spirits a little bit
(10:05):
that's amazing yeah, so I thinkit's really easy to to overlook
those, those little moments, butthey're so important yeah, and
the act of writing them down, Ithink think, makes them more
real somehow.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, it's like you're giving them more weight
and you're more likely toremember them.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Yeah, and it's like you're creating a record of like
oh yeah, good things do happen.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Right, you know.
Yeah, it's like a gratitudejournal in a way.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, exactly yeah.
So I think that's a reallyimportant aspect of it too.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So we've talked about organization, we've talked
about emotional well-being.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Let's talk a little bit about some of the other
challenges that teachers faceRight, because I mean there's
time management, there'sworkload.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
There's work-life balance.
Work-life balance all thatstuff.
Yeah, I mean, it's a job thatkind of bleeds into every aspect
of your life, right?
It, does it's hard to like shutit off.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, so how can a journal help with that?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Well, I think again it goes back to that idea of
having a central organized space.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Right.
So instead of having your to-dolist on a scrap of paper, your
lesson plans in a binder andyour thoughts about work-life
balance just swirling around inyour head, yeah.
You can actually put it alldown in one place and start to
see the connections Right, andthat can help you to manage your
time more effectively, to setrealistic goals and to just
generally feel more in controlof your workload.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Yeah, and I think the Lestallion Journal specifically
with its features like thenumbered pages and the table of
contents really supports that.
It kind of encourages you to bemore organized.
Yeah, it provides a frameworkfor organization, which I think
is really helpful, reallysupports that, like it kind of
encourages you to be moreorganized.
Yeah, it provides a frameworkfor organization, yeah, which I
(11:44):
think is really helpful.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah, and also just the fact that it's a durable
notebook with, you know, plentyof pages.
It means that you can reallylike use it for everything,
Right?
It's not like oh, I'm onlygoing to use this for lesson
plans or only going to use thisfor student observations?
Yeah, it can be all of thosethings.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
It can be your whole teaching life.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
And I think that's really powerful.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yeah, and I think that's what they're trying to
get at with this idea of like ateacher's companion.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Right yeah, it's like your trusted sidekick.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah, exactly Through the trenches of the school year
Through the trenches of theschool year.
So, and we have seen somestories from teachers who have
actually used this journal andfound it to be really helpful.
Yeah, there's one story inparticular about a woman named
Sophia.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Right, sophia, she's a middle school teacher.
I think she's been teaching forover a decade.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Yeah, she's been teaching for a while.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
She was feeling really burnt out.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Yeah, she was feeling really overwhelmed.
She was like I'm at the end ofmy rope.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Yeah, the classic teacher burnout.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Classic teacher burnout.
Yeah, and she was kind ofskeptical about, like you know,
is this really going to make adifference?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Right, Because it's like oh, one more thing to add
to my to do list.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Exactly.
But she decided to give it atry and she got herself a
listallion journal.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
And she started using it to track her daily successes
.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Which I think is a really smart approach.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Because it's so easy to focus on the negative.
But if you make a consciouseffort to like notice those
little moments of, you know,positive interaction with a
student or a successful lesson.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
And write them down, it can really shift your
perspective.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Yeah, and she was also using it to reflect on her
lessons.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
You know, like what could I do differently next time
?
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Right, kind of like a debrief after each day.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Exactly, and she said that she really appreciated the
quality of the materials.
Yeah, like she said that thepaper was so smooth and the
journal felt really substantialin her hands.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
And it kind of made the act of writing feel more
intentional and meaningful.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Like it was a ritual in a way.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Yes, exactly yeah, and the results were pretty
amazing.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, she said she felt more organized.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
More in control of her workload.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Her stress levels went down.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
And she was actually able to achieve a better
work-life balance, which is huge, yeah, and she was actually
able to achieve a betterwork-life balance.
Which is huge.
Yeah, that's a big one.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Yeah, so she was really happy with it.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, and she called it her trusted companion.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yeah, which I thought was so sweet.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah, it's like it became this, like you know,
source of support for her.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Yeah, a place where she could go to just kind of
like, decompress and processeverything everything, yeah,
yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
That's amazing, and she also loved the pocket in the
back.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Of course, yeah, who doesn't love a good pocket?
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Right, you got to have a pocket.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
You got to have a pocket.
Yeah, so I think you knowSophia's story is a really great
example of how this canactually work in practice.
Yeah, it's not just atheoretical idea.
It's like a real, tangible toolthat can make a difference in
teachers' lives.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah.
So for our listeners who arelike, OK, this sounds great, but
how do I actually do this?
Right, you know how do Iactually make this a part of my
routine?
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Yeah, because that's the challenge, right?
It's like okay, I'm already sobusy, how am I going to fit one
more thing in?
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Yeah, so what are some like actionable tips that
people can take away from this?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Well, I think the first thing is to choose a time
that works for you, yeah, and beconsistent with it.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
So, whether it's like five minutes in the morning
before school starts, yeah.
Or 10 minutes in the evening tokind of wind down.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Just find a time that you can stick to and make it a
habit.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yeah, and it doesn't have to be a long time.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
No, not at all.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Right.
Even just a few minutes canmake a difference.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
And the other thing is to use prompts.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Oh yeah, Prompts are great.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Right, Because sometimes you sit down and
you're like I don't even knowwhat to write about.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah, you just stare at the blank page.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Yeah, so having some prompts can really help to get
you started.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yeah, like what went well today.
Yeah, what was one thing Ilearned?
What am I grateful for what I'mgrateful?
Speaker 1 (15:30):
for yeah, yeah, those are good ones.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Yeah, or what's one thing I want to do differently
tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Oh yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Yeah, so just having a few prompts that you can kind
of like cycle through can bereally helpful.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
And I think it's also important to to track your
goals you know both yourprofessional goals and your
personal goals.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Because I think when you see your progress written
down, it can be reallymotivating.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yeah, it's like a visual representation of your
growth.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yeah, exactly, and I think it's also about you know,
making it personal.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Right.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Like this is your journal.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
This is not just a work journal.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
It's not a lesson plan book.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Right.
It's a place where you canwrite about your thoughts and
your feelings and yourexperiences.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Yeah, and your hopes and your experiences.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Yeah, and your hopes and dreams, yeah, all that stuff
.
So don't be afraid to make ityour own.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Yeah, and the other thing is to review your entries.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Oh yeah, that's so important.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Right, because it's not enough to just write things
down.
You have to actually go backand read them.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Yeah, and reflect on them.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
And see what patterns you notice yeah, and you what
patterns you notice yeah, andyou know how you've changed over
time.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
And that's where the features of the Lestallion
Journal really come in handy.
Right With the numbered pagesand the table of contents, it's
really easy to go back and findthings.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Exactly yeah, it makes it much less daunting to
actually review your entries.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Which I think is a big barrier for a lot of people,
totally.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Yeah, so that's really helpful.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
So let's talk about some of the pitfalls that people
might fall into.
Yeah, because I think it's easyto start journaling and then be
like, oh, this is too hard orthis is taking too much time.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Yeah, or I don't know what to write.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Right.
So what are some of the commonmistakes that people make?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I think one of the biggest mistakes is yeah.
Like trying to make every entrythis like super detailed
account of everything thathappened during the day.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Like a novel.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Yeah, exactly, and that's just not sustainable.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
It's exhausting.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yeah, so I think the key is to keep it focused.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Like maybe choose one or two key areas to focus on
each day.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Right.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
So like maybe it's your progress on a specific
lesson plan.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Or maybe it's your observations about a particular
student, yeah.
Or maybe it's your observationsabout a particular student,
yeah, or maybe it's just likeyour general reflections on the
day Right, but don't try to doeverything at once.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, keep it manageable.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
What else?
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Another mistake is writing too generally.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
So, instead of just saying like oh, planning went
well today, right, be morespecific.
Yeah, like say, I completed theoutline for next week's unit on
the Civil War.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
And I focused on incorporating primary source
documents Right Like, giveyourself those details, because
that's what's going to behelpful when you go back and
review your entries.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Yeah, you're not going to remember what you meant
by planning.
Went well three months from now.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Yeah, so the more specific you can be, the better.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, and I think another mistake is forgetting to
review your entries.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Oh yeah, that's a big one.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Right, because what's the point of writing it all
down if you're never going tolook at it again?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, it's like you're just talking into the
void.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Yeah, so I think it's important to schedule time for
review, whether it's like once aweek or once a month.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Just block out some time in your calendar to
actually sit down and readthrough your journal.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
And again, the listalian journal makes that
really easy.
The numbered pages and thetable of contents.
Yeah, there's no excuse.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
No excuse.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
And then finally, I think a lot of people struggle
with just making it feel like achore.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Right, Like they're like.
Oh, I have to write in myjournal it's one more thing in
my to-do list.
So how do we make it feel lesslike a chore and more like
something that we actually enjoydoing?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Well, I think part of it is just remembering the
benefits, like why are you doingthis in the first place, what
are you hoping to get out of it?
And then also just like makingit a pleasurable experience.
Like using a journal that youactually like, using a pen that
feels good in your hand.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Finding a comfortable spot to write.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
And just like giving yourself permission to, just
like relax and be yourself.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
It doesn't have to be perfect.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Right.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
It doesn't have to be profound.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
It's just for you.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
It's just for you, yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
So just have fun with it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Yeah, so we've talked about all these different
aspects of journaling forteachers.
Right, let's talk a little bitabout the long-term benefits,
because I think it's easy to seethis as like oh, this is just
going to help me get through theday.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
But I think it can actually have a much bigger
impact than that.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Yeah, I mean, I think long-term journaling can lead
to some really significantimprovements in your overall
well-being.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
And your teaching practice.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Yeah, so like what are some of the specific things
that we might see?
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Well, I think one of the biggest things is just
improved organization.
Yeah, because when you're moreorganized, you're more efficient
.
Right, you're less stressed.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
And you have more time and energy to focus on the
things that really matter.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Yeah, and I think it also helps with self-awareness.
Oh yeah, right, because whenyou're journaling you're forced
to, kind of like, look inwardand reflect on your thoughts and
your feelings and yourbehaviors.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
And that can be really insightful.
Yeah, you know, you might startto notice patterns that you
weren't aware of before and thatcan help you to make changes in
your life.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
And I think it also helps with stress management.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Oh, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Right, because when you're journaling, you're
basically like processing youremotions and getting them out of
your head.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yeah, it's a form of therapy in a way?
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Exactly, yeah, and I think it also helps with just
like overall professional growth, right?
You know like when you'rejournaling, you're basically
creating a record of yourteaching journey and you can
look back and see how you'veevolved over time.
And what you've learned andwhat you've learned, yeah, and I
think that's really valuable.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
So yeah, I think the long-term benefits are really
quite significant.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Yeah, it's an investment in yourself.
Really it is.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Yeah, it's an investment in yourself.
Really, it is yeah, yeah.
So for our listeners who arethinking about trying this out,
what would you say are the keytakeaways?
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I think the key takeaway is that journaling can
be a really powerful tool forteachers.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
It can help you to be more organized, more productive
, less stressed and morefulfilled in your career.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
And it's not just about, like you know, writing
down your to-do list.
It's about creating a space forreflection and gross.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
And really like nurturing your own well-being.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yeah, and I think the Lestallion Journal specifically
is a really great optionbecause it's been designed with
teachers in mind.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Yeah, it has all the features that you need to make
it a successful and enjoyableexperience.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So, yeah, I would definitely recommend checking it
out.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
So for you, our listener, we encourage you to
think about how you mightincorporate a dedicated journal
into your routine and toconsider how it might support
you in your teaching journey.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
And here's a final thought to leave you with.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
How might the act of reflecting on your teaching
experiences shape your long-termimpact on your students and
your own sense of purpose andfulfillment in your career?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
It's a great question .
Speaker 2 (22:27):
It is.
Yeah, it's something to thinkabout.
All right.
So you're here with us againfor the deep dive, and today
we're going to be tacklingsomething that a lot of you have
been asking about, yeah, andthat is specifically journaling
for teachers.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Right, and we've seen a bunch of you sharing stuff
about this journal notebook forteachers from Lestallion.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Yeah, it looks really interesting.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, it does seem very targeted.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, so we're going to kind of do a deep dive into
that today and see what we canpull out of it.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I like it.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
In terms of making the most of it for, you know,
organization and productivityand well-being and all the
things that matter when you'rein the, you know, very
challenging but rewarding fieldof education.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, I mean, it's such a multifaceted job being a
teacher, right?
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Like so many different hats you have to wear
oh my gosh yeah so anything thatcan bring a little more calm
and organization, and I thinkthat's really what we're gonna
be looking at with this list,alley and journal yeah, and I
think that's what's sointeresting about the way that
they present it is that it's notjust like oh you know,
journaling is good for you, orlike you know, teachers should
keep a journal.
It's like they've reallythought about, like what are the
(01:02):
specific things that teachersneed to keep track of?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
You know, and how can we design something that will
actually support that?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
I think that's kind of the underlying, you know
theme here is that it's not justa random notebook, it's like a
tool that's been specificallydesigned for this very
challenging role.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Right, that's great.
So let's talk a little bitabout I mean, because you know,
anybody listening to the show isa teacher probably so they know
.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, we don't have to explain what it's like.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
What it's like.
But let's just kind of lay thegroundwork of like why is this
so overwhelming?
Why is this such a challengingthing to manage?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
I mean, I feel like every day there there's meetings
with parents, colleagues,administrators, Like it's just
this constant, you know flow ofdemands on your time.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, and you're constantly having to shift gears
, right?
Like one minute, you're, youknow, explaining fractions.
The next minute, you're, youknow, dealing with a student
who's having a meltdown.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Exactly, exactly dealing with a student who's
having a meltdown.
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Exactly.
And so I think what they'rereally trying to get at with
this journal idea is to createthat central point, the hub, A
hub right when you can go tokind of see everything laid out.
Yeah, have a bird's eye view oflike, okay, what am I actually
working with here?
Yes, exactly, and to reallyjust you know, I think it helps
(02:24):
reduce that feeling of overwhelm.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of times it's just that
feeling of like where do I evenstart?
Right, you've got papers andsticky notes and things in your
head and you know you try to getit all down on the computer but
even that can get reallycluttered.
So just having that onededicated space that's tactile,
that you can open up, that has astructure to it, I think is
really appealing.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah, and what I thought was so interesting in
looking at the Listallion stuffis they tell you a lot about the
quality of the materials, right?
So they talk about using likesmooth, acid-free paper, you
know, and you might think like,oh, that doesn't really matter.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
But if you're a teacher, I was going to say it'd
be especially for teachers whoare writing so much.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
All the time yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Having a pen that glides smoothly over a nice
thick paper.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
It makes a difference .
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It makes a difference , yeah, and you know, just, it
feels more.
You're more inclined toactually use it if it's a
pleasurable experience.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I think so too.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
As opposed to, like you know, some scratchy cheap
notebook.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, no totally and and it you know it also helps
with just like being able toactually read what you wrote
right, because if you'rescribbling things down quickly
and you know, then later onyou're like wait, what did I
even write here?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
yeah, what is this chicken scratch?
Right, exactly, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
So legibility is definitely important yeah, and
so they really seem to havethought about those kind of like
practical aspects of it.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, it feels very intentional yeah which I think
is a good sign.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, so.
So let's get into some of thespecifics then.
I mean, you know you're ateacher, you're in the classroom
, you've got a million thingsgoing on Like, yeah, how does
this, how does this actuallytranslate into like managing the
day to day?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I mean, I think the biggest thing is just having
that, that one place to put allthe information that's
constantly coming at you.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
So, whether it's lesson plan ideas, notes about
student progress, observationsabout behavior patterns,
anything like that, Dates,deadlines.
Dates yeah, parent teacherconferences, all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Instead of having it scattered all over the place
Scratches and scraps of paper.
Exactly yeah, or differentnotebooks for different things.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Just having that one central hub where you can keep
it all organized.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
And easily accessible .
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah, and so, Lestallion, you know they have a
few features that I thoughtwere really smart, Like they
have numbered pages and dashedlines.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Oh, that's so helpful , Right, Just like I mean even
just for like visual clarity.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
You know, having that structure on the page makes it
so much easier to keep yourthoughts organized.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yes, and to like differentiate between different
things.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Right, like, if you're like OK, this section is
about this student, this sectionis about this lesson plan.
Yeah, and then they also havethat table of contents.
Oh yeah, that's brilliant.
Which, again it's?
Speaker 2 (04:59):
like such a simple thing, yeah, and then they also
have that table of contents.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Oh yeah, that's brilliant.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Which, again, it's like such a simple thing.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
But it can be so helpful when you're, you know,
trying to find something quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
You know you don't have to flip through a million
pages.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Right, and especially if you're using it to you know,
if you are using it for studentobservations and things like
that.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Right, you can be like OK, Johnny, page 37.
And then you just flip right toit.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Reminds me of a friend of mine.
She.
She's a teacher and she wasalways.
Like I said, you know stickynotes everywhere.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
She had.
Like you know, her planner wascovered in sticky notes, Her
desk was covered in sticky notesClassic teacher's desk.
Exactly.
Yeah, and she'd always be likeoh my gosh, where is that note
about you know-and-so's, youknow reading progress and
especially for parent teacherconferences, yeah, oh those were
a nightmare for her.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, I can only imagine, because she would be
like scrambling to find all thisinformation yeah, you're trying
to have like a productiveconversation with the parents,
but you're also like diggingthrough this pile of papers,
exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Good luck not a good look.
And so she, she finally got oneof these listallion journals
and and she's like it haschanged my life.
Oh nice, yeah, because nowshe's like it has changed my
life, oh nice.
Yeah, because now she, justlike you know, jots down her
little note, puts the pagenumber in the table of contents
and she's like I can findanything in seconds.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, and she's like, it's just like reduced my
stress level so much.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Oh, that's fantastic, Just knowing that she can find
what she needs when she needs it.
Yeah, that sense of control isso important, I think, in a job
that can feel so out of controlsometimes.
Yes, definitely Right.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
And the other thing I thought was interesting is you
know the size of it Like.
It's not like a tiny littlenotebook, it's like it's
substantial, right.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
It's like A5, I think .
211 pages yeah, plenty of spaceto really write detailed notes.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yeah, and thick paper too.
Oh yeah, 120.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
GSM, so it's not going to bleed through.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Which is important when you're writing a lot.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Yeah, very important.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, so it feels like they really thought about
okay, this is something that ateacher is going to be using
every day, right?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
it needs to be durable.
It needs to be durable.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
It needs to be durable, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And she was also very excited about the fact that it
has a pocket in the back.
Oh yeah, that's so handy Right,because then she can put like
permission slips or like youknow, yeah, all the little
handouts.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, all the random stuff that you get that would
otherwise get lost in the blackhole of your bag, exactly yeah.
So it's like it's thinkingabout the teacher's life
holistically.
Yeah, so it's like it'sthinking about the teacher's
life holistically.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Right.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, not just the journaling aspect but, like, the
practicalities of the job aswell.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, that's great.
So we've talked about kind ofthe organizational side of it,
but let's let's talk a littlebit about the, the emotional,
well-being side of it.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Oh yeah, because that's huge too, right, I mean,
teaching is such an emotionallydemanding job.
It's so emotionally draining itis yeah, you're constantly, you
know, giving out your energy toyour students.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
You're dealing with their emotions, you're dealing
with your own emotions and itcan be really taxing.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And I think it's easy to forget to like take care of
yourself.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Yeah, you're so focused on taking care of
everyone else that your ownneeds kind of get pushed to the
back burner, and then you end upfeeling resentful and burnt out
Exactly, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
So having that space to just like process your own
emotions and reflect on yourexperiences, I think is
incredibly valuable.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
And that's where, I think, journaling comes in.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Right, it's like that dedicated time just for you To
like unpack everything that'shappened during the day, to like
celebrate the wins, to processthe.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah, and I think Lestallion even kind of alludes
to this in their materials likethe fact that they are using
high quality materials suggeststhat they understand the
importance of yeah, of likemaking it an enjoyable
experience.
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
It's not just like a utilitarian.
You know, chore, it's like thisis a time for you to nurture
yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Yeah, and I think it's also about, like you know,
acknowledging your growth as ateacher.
Right you know it's so easy toget caught up in like, oh, I
didn't do this right or thislesson didn't go well.
But if you're journaling youcan kind of look back and be
like, oh, actually, you know,I've come a long way.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Right, you can see the progress you've made, both
personally and professionally.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
And I think that's really motivating.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
I think so too, and it's also just about like
recognizing the little thingsthat go right.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Oh yeah, the little wins are so important because
it's easy to focus on thenegative right, especially when
you're feeling stressed andoverwhelmed.
But if you make a consciouseffort to like write down those
little moments of joy orconnection or success, it can
really shift your perspective.
It can really make a difference.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah, I remember I had a friend who was going
through a really tough time afew years ago and she was just
feeling really down on herself.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
And I was like you know you should try just like
writing down one good thing thathappened each day.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Oh, that's a great.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
It's like one little thing you know, and and she's
like, OK, I'll try it, and shedid it for a week yeah and at
the end of the week she was likeI can't believe how much it
helped wow, she's like Irealized that even though things
were really tough, there werestill good things happening,
yeah, and it just kind of likelifted her spirits a little bit
(10:05):
that's amazing yeah, so I thinkit's really easy to to overlook
those, those little moments, butthey're so important yeah, and
the act of writing them down, Ithink think, makes them more
real somehow.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, it's like you're giving them more weight
and you're more likely toremember them.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Yeah, and it's like you're creating a record of like
oh yeah, good things do happen.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Right, you know.
Yeah, it's like a gratitudejournal in a way.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, exactly yeah.
So I think that's a reallyimportant aspect of it too.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So we've talked about organization, we've talked
about emotional well-being.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Let's talk a little bit about some of the other
challenges that teachers faceRight, because I mean there's
time management, there'sworkload.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
There's work-life balance.
Work-life balance all thatstuff.
Yeah, I mean, it's a job thatkind of bleeds into every aspect
of your life, right?
It, does it's hard to like shutit off.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, so how can a journal help with that?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Well, I think again it goes back to that idea of
having a central organized space.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Right.
So instead of having your to-dolist on a scrap of paper, your
lesson plans in a binder andyour thoughts about work-life
balance just swirling around inyour head, yeah.
You can actually put it alldown in one place and start to
see the connections Right, andthat can help you to manage your
time more effectively, to setrealistic goals and to just
generally feel more in controlof your workload.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Yeah, and I think the Lestallion Journal specifically
with its features like thenumbered pages and the table of
contents really supports that.
It kind of encourages you to bemore organized.
Yeah, it provides a frameworkfor organization, which I think
is really helpful, reallysupports that, like it kind of
encourages you to be moreorganized.
Yeah, it provides a frameworkfor organization, yeah, which I
(11:44):
think is really helpful.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah, and also just the fact that it's a durable
notebook with, you know, plentyof pages.
It means that you can reallylike use it for everything,
Right?
It's not like oh, I'm onlygoing to use this for lesson
plans or only going to use thisfor student observations?
Yeah, it can be all of thosethings.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
It can be your whole teaching life.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
And I think that's really powerful.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yeah, and I think that's what they're trying to
get at with this idea of like ateacher's companion.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Right yeah, it's like your trusted sidekick.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah, exactly Through the trenches of the school year
Through the trenches of theschool year.
So, and we have seen somestories from teachers who have
actually used this journal andfound it to be really helpful.
Yeah, there's one story inparticular about a woman named
Sophia.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Right, sophia, she's a middle school teacher.
I think she's been teaching forover a decade.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Yeah, she's been teaching for a while.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
She was feeling really burnt out.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Yeah, she was feeling really overwhelmed.
She was like I'm at the end ofmy rope.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Yeah, the classic teacher burnout.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Classic teacher burnout.
Yeah, and she was kind ofskeptical about, like you know,
is this really going to make adifference?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Right, Because it's like oh, one more thing to add
to my to do list.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Exactly.
But she decided to give it atry and she got herself a
listallion journal.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
And she started using it to track her daily successes
.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Which I think is a really smart approach.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Because it's so easy to focus on the negative.
But if you make a consciouseffort to like notice those
little moments of, you know,positive interaction with a
student or a successful lesson.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
And write them down, it can really shift your
perspective.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Yeah, and she was also using it to reflect on her
lessons.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
You know, like what could I do differently next time
?
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Right, kind of like a debrief after each day.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Exactly, and she said that she really appreciated the
quality of the materials.
Yeah, like she said that thepaper was so smooth and the
journal felt really substantialin her hands.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
And it kind of made the act of writing feel more
intentional and meaningful.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Like it was a ritual in a way.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Yes, exactly yeah, and the results were pretty
amazing.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, she said she felt more organized.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
More in control of her workload.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Her stress levels went down.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
And she was actually able to achieve a better
work-life balance, which is huge, yeah, and she was actually
able to achieve a betterwork-life balance.
Which is huge.
Yeah, that's a big one.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Yeah, so she was really happy with it.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, and she called it her trusted companion.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yeah, which I thought was so sweet.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah, it's like it became this, like you know,
source of support for her.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Yeah, a place where she could go to just kind of
like, decompress and processeverything everything, yeah,
yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
That's amazing, and she also loved the pocket in the
back.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Of course, yeah, who doesn't love a good pocket?
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Right, you got to have a pocket.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
You got to have a pocket.
Yeah, so I think you knowSophia's story is a really great
example of how this canactually work in practice.
Yeah, it's not just atheoretical idea.
It's like a real, tangible toolthat can make a difference in
teachers' lives.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah.
So for our listeners who arelike, OK, this sounds great, but
how do I actually do this?
Right, you know how do Iactually make this a part of my
routine?
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Yeah, because that's the challenge, right?
It's like okay, I'm already sobusy, how am I going to fit one
more thing in?
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Yeah, so what are some like actionable tips that
people can take away from this?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Well, I think the first thing is to choose a time
that works for you, yeah, and beconsistent with it.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
So, whether it's like five minutes in the morning
before school starts, yeah.
Or 10 minutes in the evening tokind of wind down.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Just find a time that you can stick to and make it a
habit.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yeah, and it doesn't have to be a long time.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
No, not at all.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Right.
Even just a few minutes canmake a difference.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
And the other thing is to use prompts.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Oh yeah, Prompts are great.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Right, Because sometimes you sit down and
you're like I don't even knowwhat to write about.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah, you just stare at the blank page.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Yeah, so having some prompts can really help to get
you started.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yeah, like what went well today.
Yeah, what was one thing Ilearned?
What am I grateful for what I'mgrateful?
Speaker 1 (15:30):
for yeah, yeah, those are good ones.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Yeah, or what's one thing I want to do differently
tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Oh yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Yeah, so just having a few prompts that you can kind
of like cycle through can bereally helpful.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
And I think it's also important to to track your
goals you know both yourprofessional goals and your
personal goals.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Because I think when you see your progress written
down, it can be reallymotivating.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yeah, it's like a visual representation of your
growth.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yeah, exactly, and I think it's also about you know,
making it personal.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Right.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Like this is your journal.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
This is not just a work journal.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
It's not a lesson plan book.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Right.
It's a place where you canwrite about your thoughts and
your feelings and yourexperiences.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Yeah, and your hopes and your experiences.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Yeah, and your hopes and dreams, yeah, all that stuff
.
So don't be afraid to make ityour own.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Yeah, and the other thing is to review your entries.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Oh yeah, that's so important.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Right, because it's not enough to just write things
down.
You have to actually go backand read them.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Yeah, and reflect on them.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
And see what patterns you notice yeah, and you what
patterns you notice yeah, andyou know how you've changed over
time.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
And that's where the features of the Lestallion
Journal really come in handy.
Right With the numbered pagesand the table of contents, it's
really easy to go back and findthings.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Exactly yeah, it makes it much less daunting to
actually review your entries.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Which I think is a big barrier for a lot of people,
totally.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Yeah, so that's really helpful.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
So let's talk about some of the pitfalls that people
might fall into.
Yeah, because I think it's easyto start journaling and then be
like, oh, this is too hard orthis is taking too much time.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Yeah, or I don't know what to write.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Right.
So what are some of the commonmistakes that people make?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I think one of the biggest mistakes is yeah.
Like trying to make every entrythis like super detailed
account of everything thathappened during the day.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Like a novel.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Yeah, exactly, and that's just not sustainable.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
It's exhausting.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yeah, so I think the key is to keep it focused.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Like maybe choose one or two key areas to focus on
each day.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Right.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
So like maybe it's your progress on a specific
lesson plan.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Or maybe it's your observations about a particular
student, yeah.
Or maybe it's your observationsabout a particular student,
yeah, or maybe it's just likeyour general reflections on the
day Right, but don't try to doeverything at once.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, keep it manageable.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
What else?
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Another mistake is writing too generally.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
So, instead of just saying like oh, planning went
well today, right, be morespecific.
Yeah, like say, I completed theoutline for next week's unit on
the Civil War.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
And I focused on incorporating primary source
documents Right Like, giveyourself those details, because
that's what's going to behelpful when you go back and
review your entries.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Yeah, you're not going to remember what you meant
by planning.
Went well three months from now.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Yeah, so the more specific you can be, the better.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, and I think another mistake is forgetting to
review your entries.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Oh yeah, that's a big one.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Right, because what's the point of writing it all
down if you're never going tolook at it again?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, it's like you're just talking into the
void.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Yeah, so I think it's important to schedule time for
review, whether it's like once aweek or once a month.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Just block out some time in your calendar to
actually sit down and readthrough your journal.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
And again, the listalian journal makes that
really easy.
The numbered pages and thetable of contents.
Yeah, there's no excuse.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
No excuse.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
And then finally, I think a lot of people struggle
with just making it feel like achore.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Right, Like they're like.
Oh, I have to write in myjournal it's one more thing in
my to-do list.
So how do we make it feel lesslike a chore and more like
something that we actually enjoydoing?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Well, I think part of it is just remembering the
benefits, like why are you doingthis in the first place, what
are you hoping to get out of it?
And then also just like makingit a pleasurable experience.
Like using a journal that youactually like, using a pen that
feels good in your hand.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Finding a comfortable spot to write.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
And just like giving yourself permission to, just
like relax and be yourself.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
It doesn't have to be perfect.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Right.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
It doesn't have to be profound.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
It's just for you.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
It's just for you, yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
So just have fun with it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Yeah, so we've talked about all these different
aspects of journaling forteachers.
Right, let's talk a little bitabout the long-term benefits,
because I think it's easy to seethis as like oh, this is just
going to help me get through theday.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
But I think it can actually have a much bigger
impact than that.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Yeah, I mean, I think long-term journaling can lead
to some really significantimprovements in your overall
well-being.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
And your teaching practice.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Yeah, so like what are some of the specific things
that we might see?
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Well, I think one of the biggest things is just
improved organization.
Yeah, because when you're moreorganized, you're more efficient
.
Right, you're less stressed.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
And you have more time and energy to focus on the
things that really matter.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Yeah, and I think it also helps with self-awareness.
Oh yeah, right, because whenyou're journaling you're forced
to, kind of like, look inwardand reflect on your thoughts and
your feelings and yourbehaviors.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
And that can be really insightful.
Yeah, you know, you might startto notice patterns that you
weren't aware of before and thatcan help you to make changes in
your life.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
And I think it also helps with stress management.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Oh, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Right, because when you're journaling, you're
basically like processing youremotions and getting them out of
your head.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yeah, it's a form of therapy in a way?
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Exactly, yeah, and I think it also helps with just
like overall professional growth, right?
You know like when you'rejournaling, you're basically
creating a record of yourteaching journey and you can
look back and see how you'veevolved over time.
And what you've learned andwhat you've learned, yeah, and I
think that's really valuable.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
So yeah, I think the long-term benefits are really
quite significant.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Yeah, it's an investment in yourself.
Really it is.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Yeah, it's an investment in yourself.
Really, it is yeah, yeah.
So for our listeners who arethinking about trying this out,
what would you say are the keytakeaways?
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I think the key takeaway is that journaling can
be a really powerful tool forteachers.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
It can help you to be more organized, more productive
, less stressed and morefulfilled in your career.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
And it's not just about, like you know, writing
down your to-do list.
It's about creating a space forreflection and gross.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
And really like nurturing your own well-being.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yeah, and I think the Lestallion Journal specifically
is a really great optionbecause it's been designed with
teachers in mind.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Yeah, it has all the features that you need to make
it a successful and enjoyableexperience.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So, yeah, I would definitely recommend checking it
out.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
So for you, our listener, we encourage you to
think about how you mightincorporate a dedicated journal
into your routine and toconsider how it might support
you in your teaching journey.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
And here's a final thought to leave you with.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
How might the act of reflecting on your teaching
experiences shape your long-termimpact on your students and
your own sense of purpose andfulfillment in your career?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
It's a great question .
Speaker 2 (22:27):
It is.
Yeah, it's something to thinkabout.
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