Feeling Overwhelmed as an Ag Teacher? A 4-Step Strategy for Asking for Help

Something has seriously changed in my teacher brain once passing the decade mark in the classroom. 

My to-do List will never be done. And that’s ok!

To be honest, I am not one who needs to check boxes to feel accomplished. I would much rather vision cast and brainstorm new ideas, however I fully understandI that many of my teacher friends (and even my husband) need to get tasks done to finally relax. 

Regardless if you are a Type A check box teacher or a Type B go-with-the-flow, you may have felt the pressure of those tasks needing to get done. And maybe you have even worked yourself to the bone trying to make all the things happen on your own. Why? Because you might think…

• The only way to get it done is to do it myself

• I am the only one who can do this right

• I don’t have time to train someone, so I have to do it

I have BEEN THERE and I’ll be honest it took me a while to realize I didn’t have to feel this way. I didn’t have to feel alone in my classroom, as an advisor, and most specifically with all the tasks on my to-do list. 

If you actually did all the work on an Ag Teacher’s plate by yourself I think it would be a 24 hour/7 days a week/365 days a year job with more work to do. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way if you implement one thing into your career: 

Asking for help. 

But, you might be saying…

• What do I even ask for? 

• What can I even ask for help? 

• What if people say no? 

Those are very valid questions that we have crowdsourced the answers to. Because we get it, asking for help is an acquired taste that a lot of us overachievers hate more than the taste of Vegemite or Robitussin. 

I have suffered alone many a times. 

We all found ourselves at this place…we hit our breaking point of searching through Facebook Groups, TPT, Pinterest Boards and TikTok.

Our turning point was when we decided to SHOW UP. When we decide enough is enough and it’s time to show up for ourselves by seeking the help we need. 

And showing up for yourself and asking for the help you need is vital because SUPPORT ISN’T SENT, IT IS SOUGHT. 

Those good natured teachers, community members and admin  who have said to you “I'm happy to help” “just shoot me a text if you need me.” or “I’m always here to help” don’t know you need help unless you tell them. It isn’t on them to check in on you constantly asking if you need support. It is YOUR job to stand up and say “it’s time, I need help.” 

In this blog post, we’re sharing four steps that you can use as you start utilizing your community to get the help you need. 

4 Steps to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed as an Ag Teacher

Step 1: What do you REALLY need help with?

First things first, what is the monkey on your back right now. What is that thing that you cannot stop thinking about even though you aren’t at school? What is that thing that no matter how much time and effort you put into problem solving you cannot find a solution? You need to name that exact thing before you can ask for help. 

One of the biggest problems with asking for help is the CLARITY of your problem. When we are clear on what we need help with we can be strategic about who we are asking for help. Which leads us to step 2. 

Step 2: WHO Can Help?

Now that you know your problem, start brainstorming who could help you with that problem. Who do you already know that could help you find a solution? 

Here are some ideas to get you going, but remember that during this step you are starting with a name, not a solution.:

• A teacher

• A former mentor

• An administrator

• An ag teacher friend

• An industry contact

• “That person I always text”

Step 3: Can THEY help?

I can already tell that some of you might be stumped on step 2. You might be thinking “if I knew who to ask I would have already done it.” Maybe it is truly you don’t know who could help. Then we need to start thinking about GROUPS of people that might be able to get you connected with the right person. 

Remember for this step you don’t need the exact person to help you solve, just a door to get you to that person. Here are some ideas that might help:

• State Ag Teachers Association

• FFA Staff

• Extension

• Direct support team in your school

• The G&G Team/Community

Step 4: WHAT do I need to ask?

OK, hopefully you have a person or a group that you feel confident asking for help from. Now, we need to get to asking the question. We as ag teachers tend to have our own vocabulary and ways of saying things that might not make sense to others, so this step is imperative so we clearly share our problem. We know that vague problems get vague help BUT specific problems get solved. 

Here are a few sentence frames  that might help you get those specific details out to your identified solution person/group:

• “What’s overwhelming me is ___________. I think this because_______________”

• “I am finding______________ very difficult because______________”

• “I am stuck on _________________ because____________________.”

Once you have completed Steps 1-4 you are READY to reach out to the person/people you want to get assistance from. We absolutely know as teachers ourselves that asking for help can seem daunting. But, what we also know is that you might not be alone in this. Someone out there knows the solution and just doesn’t know you need it. 

Teachers don’t always lack support, they lack clarity about who to ask and what to ask for. This 4 step strategy is your ticket to getting closer to solving your complex problems. As you step into asking for help remember that asking for help isn’t about being less capable, it's about being more precise. 

And if you are looking for specific help in the Agriculture Education space, your first stop to getting connected to experts in our very specialized area is the newly revamped and launched G&G Specialist Roster. You can even add your name to the roster in areas you are an expert to be a help when someone else is in need.

Struggling With SAEs? Practical SAE Ideas and Resources from the G&G Community

At Germinate Conference this year we had one of our favorite new sessions, the Sharing Frenzy. Basically, this looks like teachers grabbing their favorite resources from their teaching arsenal and dumping it into a Google Drive folder for others to use!

This amounts to truly hundreds of resources share in a short amount of time. But, the one thing we noticed about this session is it can get overwhelming how many resources are shared. It reminded me of a Cheescake Factory menu, there is an overwhelming amount of options and you get caught in analysis paralysis and froget to even make a choice. Effectively making these awesome resources stil collecting digital dust when they could truly help others. 

So, as I was sitting around an yet another snowday caused by a large dumping of ice and snow in the mid-atlntic. I thought I could round up some of those ideas and share them with you. 

We tend to get the least amount of resources, Germinate sessions and heck even blogs for G&G in the area of Supervised Agriculture Experiences. So, I think that is the perfect place to start with this little resource round up. 

SAE is that magical part of the Agriculture Education program that other CTE programs don’t have or haven’t perfected. It is something that is integral in all of our programs no matter how different they may be. We as teachers care deeply about the importance of providing students a persoanlized, interest based program for all students regardless of their likelihood of becoming a National Proficency finalist. 

What comes as a side effect of this unique and high personal program is that it is hard to implement. It takes a lot of explaining on the front end to students (and families), time to manage and supervise and let’s not even get to the mania getting those proficiency requirements to hit MET on The AET. 

Let’s try and lessen the load with these few tips shared by the G&G Community

Getting Started: SAE Monopoly

Shared by Breanna Pastir

National FFA has a lesson plan that introduces students to the vast number of SAE opportunities. This allow students to think critically when brainstorming what SAE might be a good fit for them. This lesson includes worksheets for the students, SAE Monopoly cards, and a PPT. Find that whole resource folder here.  

Managing Projects: SAE Folders

Shared by: Jacklyn Post 

“Students get these folders out every Friday for devoted AET journal entry time. In these folders are student login information sheets, AET resources and grading rubrics, SAE final project options, and a weekly AET checklist to help our students stay on top of their records for their projects, time in class, community service, and FFA activities.”

You can actually get all of Jacklyn’s resources in the SAE Hall of Fame Session available on our website for $6. 

Managing Projects: SAE Record Book Template

Shared by Laura Crosby

We know that many FFA chapters utilize The AET for managing SAEs. That is great but not all chapters are able to do that. Laura shared her record book template that she used with her middle schoolers that might be a good start for those of you who want to use something other than the AET. 

Applications: SAE Nights

Shared by a Germinate 2026 Attendee

“We hold SAE/record keeping nights where students can come in as needed to work on records and get help. Usually do at least one near fair nominations time so they can do both at the same time. Parents are always welcome as well and it isn't always just me helping, sometimes it's members helping members.”

Applications: FFA Achievement Week

Shared by Sarah Nerswick, Idea Originated from Red Bluff FFA Chapter

Take a day during FFA week in classes to help students complete and submit their degree applications. In my chapter we have stations for GH, Chapter and State Degree students and had them all do a checklist during their class to get it done. We had advisors in charge of each station along with officers. If you don’t have multiple advisors make sure to have a few students to help as mentors especially for Greenhands. This one day event increased our application numbers for Greenhands, Chapter Degrees, State Degrees and Proficencies tremendously!

Celebrating: SAE Expo

And the SAE Expo was born! The SAE Expo is a large public exhibition of knowledge and skills gained through SAE’s. Students get to choose how they will present their SAEs (speech, demonstration, display board), spend time in class preparing, practice their presentations with classmates and then the BIG EVENT. Students share their skills, successes and plans for their SAE at the SAE Expo. 

Sarah created a one-page to include student instructions and a rubric. Grab your copy here!

You can find out more about the SAE Expo on Episode 139 of the Green & Growing Education Podcast or read this blog post. 

Hopefully these few resources can help jumpstart your SAE program with your students. If you are still struggling with SAEs take a moment to check out the G&G Specialist Roster to connect with an Ag Teacher who is ready and able to help you implement SAEs to the fullest in your classroom.

Why My Current Teaching Role Feels Different Than Past (and What I’d Pay Attention To Going Forward)

I kept on getting the same question over and over again at our holiday events this past year. 

“How is teaching?” Usually made with a slight crinkling of the face and timid nature to their tone. 

Thankfully, I am able to say “Things are going great. I know this was the right decision for me.”

And after all of these conversations, I wanted to figure out what the underlying reason is. What is the “thing” that is making teaching feel awesome when less than 4 years ago I thought I was leaving it behind forever? 

And to be honest, it isn’t just one thing. 

It is a combination of a variety of things that deeply matter to me. And yes that includes my compensation. It made me think that I wish I had a road map of how to make a decision about accepting a teaching position so I could have avoided some bad moves in the past. 

So here you have it.

Why My Current Teaching Role Feels Different Than Past (and What I’d Pay Attention To Going Forward) 

The Commute

If you have ever driven a commute more than 30 minutes you know. You know that taking an hour plus in the car is absolutely no fun. Now, don’t get me wrong I LOVE a decompressing moment. Those sacred moments when it is quick after a long day hearing your name a minimum of 187 times, where you get to choose if you want complete silence, an audiobook, a podcast or your favorite music. That time is awesome. But the car time gets excessive after 30 minutes. 

The Pay

(Caveat: I understand that some of you live in rural areas with limited education opportunities. Skip the first part of this and think about the second!)

Part 1: School Districts Pay Differently

As I was in the process of deciding if I wanted to go back to teaching I immediately pulled out the teaching salary schedules. I was really thinking about going back to my old district until I looked at that salary schedule. I would be taking a pay cut. Not worth it. My whole goal of changing my job was to find a better suited role and that ABSOLUTELY includes pay.

Now, I totally understand there isn’t much we can do with set salary schedules. But you CAN shop around if there are districts closer to you. I am in a more urban area and have 5 county/city districts within a decent commuting distance. 

So, I pulled them all up based on my experience and education and there was a CLEAR winner. I was able to get an immediate 17k pay raise just by taking a job at a district with higher pay.  

Now, pay is JUST PART OF THE PUZZLE! If you are commuting 2 hrs both ways to a higher paying district you might lose all the increase in pay with car depreciation, gas and maybe tolls (not mentioning your mental health from being in the car that much). 

Part 2: Other Paid Positions

If you don’t have the luxury to shop around districts (believe me I know it is a luxury), there are other ways to increase your pay. 

The obvious ones are getting a higher degree, taking a leadership position in your school, or even moving to an administration job. 

There are other ways to also increase your pay by coaching a team or advising a club (based on your system’s rules). I think it is important to know that you can increase your pay if you are willing (and able) to think outside the box. 

Content

If you have ever been out of your depth teaching a subject you better believe that content matters when choosing a teaching job. 

If you are applying for a horticulture heavy teaching position and you hate plants, that might not be the job for you. If you have to manage a show team and you have no livestock experience, that might not be the job for you. If you love middle school and you apply for a high school job, that might not be the job for you. 

Now, I get it that going out of your comfort zone is important for personal growth. But I also know that there is a sweet spot when learning something new. It’s called the Zone of Proximal Development. Where the learning isn’t too easy it is boring, and not too hard it is out of reach. 

As a teacher entering a new school/district you are ALREADY on a learning curve. You have to learn about the LMS, the student management system, grading policy, discipline policy, and not to mention the intricacies of the staff and admin relationships. 

Throwing yourself in the deep end with that heavy load on top of learning a new content (or multiple) might just be the perfect combination for burnout. 

Try to make sure you are applying for positions that align with your strengths and passions when it comes to content. Experienced teachers all know that it is much easier to teach the classes that you know and like. And anything to make the job a little easier is a win. 

The Duty Times

At the last school I taught at, I had to leave my house before 6 a.m. to arrive almost on two wheels before my duty time started. No buffer for picking up coffee or extra planning before 1st period busted through my classroom door. 

It was ROUGH. I didn’t get to see my children or husband before school as they were peacefully sleeping as I tip-toed out the door. And that took a HUGE mental health hit for me. I felt like I was always rushing. And when you start your day before 6am feeling behind, it is really hard to turn that negative feeling around. 

Knowing those expected duty times for teachers is essential before signing your contract. In conjunction with your commute and your family/personal responsibilities that could really make or break your relationship with your job. 

Maybe you gotta get your kids to before care.

Maybe you have to walk your dog who is going to be alone all day.

Maybe you have to get to the gym for a workout in the a.m. 

Whatever it is, that needs to be part of your decision. 

When I took my current position, I knew I couldn’t get my son to his bus on time. So my husband had to take on that role. Thankfully we are still able to all enjoy the morning together, we just go separate ways as we walk out the door. And we will reevaluate every year as things change. 

The Staff/Admin

The people you work with matter. I have been at four different schools and two different companies outside of school. And let me tell you, when you have toxic people around you it makes the job more difficult. When you have great people working with you, it makes the job more fun. 

If you get a weird vibe from the admin in the interview, it might be a sign. If you realize 6 months in that the staff is caddy and drama filled, it might be time to brush up your resume. 

You are spending 8 hours a day with these people. It is an awesome feeling that I know when I walk into 1st period I will have a great interaction with my fellow teachers/paras. I know that 3rd period will include a fun discussion with the teacher down the hall. It makes the days more enjoyable. 

We know that humans are wired for community. Your work community matters. Now, some people live their lives as robots and could care less about the people they work with. I am not that person. The people matter and twice in my working career I KNEW I had to get out and I did. Even if I wasn’t sure what was next I took myself out of the situation. 

Protect your peace, your mental health, your sanity. 

Feeling Accomplished

When trying to grapple with my feelings about teaching now, I realized that accomplishment is part of my puzzle for feeling content in my job. 

I was talking to an old friend who was also a teacher and spent many years in education adjacent careers and she asked me how that classroom was. And it finally clicked. 

I told her that in other jobs outside of the classroom when I finished the work day I felt relieved. That was my dominant emotion. These days when I leave my school I feel accomplished. 

Every. Single. Day. 

And it isn’t from winning awards like Teacher of the Month or having my students all pass a quiz. It is from the little things. Having my class laugh with me as we do interpretive dance to model a complex concept. It is when students talk to me in Spanish so I can improve. It is when I have kids asking to have lunch with me. It is when I get a kid to laugh. It is when I get to be the person who makes that kid feel valued. 

Every day I get to feel accomplished. Regardless of how the day actually went. And that means something to me. Personally, I need to feel that. Maybe it’s the way I am wired. 

All of this to say, everyone's situation is different. I know that some of you reading this won’t connect with some of the points, and that is OK. 

The overarching point I want to make is that the decision you make when you sign your teaching contract isn’t one to be taken lightly. It is more than just picking the school with the best FFA chapter, best pay, closest to your home. It is finding the best combination that works for you in your current situation. 

That might change. I left a job I absolutely loved because my family situation changed and we needed to move. I wish I had a blog post like this to have helped me avoid a bad job situation when I moved. I am hopeful this is that thing for someone else.

Real FFA Week Planning Tips (You Don’t Have to Reinvent the Wheel!)

FFA week is quickly approaching (it’s Feb 21-28, 2026 FYI!) and one of my favorite strategies to use when planning FFA week is grabbing the National Chapter Quality Standards.

I am not saying that you need to hit all 15 quality standards or even do a National Chapter application. I just like using the examples and ideas to get my officer team’s brainstorm moving. Most likely you already spent some time with your officers planning your Program of Activities (POA). That is great, you have a foundation that you can build your FFA week activities onto. 

Here are some gentle reminders for you as you plan FFA week

• You don’t have to have an event everyday of the week

• You don’t have to do everything the “old” advisor did

• You don’t have to say yes to every idea your chapter officers come up with

• You don’t have to do a dress-up week 

• You don’t have to do what other chapters do

• You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every year, you can repeat activities!

The great thing about being a FFA chapter is you get to make the decisions that best suit YOUR chapter, YOUR officers and YOUR community. There is no “best FFA week award.” If you go back to the purpose of FFA week it is a time to celebrate agricultural education, leadership and community involvement while honoring long-standing traditions and embracing new ones.

Let’s try and take the pressure that we put on ourselves off and have a great week that is sustainable, fun and student led. 

The first thing we gotta tackle is deciding on your activities. This might be the hardest part for you and your students. 

If you have students (or yourself) that don't like staring at a blank document and trying to come up with something brand new all on your own, using ideas from other chapters is a great place to start. 

And good news I took some time to research some past National Chapter Model of Excellence and Premier Chapter ideas to get your ideas popping. As you look at these ideas you can take them and copy/paste them into your chapter or you can take them as inspiration to create something new in your chapter. 

*Reminder: You don’t have to do all new activities. Aim for sustainability this year. If you think you can only handle 3 activities during the week and only one new one. Do that!

National FFA Implementation Guide

Before we get into some FFA week ideas for you, the most important thing to know is that National FFA has your back! For FFA week they have provided a new implementation guide to help you get started on your FFA week planning and execution. 

This implementation guide has everything from example event ideas, templates for emails/certificates, lesson ideas and more. You can find that implementation guide here. 

Here are some of our favorite resources they provided this year:

• News Release Template & Congressional Letter

I will be honest, one of the first things that I will forget to do is share news with stakeholders of our FFA chapter. I am great at getting the students, families and administration up to date, but legislatures and the general public tend to go to the wayside when my plate is full.

These simple templates can be edited and sent out in just a few minutes by you or your reporter. Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! Find the templates on page 38. 

• Engagement Ideas

This is a loooooong list of engagement ideas to use during FFA week with your school, members, school staff, service organizations, and even fundraisers. Check it out on Page 9-10. 

• AgEd Academy

If you are looking for something that might work as a sub plan, try out the AgEd Academy. These are online learning modules that students can self-pace through to learn more about AgEd, FFA and managing a chapter. You can find the Academy right here. 

Ideas to Spice Up FFA Week

Growing Leaders

• Leadership: Tech with Teens (McClain FFA, Ohio)

This FFA chapter connected with the local senior center to provide technology lessons to seniors. What a great way to use our students technology skills to better the community. 

• Healthy Lifestyles: Digital Detox Day (Hanford FFA, CA)

Instead of doing a typical dress-up day during FFA week, maybe try to do an action based week. I absolutely loved this idea of a Digital Detox Day. Students in the Hanford FFA Chapter turned in their cell phones at the beginning of the day so they could focus on being present in the school day. 

• Career Success: The Great American Teach-In (Bok Academy Middle FFA, FL)

This chapter did a spin on a traditional career panel with over 20 speakers that engaged with 500 students. They even provided a breakfast for the speakers with their FFA Alumni chapter. 

Building Communities

• Changing the World with a $5 Bill (Stillwater FFA, OK) 

• For a citizenship activity the Stillwater FFA challenged students  to serve their community in whatever way they could. The kicker was, they could only spend $5 which was provided to them by generous donations to the project. You too could have your chapters do a similar activity. Like Advisor Randy Branscum said purpose is to show students that “no one is too small, busy or insignificant to make a difference.” 

• Community Scavenger Hunt

• Connect with local businesses to have students do a local business scavenger hunt. This could be as simple as giving each business a special stamp or sticker to give to those who visit their business. Member could have a “passport” to collect as many stamps/stickers as they can for a prize. 

• “Trick or treat” for canned goods 

• I have seen a lot of amazing chapters do a door-to-door canned food donation around Halloween. I distinctly remember a chapter in CA mentioning they do this around the Holidays and blast Carols in the neighborhoods. To remember that our community needs our help throughout the year why not try a Valentine’s Day Canned Food drive using the same principles during FFA week. 

Strengthening Agriculture

• Bold Celebrating Leadership Teacher Showmanship (Taylor-Katy FFA, TX)

• This chapter spun their agricultural advocacy event to have the teachers of their school to step in the show ring. Members partnered with school staff and teachers to mentor them in their showmanship skills. Can you imagine your Principal showing a heifer? It could be you next year!

• George Washington’s Birthday Party from our very own Cassidy McAllister

• You know we celebrate FFA week around President’s Day which is George Washington’s birthday? Why not throw George a Birthday Party. We love to celebrate General Washington’s contribution to agriculture and our nation as a whole. He deserves some cake (and maybe even candles). Cassidy’s chapter also has a member/staff member dress up as George to make it more real. 

Whatever you decide to do for FFA week with your officer team and members is going to be great. 

Just remember to keep the MAIN THING the MAIN THING. And that is to use FFA week as a time to celebrate agricultural education, leadership and community involvement while honoring long-standing traditions and embracing new ones.

How to Rediscover Life Outside of the Classroom

The teaching profession is undervalued, underfunded and under-supported. 

Less people are choosing to pursue a career in education and more people are fleeing the profession than ever before. 

According to the Education Week, the amount of people completing teacher-education programs declined by a third over recent years. And the National Education Association survey in 2022 found that 55% of teachers say they will leave the teaching profession sooner than originally planned and 90% said burnout is a serious problem. 

I would wager a guess that most of us who enter the teaching profession don’t even intend on leaving. Myself included. 

And yet, I left. After 10 years in the classroom I packed up two printer paper boxes of awards, student made ribbon roses and countless owl trinkets home to sit in my basement for the past three years. 

I loved teaching. I was good at it. And that wasn’t enough to stay. 

I had someone reach out to me on social media blaming me for giving up on something I loved. That was a good reminder that social media is just a highlight reel. That person didn’t see everything I was going through.

I would leave my house before 6 a.m. to get to school. 

I wouldn’t see my kids or husband before I left.

I drove close to an hour each way.

My department forgot about me throughout the year for meetings and get-togethers.

My admin only came to my room once.

I was doing all the FFA things.

I had serious behavioral issues and they were brushed off.

I was getting paid less money than I was in my previous school district.

While I still loved teaching, I was at a breaking point as a person. As a human. 

I needed a change and I am so thankful I was able to get connected to a company that allowed me to learn and grow with them while still being education adjacent. 

I Left The Classroom, Then Came Back – Here’s How I Did It

The past three years I was able to rediscover who I was outside of being a teacher. I was no longer tied to the identity of being a teacher. . I was just me. With a job. 

And after years of discovering who I was outside of the classroom I realized that being in the classroom is a part of who I am. So I returned with a new mindset about what being a teacher is to me. I asked myself this question…

How do we marry the fact that we LOVE being a teacher but it doesn’t define everything we are?

I used to only identify myself as a teacher. I used to pour all of my energy, my identity and my success into what happened in my classroom. 

In my story, it wasn’t healthy. I became burned out. And yes, being burned out from teaching is a real thing. And leaving teaching is an acceptable action if you need that off ramp.

I took that liferaft and clung on to it harder than Rose did to that door on the Titanic. 

It took years to be even open to the idea of heading back to the classroom. The one thing that allowed me to come back was working on who I was outside the classroom. 

And I am not just talking about my other responsibilities in life like being a mom and wife. 

I figured out who Sarah was and then started to honor the things that made me feel like myself again. 

That led me to really examine what opportunities, events, I was saying “no” to when really all I wanted to do was say “yes.” 

What are those things that are non-negotiables for you? What are those things that light you up?

If you need some guidance figuring this out for yourself, the e “A Simple Exercise To Redefine Your Identity as a Teacher” blog post that walks you through identifying the Three Circles Model of your life. 

For me I realized that I needed the following things in my life. Not sparingly. But consistently.

1. Growth

2. Adventures

3. Relationships

Before I could ever entertain the idea of returning to the classroom, I needed to commit to honoring what makes me me. And not letting the craze of the school year impact that. 

What I realized is that the way we can become the best teacher for our students is to live our life to honor who we are outside the classroom.

And to be honest, it’s not the easiest thing to do. And that takes time, intentionally and focus.

What “Always Learning” Really Means

But, here at G&G we live by the mantra of “Always learning”

Always learning is a simple reminder to live. 

Always learning isn't about piling your desk with new ideas that most likely will never come to fruition. It's about always learning WHO YOU ARE and how you can better serve YOURSELF so you can serve others. 

So, if you have connected with your three circle model of your life and identified those three areas that are the core of you being you, it’s time to make that commitment to lean into them. 

And yes, we have a resource for that. 

At the end of 2024, I was in a place I needed to lean into my three circle model. I saw some buzz on the internet about yearly BINGO cards. Some people decided against a word a year or a vision board to make a little bucket list for the year in a BINGO format. 

So I did it. I made a BINGO board for 2024 that honored myself. Here are some of the items I have checked off this year so far

Growth

• Run a half marathon

• Join a club/community

• Make a reading nook in my office

Adventures

• Try a new Donut Shop

• New Tattoo

• See a favorite athlete play

Relationships

• Overnight trip with my husband 

• See a play with a friend

• See a favorite athlete play with my daughter

If you want to lean into who you are and challenge yourself to meet your needs this upcoming year, go ahead and grab the 2026 Bingo Board Template to make your own!

I am not saying that focusing on this three circle model and making a BINGO board is going to solve all of education’s issues. That is a much bigger problem that we need to be focusing on with our teacher’s unions, board of educations, and legislatures. 

What I am saying is that focusing on you and honoring who you are outside of the classroom could be something that allows you to feel more fulfilled everyday you walk into the classroom.