The two years between becoming a Provisional Teacher and becoming fully certified can go by in a bit of a blur. There’s a lot to pack in to fulfill the certification requirements and carry out your day-to-day teaching.
The key to making it through successfully is having a plan that works for you.
So, here are our top tips for making sure you cover everything needed for your Certification while teaching and finding some much-needed me time.
Planning Your Certification Journey In A Way That Works For You
Creating a plan for your Certification helps to ensure that no key components get missed and that everything is done in a timely manner. But, it is important to recognise that everybody’s certification journey will be slightly different, so your plan needs to reflect on what works for you.
Here’s how you can make sure you have a great plan that won’t result in burnout:
Plan Early On
The Foundation meeting with your mentor will be key to making your journey to Certification a success. The more time you spend on this meeting, planning and setting your priorities, the easier things will be as you go along.
Talk to your mentor about each of your schedules and how you can meet all of your obligations within workable timeframes for you both.
Make Your Priorities Clear
One reason we get overwhelmed is that we aren’t clear on what we need to do first. Making sure you have clear priorities for what moves your journey forward will help you know what you need to do. Your mentor can help set your priorities and check if they are still working for you at Review meetings.
Combine Tasks Where Possible
One way to lighten the load and balance your Certification requirements with your teaching duties is to align your personal goals with centre tasks. This means you can meet the requirements for your Certification while carrying out some of your usual teaching duties rather than adding things on top.
Take some time to set practical goals that will help you to achieve this outcome.
Get Buy-In From Your Centre And Your Family
The more support you can get from your centre, the better. Speak to your mentor about potentially getting released from some teaching duties to give you time to fulfil the other important parts of your Certification like going through documents or self reflection. This will reduce the amount of work you need to do outside of your centre.
Talking to your family early on can also help to make boundaries clear at home. Let your family know when you might need to take some time to complete inquiry tasks at home so they know when you will need space.
Build In Flexibility
Things happen, especially if you have a family of your own to look after as well as the children you care for. You might need to take time off sick, or an activity at the centre might take longer than you thought. You might then find you don’t have time to complete your latest milestones and need more time before moving on.
Our timeline schedules Review and Reset meetings and other meetings with your mentor regularly, but gives you quite a long window for getting them done. If you schedule these early in the relevant period, then you will have time to delay them if needed without putting your whole schedule out. And if you get them done as planned, then you might have time for a little bit of extra self-care, later in the period!
Don’t Forget To Look After Yourself
Remember that one of your focuses throughout your Certification journey should be on self-care. You won’t be a good teacher if you get so burnt out that you lose the joy of teaching.
While it is likely that you might need to complete some of your Certification work outside of your teaching hours, try not to bring too much work home with you. Give yourself time to focus on your home and your own family if you have one. Take time for whatever refreshes you, whether that’s exercise or a hobby. Proper self-care not only ensures that you are keeping well, but it also helps you tackle your Certification journey with more enthusiasm,
Give yourself permission to have setbacks and be open about any struggles. Your mentor is there to help you, so don’t be afraid to talk to them about any issues, They can help you develop a clear way to address and overcome those setbacks.
The Roadmap to Certification helps you plan your journey in a way that works
If you are just beginning as a Provisional Teacher working towards Full Certification or you are partway through your journey, then the Roadmap to Certification can help you plan properly.
The Roadmap offers a flexible framework which allows you to work through all the stages required and achieve your goals, while teaching AND without burning out.
When you purchase the Roadmap, you’ll also get support from me and access to our private Facebook group so you can share your experiences with other teachers and get advice.
Check out the Roadmap here: Click here to read more about the Roadmap or click here to purchase the Roadmap to Certification ebook for Provisional Certified Teachers.
Or if you are looking to get started on your professional Certification journey, the Kete Ako programme is a great starting point – check it out here.