Kid Watching as Self-care

Kid watching is a teacher task. We watch the students in our classroom. We see what they are good at and see places where they need to grow. But recently I learned kid watching is a self-care strategy too.

How is kid watching a self-care strategy you might ask? Here is how I realized it the other day.

It was one of those days. It had been raining all day, my class was wound-up, and the lesson was not going well. I was losing my patience and felt like I should go home because no one was listening or learning anything. I decided we all needed a break, so I told the class to stop their work. I asked them to take out their independent reading books and to read for a few minutes. Of course, getting them started took some coaching, but after a couple of minutes, the class settled down.

I was not very focused myself. I sat down at the work table, took a deep breath, and just watched my class reading. After a couple of minutes, I called one of my students over and asked, "What are you reading?" She shared the title and gave me a quick summary. I said, "Will you read to me from your book?" She said, "Sure" and started reading. I watched, listened, and noted that her oral reading was continuing to improve.

She went back to her seat and another student asked for permission to go to the library. I said, "yes," and noted that child has read more books than anyone else this year.

I got up from my seat and walked around the room. I noticed a student tracking his reading with a bookmark, I saw another student recording a book in her reading log, and I observed another student looking confused about his reading. When I looked closer, I could see he went back and read that section again. Then his look of confusion disappeared.

I sat back down at the work table and just smiled at their productive reading. That's when I also noticed my own feelings. My patience was returning. I was getting focused. I was starting to feel motivated and inspired again.

This moment taught me that everyone needs a break sometimes. And it taught me kid watching is a self-care strategy because it helps me reconnect with why I teach. I like being around kids. They are so full of potential. I like seeing their strengths emerge and discovering the things they need to develop. Kid watching is watching kids grow.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, try to remember this question. "What do you love about teaching?" And then take a few minutes to focus on that element of your day. It can be rejuvenating.