Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Alphabet Meditations for Teachers: Everday Wisdom for Educators
    Alphabet Meditations for Teachers: Everday Wisdom for Educators
    Alphabet Meditations for Teachers: Everday Wisdom for Educators
    Ebook81 pages19 minutes

    Alphabet Meditations for Teachers: Everday Wisdom for Educators

    By Nancy Oelklaus

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Alphabet Meditations: Everyday Wisdom for Educators
    Readers of these meditations will get back in touch with why they wanted to teach in the first place--because they care about kids and want to make a meaningful contribution to their lives. By using these meditations with the guide at the end of the book, teachers will: Sharpen intuitive abilities. Through letting go, watch issues be resolved easily. Simply enjoy relationships with students, parents, and colleagues. Enjoy teaching more by focusing on what's really important. Be peaceful, regardless of what is going on.
    Educators and Administrators Praise Alphabet Meditations for Teachers
    "Alphabet Meditations for Teachers is a most needed antidote to the toxic side effects of our accumulated reactions to institutional rigidity and regimentation; to models of efficiency that privilege technocratic instruction over meaningful and organic teaching and learning."
    --Caroline Eick, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Education Department, Mount St. Mary's University, Emmitsburg, MD
    "Alphabet Meditations for Teachers tugs at the heart strings of all teachers who yearn for wisdom in seeking the answers to those struggles and frustrations faced by our profession. Nestled in the honest questioning and prayers are answers for teachers regarding the spiritual power of teaching and the magnificent ignition of discovery, laughter, and true community in our classrooms."
    --Sherry Henderson, Principal, Trinity Episcopal School, Marshall, TX
    About the Author
    A native of southwest Oklahoma, Nancy Oelklaus began her career as a high school English teacher in Marshall, Texas. She earned the B.A. in Communications, cum laude, from Oklahoma Baptist University, the M.A. in English from the University of North Texas and the doctorate in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University, Commerce, where she was named an outstanding graduate. For nine years she served as assistant superintendent for instructional services in Marshall, TX, followed by nine years as executive director for the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
    Another book in the Growing With Love series from

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLoving Healing Press
    Release dateMar 1, 2009
    ISBN9781615998876
    Alphabet Meditations for Teachers: Everday Wisdom for Educators
    Author

    Nancy Oelklaus

    Nancy Oelklaus began her career as a high school English teacher in Marshall, Texas. She earned the B.A. in Communications from Oklahoma Baptist University, the M.A. in English from the University of North Texas and the doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University, Commerce. For nine years she served as assistant superintendent for instructional services in Marshall, followed by nine years as executive director for the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Since 2000 she has worked as an executive coach in Austin, serving entrepreneurial clients in education, social services, financial services, real estate, public relations, and city administration. Dr. Oelklaus has received numerous awards and honors for civic leadership, including the Vision to Action Award from the Visions of a Better World Foundation in Boston. She was named Leader of Leaders by Sam Houston State University's Department of Educational Leadership and Woman of Achievement by the Business and Professional Women of Marshall, Texas. In 2007 she received the Profile in Excellence Award from Oklahoma Baptist University. Her articles have appeared in publications including The American School Board Journal, The Austin Business Journal, The Systems Thinker, and AustinWoman. Her first book, entitled Journey from Head to Heart: Living and Working Authentically, was published in March 2008 by Loving Healing Press of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Alphabet Meditations for Teachers will be out in early 2009. Three coaching CD's by Nancy are available through Amazon.

    Read more from Nancy Oelklaus

    Related to Alphabet Meditations for Teachers

    Related ebooks

    Teaching Methods & Materials For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      On KINDNESS

      Mar 1, 2021

      On KINDNESS
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Holistic Student

      Oct 20, 2022

      The prospect of study – and later exams – can be an overwhelming thought for many students, resulting in stress and pressure. Exercise, a healthy diet and sleep can all play a valuable role during this time. Studying is mentally and emotionally deman

      2 min read

    • Article

      Parenting Pit Stops

      Sep 2, 2021

      Seeing our children happy…the ultimate goal and gift in this journey we know as parenting. What truly elicits and brings joy in a child. Is it the latest toy? A funny cartoon? A new activity? What we know about nurturing emotional wellness in childre

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Home Classroom

      May 15, 2020

      The Home Classroom
      3 min read

    • Article

      Bot's Mighty Math

      Oct 1, 2020

      Bot's Mighty Math
      1 min read

    • Article

      Taurus

      Apr 22, 2021

      Taurus
      4 min read

    • Article

      WHY ROUTINE Is Good For You

      May 13, 2020

      WHY ROUTINE Is Good For You
      1 min read

    • Article

      School Guide 2021

      Sep 1, 2021

      School Guide 2021
      11 min read

    • Article

      Lots Of Teachers Are Super Stressed Out

      Apr 24, 2018

      High levels of job-related stress affect 93 percent of teachers, new research suggests, a greater percentage than previously thought. Classrooms with highly stressed teachers tend to have the poorest student outcomes, including lower grades and frequ

      1 min read

    • Article

      Limpopo Teacher Makes Top 10 Of Best In The World

      Dec 12, 2020

      MOKHUDU Machaba has spent the last 17 years of her life as a teacher. As much as teaching has brought her tremendous joy, she admitted it was a career she was never interested in. Instead, it was forced upon her due to the financial difficulties her

      3 min read

    • Article

      Life Lessons

      Sep 29, 2020

      Life Lessons
      4 min read

    • Article

      Back To School

      Sep 3, 2020

      Back To School
      2 min read

    • Article

      Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12

      Apr 15, 2024

      I OPENED THE MOTHER’S DAY issue of a women’s magazine and read reader responses to the question, “What’s a positive phrase you remember your mother saying often?” The answers varied from “those hardest to love are the ones who need it most” to “clean

      1 min read

    • Article

      Rediscovering Gratitude

      Nov 18, 2021

      Rediscovering Gratitude
      3 min read

    • Article

      Back To School

      Aug 11, 2019

      Back To School
      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Alphabet Meditations for Teachers

    4.5/5

    6 ratings3 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      “Alphabet Meditations for Teachers” by Nancy Oelklaus is a book that has a poem/meditation for each letter of the alphabet. The author wanted to created something that a teacher could go back to to remind him/her why he/she became a teacher: “because they care about kids and want to make a meaningful contribution to their lives.” The author, Nancy Oelklaus, began as a high school English teacher and then went on to become an assistant superintendent for instructional services and then an executive director for the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She has spent a large portion of her life in the educational system and knows first-hand some of the frustrations that teachers go through. This book of meditations is a book that she wished she would have had as a teacher to remind her why she became a teacher.This book is written for teachers, but anyone that works with children would benefit from it.One of my favorite meditations in the book is “B is for Bells” which starts out with:Bells are driving me nuts.They control myEvery move – decisions.I hear them in my dreams –Or nightmares.But then the author will show her enthusiasm in such meditations such as “I is for Imagination”That’s it! There’s a Stream called Imagination.My job is to find aLaunch for my canoe.…..Help me find the rightLaunch. Help me notDam the stream.Help me find the power of their imagination.This book would be an ideal gift for any teacher. A new teacher will feel that he/she is not alone in some of the frustrations he/she may run into while teachers who have been teaching for a while may need a reminder of why he/she chose their profession. “Alphabet Meditations” is meant to be nearby in the classroom for those moments when the teacher needs to catch a breath and focus on his/her ability to guide his/her students in the best way possible.
    • 5/5
      As you stare out at a classroom of little eyes starting right back at you. Sometimes you wonder am I reaching them? Do they understand the information I am presenting? A sense of panic goes through the body. They you begin to say to yourself… Am I a good teacher? When the same information is presented why does child one receives A’s and child two get F’s? Most fall into the cycle of present test then grade. We stop seeing the children as individuals with different needs and levels of understanding. Teaching becomes a routine instead of a desire to relay knowledge. Alphabet Meditations offers a chance to block out the negative and remember why we teach and what is it about it we love. It reminded me that a successful classroom needs to have laughter, happiness and imagnation. I’m not saying grades, curriculums and benchmarks are not important. They are just a portion of what should record a student’s progress. I loved this book it made me smile and take a moment to think about why I want to be a teacher. I am a certified teacher w/o a classroom right now but I can relate to everything in the book. There were two sections that really spoke to me the one on change and the one about parents. In the section on change it states “Change is such a normal part of my daily existence…. So why am I so reluctant to change my lesson plan … the way I teach?” I have found myself in this pattern before about seventy percent of the class understands how I taught something. The other thirty percent look at me with glazed expressions! As an educator I am not happy until I’ve reached them all. I think about it and realize for those that didn’t understand I have to change my approach. In the back of my mind I know that not everyone learns the same way. I myself learn in non-traditional ways most of the time. Yet it is hard for me to change a perfectly good lesson half of the time. This section made me realize that I have to be more willing to change for the benefit of my students. The parent section made me laugh. It is so true to help our students learn the most they can we have to work with not against the parents. We both want the best for the kids. Teachers work with the kids during the night. The parents have them the rest of the time. We need to cooperate not bicker over methods and homework assignments!Nancy Oelklaus did a fantastic job with this book. It is easy to read and heartfelt. It gives good examples of the things that teachers sometimes do. It also helps remind them what not to do and why. I feel this book would not only be a great asset to educators but even to anyone in a leadership position. I could even see the guide with small adaptations being a wonderful parenting guide. I would highly recommend this book as an addition to any professional or even personal book collection!
    • 4/5
      There are people out there who do not understand what the life of a teacher is like. They’re not difficult to find. They’re the ones who think teachers have an easy job, one that pays far too much for only nine months of work out of the year. They’re the ones who might not admit it, but really think our educators are nothing more than glorified babysitters. Only those of us who have gotten a glimpse at a teacher’s life, either by doing or purposefully observing, truly understand how much work a teacher is expected to do. There are lessons to plan, papers to grade, parents to meet, meetings to attend, classrooms to design and decorate, fights to settle, discipline to be determined, etc. Contrary to popular belief, a teacher’s job does not end when the final bell rings. Nancy Oelklaus is someone who understands all the stresses and strains of an educator. In her book, Alphabet Meditations for Teachers, she provides teachers with a way to refocus themselves and prepare for a new day in the classroom. Filled with numerous gentle and rhythmic meditations, Oelklaus addresses all those dark thoughts teachers have, but are too ashamed to admit. Her writing is brutally honest, and in that way, gives the reader a chance to also be honest with him or herself. The selections in the book focus on various difficult aspects of a teacher’s job, such as respecting diversity, changing instruction when results aren’t being achieved, grading, noise control, enforcing rules, and determining what students really need to know. The meditation that focuses on parent-teacher relationships will ring true with every educator, especially the passage that reads, “Give me the grace not to be defensive when they attack, but to calmly and confidently explain myself to them.” Oelklaus understands the worries of a teacher like only a teacher could.There is also a guide for using these meditations as a professional development activity included in the back of the book. This could be a relaxing and rewarding way to bond with your colleagues. It would make an excellent gift for anyone involved with children on a consistent basis, as its underlying messages speak of loving children for their differences and giving them the best we have.

    Book preview

    Alphabet Meditations for Teachers - Nancy Oelklaus

    Alphabet Meditations for Teachers: Everyday Inspiration for Educators

    Copyright © 2009 by Nancy Oelklaus. All Rights Reserved.

    No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

    First Edition: April 2009

       __________________________________________

       Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    Oelklaus, Nancy, 1943-

    Alphabet meditations for teachers : everyday inspiration for educators / by Nancy Oelklaus. -- 1st ed.

       p. cm.

     ISBN-13: 978-1-932690-88-0 (trade paper : alk. paper)

     ISBN-10: 1-932690-88-3 (trade paper : alk. paper)

    1. Teaching--Miscellanea. 2. Teachers--Conduct of life. 3. Motivation in education. I. Title.

     LB1025.3.O37 2009

     371.1--dc22

    2009004301

    Distributed by: Ingram Book Group, New Leaf Distributing, Quality Books.

    Published by:

    Educators Praise Alphabet Meditations

    "Although I do not do much reading for pleasure, I could not stop reading Alphabet Meditations for Teachers. Its brief, concise, poetic style makes it an easy, relaxing read. The author’s love for teachers, children, and the differences that exist among us clearly came through. I absolutely recommend this book as preferred reading for the Master Teacher."

    —Doug Rogers, Executive Director

    Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)

    "Alphabet Meditations for Teachers is an inspirational must-read for educators, as well as others who work with children in non-academic settings—social workers, nurses, and child care givers. Actually everyone who interacts with young people will find this book a treasure of wise advice for communicating compassionately with youth."

    —Judy Farmer, Executive Director

    Texas School Public Relations Association

    "Alphabet Meditations for Teachers is a thoughtful, inspiring, and well

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1