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Community Building: Dialogic Interview Rationale with Questions Modeled after a resource from Deeper Learning Conference: Catlin Tucker

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Self Care for Teachers

Identify your support system in your workplace. Who do you rely on for guidance? Who is your go-to when you've had a bad day and you need to vent about something only a fellow educator would understand? Set an intention to put in the effort to maintain these relationships while you are teaching online. They may become more critical to your overall happiness and success as you transition into a new form of teaching or continue refining your online teaching practice.

Set up weekly phone calls with your favourite colleague - and then put them on your calendars to make sure you stick to your plans. It's the next best thing to standing next to them and chatting during lunch duty on Wednesdays.

Find common activities that you can do at a distance with colleagues from your grade level, department, or professional learning community that DON'T relate to your jobs. For example, start a "for fun" digital book club, do a virtual wine tasting together, or have a trivia night over your web conferencing platform of choice. You'll be able to bond as a group while taking your minds off of work and resetting mentally for the next day.

If you don't have time for extended conversations or virtual events, make it a point to text or email at least one colleague you are close with a week (or whatever interval you prefer), just to check-in. Small doses of social activity can be just as beneficial as longer ones.

It's just as important to set boundaries and limit social interaction with people who negatively affect your well-being as it is to pursue interaction with those people who have a positive effect. Boundaries can be very difficult to maintain when working in an online setting, so if possible, put a little extra effort into politely stepping out of work-related conversations that drain your energy or take time away from your home life.

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