Noticing Good Things Fuels My Teaching Practice
In this Op Ed, 2025 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year awardee Sarah Krajewski shares with us how creativity and positivity can help transform our perspectives.
- Playing four square with 3rd Graders at recess on a crisp Fall day.
- Laughing at a silly drawing of a dancing cow.
- Reading a meaningful college application letter shared with me from a former student.
As a teacher, these are just a handful of the positive things I’ve experienced during my 2025 School Year.
Don’t get me wrong, after 14 years as an art teacher, not every day is filled with “rainbows and butterflies," despite this beautiful Kindergartener’s butterfly painting and the fact that I live in a rainbow-filled art room.
A demanding workload, challenging student behaviors, and looming teacher burnout are at the forefront of many teacher’s minds. But despite those challenges, the simple daily practice of choosing one good thing to notice from my day has helped me intentionally walk the path of positivity.
At the beginning of my school year, I knew I needed something to help me stay present and focus on all the good happening around me. I was determined to be in control of what I noticed and how it made me feel. So, on the first day of school, I cut a large sheet of watercolor paper and made a 3x3 grid with 9 small squares, representing each month of school. I made myself a promise that each day, I would notice at least one positive thing and draw it on my daily doodle.
Now, when I look at my doodles, my mind is flooded with so many memories from my year. Like the time a kindergartener insisted on naming my soap bar “Germy”. Or the time that we were drawing self portraits and a 4th grade girl looked in her mirror and exclaimed, “Woah, I look great!” Or the day when the teachers at my school played “anything but a cup” and I drank my water from a Pyrex measuring cup all day, enjoying all the confused looks from students.
You might be thinking, “But I’m not an artist, I can’t doodle like that!”
Teachers ARE inherently creative! If you’re not into doodling, try these other versions of the same mindful idea:
- Single Word- jot down a single word that embodied your day.
- Phrase- Write a phrase of something silly a student said, a fun interaction with a co-worker, or a short description of a meaningful moment.
- Photo or Video- Use an app like “1 Second Everyday” to document a digital reminder of positive aspects from your day.
- Emoji- Draw or choose an emoji the matches the vibe of your day.
- Color- Create an abstract artwork with a colorful splash that matches the weather, the shirt color of a helpful student, or generally how you felt about your day.
- Music Note or Chord- tap into your inner composer and document a daily sound that creates a piece specific to your day to day experiences.
- Line- Draw a scribbling line or repeating pattern and create a wandering path of marks representing your school year.
It’s not too late, you can start your practice at any time! March is Youth Art Month, a time when we celebrate the creativity of our students through music, art, and theatre. You may want to consider tapping into your own creativity during the month of March.
Some benefits from practicing a Daily Mindfulness Routine include:
- Helping you to intentionally focus on Positivity, Kindness and Humor
- Modeling your own creative practice for your students
- Creating a visual reminder of your progress through the school year
- Building Community when shared with your peers.
In our art room, students in every grade level recite a mantra to practice positive self talk. It goes as follows:
“I am positive. I am creative. I am mindful. I am amazing. I am an artist.”
Each day that I recite this mantra with my students, I am reminded about my ability to use my own self affirmation to control the way I feel. It certainly can be a challenge. But as educators, we must continue aiming to create safe spaces for students. With that, it is essential that we take care of ourselves as we work to take care of others.
It’s not “one more thing.” It is everything.
It is your life, your teaching career, your mindset. It’s up to you to practice finding meaning and joy along your journey.