teacher – coffee.TEACH.repeat

If you’ve ever had a student burst into tears over a broken pencil or get so frustrated they can’t keep working, you know this truth:
Kids need tools to handle big feelings.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is more than a buzzword—it’s an essential part of building a positive, supportive classroom. When students learn how to recognize emotions and use calming strategies, they feel safer, more confident, and ready to learn.

Today, I want to share some of my favorite ways to teach SEL skills in the classroom—and give you a free printable toolkit you can start using right away.

💛 Why Teaching Self-Regulation Matters

Self-regulation is a skill that takes time (and practice) to develop. Even adults sometimes struggle to pause and think before reacting!

When we teach students how to:
✅ Notice what they’re feeling
✅ Name their emotions
✅ Choose a healthy way to cope

…we’re setting them up for success far beyond the classroom.

🌟 3 Simple Strategies to Help Students Self-Regulate

Here are a few techniques I’ve used with my students over the years:

1️⃣ Feelings Check-Ins
Start the day or a lesson by asking students to share how they’re feeling. This can be as simple as pointing to an emoji chart or writing a feeling word on a sticky note.

2️⃣ Calm-Down Corners
Create a cozy space with tools students can use when they feel overwhelmed—like stress balls, breathing cards, or reflection sheets.

3️⃣ Reflection Time
After big emotions, give kids a chance to think about what happened and what might help next time. This can turn a difficult moment into a learning opportunity.

✨ Grab Your Free SEL Mini Toolkit

To help you get started, I’ve created a FREE printable SEL Mini Toolkit with:

✅ A Feelings Check-In Sheet
✅ Calming Strategy Cards
✅ A Reflection Page

These printables are perfect for calm-down corners, morning meetings, or one-on-one support.

👉 subscribepage.io/hm89J8

🌱 More SEL Resources

If you find these helpful, be sure to explore my other SEL resources for K–3 classrooms, including scenario cards, daily check-ins, and more.

Together, we can make social-emotional learning an everyday part of our classrooms—and help kids build skills that will serve them for life.

A Real Talk Moment

Let’s be honest: how often do you find yourself thinking, “I just don’t know if I can do this anymore?” Or maybe it’s, “I used to love teaching… what happened?” If those thoughts sound familiar, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too—more than once.

Here’s a truth you might not know: one of the main reasons I started this blog was because of my own experience with burnout. This past school year was rough. I felt frustrated, defeated, and overwhelmed. Teaching is hard. Between lesson plans, student behaviors, new curriculums, endless meetings, standards, parent communication—the list goes on and on—I felt completely lost in it all.

I wasn’t showing up as the best version of myself. I asked myself more than once, “Do I even want to do this anymore?”

And ultimately, the answer was yes. I do want to be a teacher. But something had to change.

The first step? Changing my own mindset and approach to the work. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about me—it’s about my students. And I can’t be the best teacher for them if I’m not also taking care of myself.

Maybe this blog is my way of staying motivated. Maybe it’s how I remind myself of the joy I once found in this job. And maybe, just maybe, it will help you do the same. So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a stool—we’re in this together. Let’s work to support each other and bring the joy back into our classrooms.

Signs of Burnout

Burnout doesn’t always look the same for everyone, but for me, it showed up like this:

Constantly feeling like I wasn’t doing enough
Feeling defeated, despite trying my hardest
Becoming easily frustrated—especially at work
Letting negative self-talk take over
Bringing the stress home and snapping at my own family

I was short with my kids, irritable with my spouse, and honestly, not very fun to be around. That’s not how I want to live.

Did that make me a bad teacher, mom, or partner? No. It made me human. But it was a wake-up call that I needed to make some changes to recalibrate.

What’s Helping Me Right Now

I’m still figuring this out, but here are a few things that have helped me start to feel more like myself again:

✦ Accepting That I Can’t Do It All

We say this all the time… but do we really believe it? I had to learn to ask for help, say no to extra responsibilities, and admit when I didn’t have all the answers. It’s freeing—and necessary.

✦ Focusing on What I Can Do (and Doing It Well)

Instead of trying to do everything, I started narrowing my focus. What am I good at? What energizes me? I’d rather do a few things well than do too many things halfway.

✦ Letting Go of What I Can’t Control

I ask my students all the time, “Who can you control?” Their answer: “Yourself.” Time to take my own advice. I can’t control decisions from admin, curriculum changes, or other people’s behavior—but I can control how I respond.

✦ Streamlining My Work Routines

I started making better use of my planning time. Instead of venting with coworkers or scrolling my phone, I created a focused agenda and stuck to it. The result? Less work brought home—and way more peace of mind.

✦ Finding a Support System

Talk to the teacher next door. Chances are, they’re feeling the same. Start a blog, join a Facebook group, divide up the workload. You don’t have to do this alone.

De-Stressing Outside the Classroom

You are more than your job. You’re a person—maybe a partner, parent, friend, or daughter. Don’t lose sight of who you are outside of teaching. Here are a few simple changes I made that helped me reconnect with myself:

✦ Make After-School Time Your Time (At Least for a Bit)

When I get home, I don’t open my laptop or check my email. I take a 30-minute solo walk, pop in my earbuds, and listen to a good podcast. It gives me space to decompress so I can re-enter my home life with more energy.

✦ Communicate Your Needs

Don’t bottle up your stress. Talk to your partner, friends, or even your own kids about what you need. Sometimes it’s 20 minutes to read or journal, sometimes it’s just quiet. The people who love you want to support you—let them.

✦ Find a Hobby (Yes, Really!)

I recently started gardening—yes, me, the self-proclaimed black thumb. And guess what? I love it. Planting flowers, watching vegetables grow, even pulling weeds—it’s oddly therapeutic. Find something just for you that has nothing to do with your teacher identity.

Let’s Find the Joy Again

I know—this part feels hard. But it is possible. The joy may not come back all at once, but small steps matter. Ask yourself:

What’s one tiny change I can make today to start feeling better in this work again?

And when you figure it out, share it with someone. Share it with me. If you don’t have anyone in your circle who “gets it,” pull up a virtual chair. I’m here. Message me. Let’s talk.

Because this work is too important—and you are too valuable—to do it alone.

Tag: teacher

Helping Students Manage Big Feelings: Free SEL Calm-Down Toolkit