In the second installment of our new interview series we talk with Kezia Plummer. Kezia is a speech language pathologist teaching in Brooklyn. We first met Kezia as a Self-Care Workshop participant and she has quickly become one of our greatest advocates for the self-care practice. Starting this fall, we are proud to have her join the team as one of our Self-Care Workshop facilitators. She spoke to us about the importance of self-care and how working small can help you achieve big goals.
Audio Transcript:
SARAH: Hello, this is Sarah Krauss and I’d like to welcome you to our new project where we’ll be sharing a series of short interviews with educators across the country to find out how they are implementing authenticity in their classrooms.
Our next interview is with Kezia Plummer, a speech language pathologist teaching in Brooklyn. We first met Kezia when at one of our Self-Care for Educators Workshop this summer. Her warmth and wisdom quickly established her as a leader in the community. Kezia has become one of our greatest advocates for self-care and we’re proud to have her now join the team as one of our Self-Care Workshop facilitators.
Kezia thank you so much for talking with me.
KEZIA: Thank you for the opportunity.
SARAH: So, we first got to know you through our weekly Self-Care Workshops. Now, the workshops are free and we invite educators to drop in whenever they want. So, teachers come when they feel like they need an extra boost, some teachers join us once or twice a month, some drop in every once in a while, but you came back week after week after week. Clearly something was really resonating with you about these workshops. So, I guess my first question is, what is it about the self-care practice that brings you back to it every week.
KEZIA: So, I come every week because it’s just one more way for me to be intentional about making my self-care a priority. It’s a way for me to improve my relationship with myself which I think is very important when you work with people. And if we can’t have a good relationship with ourselves, I don’t think we can have a great relationship with others. So I think it’s really important for us to prioritize our self-care. You know as they say, you can’t pour from an empty cup so I try to do what I can do to keep my self care at a good balanced level so that I can show up and be my best self for others. And I just liked that this Self-Care Workshop was something I could just sign into every week if I want to and get a recharge or connect with other people who may be having some of the same feelings that I’m feeling.
SARAH: Yeah, it’s always so good to know that you are not alone in this especially this year. So, in addition to sharing the way that we’re feeling in the workshop as you know we also create a plan for our week ahead. Something that we can create and implement to help us in the future and those are our S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym, it stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound. So: S.M.A.R.T. So, an example is, instead of saying “I’m going to work out more.” if you want to make it a S.M.A.R.T. goal you might say “I’m going to work out for thirty minutes, three times a week, for a month and then asses how it’s working for me.” Now, I know you are a huge fan of S.M.A.R.T. goals so I’d love for you to explain a little bit more why you love S.M.A.R.T. goals as a self care tool.
KEZIA: The great thing about a S.M.A.R.T. goal is that because it’s so specific and measurable and relevant and time bound, you have that room task analyze, and take a task and break it into smaller manageable goals to achieve that bigger long term goal. There’s no confusion with it. It’s trackable. It gives you that room to, you know, track your progress, see evidence that you’re making progress, to create a goal you can actually be successful at and not set yourself up to fail. For people who are always saying, “I want to make a change.” but nothing happens. If you write your goals down, and get it on paper in a smart goal type of format, there’s very little room to not achieve it.
SARAH: So what is your self care S.M.A.R.T. goal this week.
KEZIA: My S.M.A.R.T. goal for this week is going to be, for three out of seven days, I’m going to se aside 30 minutes and read something either from my mindful magazine or from a book off my shelf.
SARAH: That is a great goal. So, this has been a really tough year for year for teacher, sort of unlike any other. You seem to be finding some really great ways to manage your stress. The Self-Care Workshops for one, but also I’m constantly impressed by your mindset in general. So, what would you recommend to teachers who are feeling overwhelmed and stressed this year?
KEZIA: You know Sarah, like you said it’s a tough year for everyone. The whole world is living in uncertainty. No one knows from day to day...I mean I was just home for 14 days because there was a covid case in our building so the school building was closed for 14 days and then today I had to go back in. So I had to be intentional last night about setting my alarm to get up earlier to actually get up to go to work today. Which is out of my control. So, I would say to educators to, you know, go easy on yourself. Know that as long as you’re doing your best, there’s nothing to worry about. We can’t control everything and I’m learning that more and more every day. You know, be brave enough to ask for help. You know, some people don’t like to ask for help or they’re just not accustomed to asking for help but I think right now more than ever, everybody needs help from somebody in some way. So be brave enough to ask for help. Take breaks in your day, and just, like i’ve been telling a lot of my friends, treat yourself as you would treat your best friend. I think if we could all adapt that mindset, of treating ourselves as we treat our best friend. Like, what would you tell your best friend if they came to you really stressed out or with a problem. What would you say to them? So say that to yourself. When you’re having a hard time. I think if we keep all of those things in mind, it would help us feel a little better and go through our days with a little bit more ease.
SARAH: Yeah, that doesn’t come naturally for a lot of people, myself included. I think that it’s something we have to practice almost like a muscle, being gentle and gracious with ourselves. Especially for educators who are often so used to being the caretakers and not used to being cared for.
KEZIA: It is a muscle! It is like a muscle. It’s like when you work out. If you work on a particular muscle it gets stronger and stronger and stronger. It’s the same thing with our behaviors they’re like muscles. So, the good behaviors that we want to continue are like muscles and also the ones that we don’t like we also strengthen those behaviors when we keep doing it. We strengthen those muscles also.
SARAH: Totally
KEZIA: You know, we just want to be more mindful about strengthening the muscles of the behaviors we want to see more of because it is achievable. We just have to be intentional about it.
SARAH: Absolutely. Ament to that. Kezia, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me.
Ok that’s all for now. Thank you so much for listening. To find out more about The Children’s Arts Guild visit www.childrensartsguild.org . Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on all our upcoming work, including links to our weekly self-care sessions every Thursday at 5pm eastern. We hope to see you there.