March is here, and you know what that means—March Madness! But we’re not talking about basketball. Although, if you’ve got a bracket going, I hope you’re winning! (I always pick the team with the cutest mascot and honestly, it works pretty well–go Huskies!).
In this month’s Thrive Archive, we’re talking about the madness of March in education—that time of year when spring break is in sight, testing season looms, and students start climbing the walls like they’re training for American Ninja Warrior. You know the vibe.
Microhabit of the Month
Never fear! We have the Final Four neuroscience-backed habits that can help you thrive in the spring. Every year in the Thriving Students Collective, we host a March Madness of our own with weekly match-ups!
This year in March (Educator) Madness, I’ll be coaching you with the pro-tips from these hot match ups:
🏀 Decision Fatigue vs. Simplification – Simplifying decision-making processes to conserve mental energy (at home and and school)
🏀 Dopamine vs. Serotonin – Engaging in activities that boost serotonin levels to promote a sense of calm and happiness during the school day
🏀 Prioritization vs. Endless To-Do List – Developing strategies to prioritize tasks effectively, preventing overwhelm from an ever-growing to-do list.
🏀 Obligation vs. Conscious Choice – Shifting from a mindset of obligation to one of conscious choice, empowering strategic decision making for burnout prevention
Each of these strategies is explored in our weekly video series and customizable brackets to jot down personal wins throughout March!
Investing just a few minutes each week can provide you and your colleagues in education with valuable insights and tools to manage stress and maintain balance. Sign up here!
Plus, we have an “Overtime” zoom call where we introduce the “secret weapon” to working smarter, not harder….okay it’s not a secret, it’s AI!
When you enroll in March Madness for Educators, you will get a special invitation to this free live training, where we will teach you how to use AI to level up your burnout prevention game! GAME ON.
You + Me in 3D!
February was a whirlwind of fun, traveling to some of my favorite conferences (don’t tell the other conferences they’re my faves!).
Learning and the Brain
I loved connecting with hundreds of teachers in person at the Learning and the Brain conference in San Francisco!
I shared 10 strength-based microhabits to prevent educator burnout, and we learned all about how to cultivate our “Thrive Ratio” — the statistical measure for how much time in the day we spend in flow state to protect ourselves from burnout.
Missed it? Want to know about this magical Thrive Ratio yourself? Not to worry, I have a FREE workshop series just for educators on these microhabits that you can enjoy from your laptop, no travel required! Click here to save your spot!
National Association of School Psychologists
The NASP convention in Seattle did NOT disappoint! Whether you were there or not, here are the highlights:
🕺 90s Dance Party Fun! – The welcome party is always a blast, and this year’s theme of dress to the NINE-ties was epic. For a full reel of all the shenanigans, hop over here to my Insta!
🌼 Meeting of the “Marigolds” – We met with all of our Thriving Students Collective district partners (whom we call marigolds, because they help everyone around them thrive, just like marigolds in a garden do!). This year’s Marigold Awards went to Fairfax County School District in Virginia for the most marigold-y school psychologists and to Appoquinimink School District for the most marigold-y teachers! Congrats!!!
🗣️ Professional Yapper Lost Her Voice – I socialized so hard at the Thriving Students Collective booth, I legit lost my voice. Worth it.
Next up—March events!
🚀 AASA – School Superintendents Association (New Orleans March 6-8th) – Catch us at the Thriving Students Collective booth to learn about our “Tier Zero” supports for your MTSS initiatives– foundational supports for your educators to prevent burnout and turnover!
🎤 Keynoting for UFT School Counselors Conference (New York City March 22nd) – I’ll be talking all things AI and wellness–for both you and your students! UFT counselors, hope to see you there!
LilyAssist for School Psychologists
But the real reason I lost my voice at NASP? I was talking with thousands of school psychs about the debut of LilyAssist, our new AI-assisted report writer for school psychs! LilyAssist is already saving school psychs HOURS of work and giving them their nights and weekends back to protect them from burnout.
🐸 Want to see what all the hype is about?
School psychs – Try LilyAssist for FREE for 7 days here!
District leaders – Learn how to support your school psychs with LilyAssist here!
And if you’re already a Thriving School Psych or Thriving Social Worker member, you’ve got full access inside your learning portal at no extra charge!
Cringe TikTok of the Month
My daughter begged me to keep this Tiktok in drafts. 🤣
Special thanks to my Bay Area peeps for rollin up with me for this book signing event at Barnes & Noble in Walnut Creek! (And if you don’t have TikTok–I reposted on Instagram reels here, to double the cringe reach).
See you in April for the next Thrive Archive digest!
If you’re interested in being a part of the Thriving Students Collective community and would like more information about how to bring the Thriving Students Platform to your school or district, CLICK HERE to connect with us.
Want more K12 News You Can Use? Subscribe here!
***
Dr. Rebecca Branstetter is a school psychologist and founder of The Thriving Students Collective, which provides professional development, engaging online courses, and a supportive online community that prioritizes whole-school wellness and equips educators and parents with practical tools to empower every learner’s success. She also has a TikTok account all about burnout prevention in K12 that her middle school daughter has endorsed as “Cringe, but good dancing.”
