Story: Racheal the Joyful School Teacher

Planner Girl

Oct 29

This audio is a taste of our course Passive Income Planner Girl

Meet Racheal.

Mid-lockdown, she found herself teetering on the edge of burn-out.

Home-bound, knee deep in her toddler’s wooden train tracks, plastic buckets and spades and giant lego mountains, just making it to the coffee machine each morning became a hazard for her tired feet.

On a normal day during a normal year, Racheal would pride herself on being able to keep her home in order and stay on top of her lesson plans and marking. But this was too much. She watched as clutter began to collect in the corners. As piles of homework containing a lifeforce of their own would grow. And tasks she would normally relish in like planning fun Geography lessons for her year 6’s, began to trigger anxiety.

“How on earth could all this be possible?” She asked out loud in utter frustration as she nursed a stubbed toe and kicked aside the small plastic doll that had maimed her.

Ah Netflix, the balm for a burned-out soul. Kids in bed, tired but wired, Racheal began watching one, then two episodes an evening of her favourite series to zone out for a moment.

On one such evening, she discovered a series on Marie Kondo’s concept of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. This was not just another daytime program on how to stay on top of your chores. But a whole new way of thinking.

Hold the item. Does it spark joy?

“Joy! Yes!” Could this be the secret ingredient Racheal had been seeking?

She became a woman obsessed. Only things that sparked joy could exist in her home from now on. She took it one piece at a time, one day at a time. And standing back 3 months later admiring her progress. It wasn’t perfect, but she realized she enjoyed being at home again. She enjoyed playing with her kids again.

“What would happen if I added joy into EVERYTHING?” She pondered.

Her home desk became a little space of inspiration with her favorite stationary, a small vase of flowers and her orange-scented candle burning while she’d lead her zoom classes.

Racheal began making beautiful teaching materials, and checklists. Her year 6’s loved their new fun and colorful worksheets. She became rather good at designing joyful lesson plans and weekly spreads to manage all the teacher duties. Infusing everything with joy.

She began to share her creations with fellow frazzled teacher friends and watched her secret ingredient work its magic on them too.

“I think I’m onto something.”