If you’ve entered the teaching profession, the chances are
you’ve encountered more than your share of teacher stress. It’s an unfortunate given of the job as we
try, as best as we can, to meet the unique and individual needs of our students. Many new teachers struggle to make it past
the first five years of teaching because the stress has gotten to them. But with almost 23 years of teaching
experience I’ll let you in on a little secret, there are things we can do to
help better deal with the copious amount of stress this job throws at us.
Celebrate the Little
Things
Often as teachers we are so immersed in teaching and
learning we forget to take the time to celebrate the little things. But the thing is without these little steps
there would be no growth. Look, and yes sometimes
it’s hard to see, but notice the small steps your students are making and
celebrate them!
Don’t Take Yourself
Too Seriously
Don’t get me wrong I strongly believe our job is very
important as we have a hand in shaping the future of the next generation. We might be the first person to believe in a
child, or the only person a child can trust.
But as important as our job is it is so important that we don’t take
ourselves too seriously. Have some fun with the job, laugh with your students.
Take the time to play. Never take yourself too seriously.
Be Flexible
One constant we have as teachers is that there are many
things out of our control. Some of those
things might drive us complete crazy, but the reality is we work in a system
that is far more complicated than just us.
Being flexible is one way to deal with these constant changes.
Take Time For
Yourself
Teaching is one of those jobs that can constantly demand
your time. There is always another article to read, another student or parent
to connect with, or another lesson to plan. It’s a job that can take every free
moment of your day… if you let it. Don’t!
We are no good to anyone if we aren’t good to ourselves. Take time for yourself. Breathe, walk away,
get outside, travel, garden, read books for pleasure or whatever; do what makes
your heart smile.
Be Active
Exercise is the secret drug of life. It helps keep you
grounded and focused on what you need to achieve. It helps keep stress from taking over. Now I’m not saying go sign up for the local
marathon but make a commitment to yourself to get your body moving regularly. It
can be a simple as going for a walk over your lunch hour, or having a regular
workout regime. However you make it
work, make time to be physically active.
What do you do to combat teacher stress?
*This
post is part of a series of monthly questions that Cathy Rubin is asking several education bloggers to
respond to. This month's question was "What are quick ways to combat
teacher stress in a classroom?" It is an honour to be a part of this
group. Please check out the complete list of posts here .
Great list. All of these are so important. I really like "don't take yourself too seriously." Always look for the silly, fun, or ridiculous that happens and laugh!
ReplyDeleteThanks Scott for the comment. I hope you are well in your part of the world.
DeleteYes! Finally something about teacher stress.
ReplyDelete