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Tips for Teachers for When the Pressure Mounts
By Susan Rismiller
When the increased collaborative and social requirements of our teaching day begin to wear us down, what’s a teacher to do?
There is no denying it: today’s education landscape is steeped in the “togetherness” of collegial partnerships, professional learning communities, and mentoring relationships. Research indicates that student achievement is tied to the quality of our teams’ ability to support each other. The very definition of the teaching professional has changed; our interpersonal skills and ability to share ideas have become as important as lesson planning and organizational skills. The age of the singular teacher holed up in her classroom all day is passé.
I am a big fan of common planning time and mentoring programs. Over 15 years ago, I was part of the first collegial support group for our school’s Emotional Disabilities teachers. I’ve enthusiastically attended PLC training, cooperative teacher training, and training on how to teach others how to train. Teamwork is a good thing, both for teachers and for their students.
That’s why I make it my goal each day to carve out some time and energy that is for ME—just me.
It’s not unlike the challenges that new moms face: to be the very best mom possible, experts suggest taking time to meet one’s own needs as well. Back in the day, this advice worked for me. Even though I loved being home with my little ones, if I didn’t make time to “get away”, I lacked energy, focus, and got very, very testy. Nobody benefited when I was drained and short tempered, least of all my family. And now, my students and co-workers don’t benefit when I am grumpy and uninspired.
Here are some suggestions:
No matter what, take a break everyday.
I drill this into my student teachers, interns, and instructional assistants. As a matter of course, don’t work through lunch; instead, make time to breathe, relax, even laugh a little. By way of example, I use my break to walk away, find a quiet spot to read, meditate, or chat with the ladies. A midday respite is key to maintaining my calm demeanor and high energy level throughout the last 4 hours of the day.
Take control of your schedule (as much as possible).
To find my alone time, I commit to coming in early each morning. (I relish the opportunity to prepare well in relative quiet; I can come alive slowly, like the building that I love.) Every school has the stay-late crowd, and the close-the-door-and-hide-during planning time folks. We’re teachers. We do what we need to do.
Seek balance in your out-of-school life.
The social nature and stressors of our job, coupled with the routine home responsibilities, can lead to a level of burn-out that impacts every facet of our lives. My former principal and mentor encouraged his staff to keep school and home in perspective, with an emphasis on taking care of family issues as needed. He modeled having hobbies that brought him pleasure. Some were solitary, and some were social; but all were pursued with a joyful heart.
I choose the quiet practice of reading and writing about teaching. One of my teaching friends finds that the inward focus of yoga has helped her stay in the teaching game much longer than she thought possible. Others knit, or sculpt, or bird watch. One of my favorite teachers kept her edge by hiding out in her bedroom and writing songs. It didn’t matter that few people ever heard them.
So, tomorrow after dismissal, I am slated to go to a working meeting of 15 people to prepare a presentation for a meeting of 70. The calendar shows no less than 5 additional collaborative activities planned for the rest of the week. With all of that, and the pressure of actually teaching my students, I will need to follow my own suggestions. If I do, I’ll be able to take a deep breath and know I am getting the time I need to be the best I can be.
