It’s 3:30 pm and all of the students have finally cleared campus. You start to gather your belongings to do some grading when the dreaded voice on the intercom comes on. “Faculty and staff our faculty meeting will start promptly at 3:45 pm. Please do not be late as we expect to go until 5:00 […]
Teacher Burnout
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
I Left The Classroom for A Central Office Job…This is My Letter to My Former Students
Dear Students, I didn’t leave because of you. I don’t love you any less. I won’t stop thinking about you or missing you or hoping you are well. You know how much I love you. I won’t stop wondering about how you are doing or forget your sweet faces or devious antics. I can’t imagine life […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
10 Ways to Be a More Productive Teacher in the New School Year
Being a productive teacher felt like the impossible goal. I had a million to-dos and only so many hours to do it in. Anyone out there feel my pain? Usually, my preparation time turned into me doing the things I liked the most first. Then, I’d chat with a coworker for a bit and scramble […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Toxins in the Break Room: How Teacher Appreciation Sabotages Teacher Health
Walking past the teacher break room, I peer in and see platters of sweet treats, both homemade and store-bought intended to show love and appreciation for hard-working teachers. It is lovely, really. Administrators and parents took the time and effort to bring these treats into school to celebrate our hard work and welcome us back […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
You Can Always Find the Re-Igniting Fuel in Teaching
It’s the time of the year that we all look forward to the end of the school year. Teachers finally get the opportunity to sit down while enjoying their lunch, use the restroom without a bell schedule, reclaim some free time in the evenings, and truly, honestly, relax. This is the time of year for […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Initiative Overload: A Teacher’s Harsh Reality
“What do you do, as teachers, to take care of your students?” Hands went up throughout the room. My colleagues and I, at the school where I have been teaching for the past 15 years, were attending a CPI session on non-violent crisis prevention and intervention. After a brief discussion, the session coach then asked, […]
Posted inTeacher Burnout
Fitting in Fitness as a Teacher..Can It Be Done?
Teaching requires an exorbitant amount of energy. Each day we face classroom management, grading, lesson planning, parent communication, and faculty meetings, so it’s hard to imagine squeezing anything else into our jam-packed schedule. Not to mention, going home and relaxing for thirty minutes sounds a lot more appealing that heading into a sweaty gym full […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Changing Schools: How do you know when it’s time to go?
How do you know when to leave? When to change your job, school, district, profession? There is only one thing that is unfailingly true: no matter what, someone will disagree with your choice. I am not talking about the obvious stuff: total misery, incompatible supervisor, burn-out, moving for love. I am talking about the times when […]