In the wee hours of this morning, another of my 24-year-old son’s friends killed himself. I say another because the first one was about a year ago. Two close friends in two years. Here at The Educator’s Room, we constantly talk about self-care. We constantly are saying how important it is to take care of ourselves […]
self-care
Posted inTeacher Self Care
Depression Kills Teachers if Left Untreated: It Should Not Kill Their Careers
Recently, I learned that I have been blackballed from a school district from what was cited as “poor performance” after receiving summary evaluation marks that demonstrated performance far above “poor.” In talking to people I used to work for, the only conclusion I could come to (since the school district failed to provide me with […]
Posted inTeacher Self Care
Amidst Declining Mental Health in Teachers, What Can Administrators Do?
In 2017, a survey conducted by the American Federation of Teachers and the Badass Teachers Association indicated that more than half of the teachers surveyed said their mental health was “not good” while a survey from 2015 showed that only 34% of teachers felt this way (USA Today, 2017). Unfortunately, amongst the many teachers I’ve […]
Posted inTeacher Self Care
Teachers, Don’t Spend All Summer in PD; Practice Some Self-Care
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia for the first time. My boys really love aquariums, so we had planned to travel to Atlanta at some point to visit the Georgia Aquarium. When I heard about the Teacher Self Care Conference taking place in Atlanta, it was an opportunity to […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Teacher Self-Care: Great Tips PLUS A Hyperdoc To Share!
How often do you think about self-care? At the beginning of the year? During grading periods when you’re stressed out and wondering why you’re teaching? When you’ve had a fabulous weekend/day/month off and you think about how awesome it feels? When you’ve had enough and decide to take a ‘mental health sick day’?s That’s what […]
Posted inTeacher Self Care
Teachers who Practice Self-Care: Selfish or Sustainable?
Teacher burnout is a phrase that we hear all too often in the field of education, and it’s no wonder with all that teachers must juggle day in and day out. Most teachers take their work home: planning, grading and brainstorming well into the evening and on the weekend. Add those tasks to extra-curricular activities […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Secondary Trauma and The Teachers That It Affects
It is 30 days into the school year. So far I have listened to or read stories about my students experiencing homelessness, bullying, deaths of family members, suicidal thoughts, and sexual abuse. These traumatic events weigh down on our students. Unfortunately, as we know, our schools do not have enough mental health supports. If we […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Going Through a Divorce While Teaching? Here’s Some Steps to Overcoming
Imagine this. You work 60 hours a week as a teacher, full-time parent, and devoted spouse. You spend your nights grading papers, checking your kid’s homework and making sure your spouse is ready for their day at work. You operate like this for close to a decade until you come home and like a “smack […]