Hey, overachiever! Yes, you, the perfectionist who wants to do it all and then some more. The teacher who spends all her money on her classroom and all her free time searching for the most engaging way to teach (insert topic here) and all her energy on inspiring little learners.
Have you done any of the following during the last school year?
- stayed at school past 5:30 pm
- worked through your lunch break
- come up to school on a WEEKEND
- spent more than an hour working on school stuff AT HOME
- needed more than 2 cups of coffee/soda to keep you going during the school day
- had a total mental freak-out/breakdown from stress build-up
If you answered “YES” to one or more of those, please stick around and read this post!!
Have you ever heard the catch-phrase “Put students first”? I hear it come up (or some form of it) in school mission statements, in faculty meetings, and on school district websites. It’s like a badge of honor when someone starts going on about how we “put kids first.” Here is the big problem with that phrase (or that kind of thinking.) People often seem to forget, that in order to “put students first,” we can’t put teachers last!
The purpose of my post today is to encourage (to implore, to BEG!) you, dear teacher, to put YOURSELF first.
And here are some specific ideas (and one big secret!) on how you can do just that.
First, let me start with a quick walk down memory lane. For most of my teaching life, I was the typical overachieving, self-sacrificing, must-do-it-all kind of teacher. I volunteered for everything I could (team leader, committee chair, professional development opportunities, pilot programs, grants, mentoring roles, and so much more). I spent my summers unit planning, hunting down classroom decor, and preparing all the games and stations and centers I could come up with. During the year, I often left school after dark and came up most weekends. I lived in a constant state of “preparation and planning.”
Because of all this, I often lived in a state of frustration and dissatisfaction. Most of the time, I felt let down because all of my planning didn’t create the perfect lesson/activity/school day that I had imagined it would, I felt unappreciated for all my “personal sacrifices” and hard work, and I felt stressed from the weight of all the other responsibilities that go with teaching. I wasn’t the “perfect” teacher I wanted to be and I was tired, isolated, and losing my steam quickly.
And, yes! “Meetings” is up there 3 times…
Eventually, I left the classroom and tried out other roles, like working as an Instructional Coach and then an Intervention Teacher. When I returned to the classroom last year, I knew I couldn’t just go back to my old habits. I didn’t want to feel the way I’d felt back then. If you read my post, Taming the Teacher Work Week, you know that I stopped staying late and coming up on weekends. That made a HUGE difference and was part of a shift in how I approached teaching in general.
The big shift was that I started to put myself first. And once I started taking care of me, I found that I had more energy for my students and more passion for teaching. I was more present than I’d ever been before, and because of that my instruction was more focused and flexible, my connection with students was more powerful, and I was an all-around happier teacher, mother, friend, and person!
3 Ways to Put Yourself First
#1: Learn to Say “No” Without Feeling Guilty
This was so hard for me and still is. As teachers, we’re natural caregivers and often people-pleasers. But here is what I finally came to realize – I’m not helping anyone if I’m overworked, stressed, tired, and resentful. As a teacher, what matters most is that I’m focused and excited when I’m with my students.
So maybe you don’t have to be Chair of the Math Vertical Team AND Team Leader AND on the School Improvement Committee AND be a PTA Officer AND offer after-school tutoring. Pick one thing and let the rest go.
#2: Stay in the Moment (As Much As Possible)
Also hard for me! Because I am a natural planner and teaching involves a lot of planning, it’s easy for me to get caught up in the preparation side of things. I’d get caught in a preparation frenzy!
A preparation frenzy is when you find yourself constantly preparing, even while you’re supposed to be teaching or taking a break. I’d be updating lesson plans while my students were in math stations, I’d be gathering materials for science during independent writing, and I’d be running copies during my lunch break.
I had to FORCE myself to stop all that. Instead, I prepare what I can during my planning period and that hour I stay after school, but whatever isn’t done during that time, I just have to let go. When my students are in the room, I focus on teaching and learning, not planning!
#3: Invest in Yourself
There are so many amazing trainings out there that can make your teacher-life a little easier. Look for professional development or collaboration opportunities that will improve your efficiency or reduce your stress-level.
Classroom management is a common stressor among teachers, so I created my Classroom Management Makeover Course to share tips, tricks, and tools for making the trickiest part of teaching a lot easier!
Again, I truly believe that in order to put kids first, we have to put teachers first. And I know that doesn’t exactly make sense, but I like to think about it like the oxygen masks on an airplane. They always tell you to put the oxygen mask on YOURSELF first before helping children or others nearby. That’s because if you haven’t taken care of yourself, you aren’t much good to anyone else!
