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In this episode, we are talking all about teacher burnout and how to find your motivation when you are still exhausted from the last school year. We were inspired by a tweet by Pernille Ripp, and will talk about how we can reset for the new school year. We will talk about our experiences, and will share some ideas and strategies.
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Show Notes
This week, we thought we would approach this episode a little bit differently than we normally do. Instead of sharing a tech tool or talking EdTech specifically, we thought we would discuss a tweet about teacher burnout and back to school, that caught our eye.
Here is the tweet:
A few teachers have reached out wondering how to get excited about the year ahead when they are still burnt out, I shared my ideas, but would love to hear yours? How are you managing?
— Pernille Ripp (@pernilleripp) July 21, 2021
Last year was such a hard year for many, if not all, educators. So this summer, we are really needing to take the time to decompress and recover. That being said, we are really not sure about whether we will even feel ready and rested for return to school in September.
This summer has not felt like other summers; our energy to read or engage in learning is not the same, and we are still feeling exhausted! We are not ready to even think about going back yet! Just knowing that it’s only weeks before we have to return, we feel like it’s not enough time!
What is Rachel doing to help decompress?
She is still working a bit on some summer writing, which, while it is work, it is still helping her to feel ready for the new school year. She is taking all of her learning from this year, and creating resources that teachers can then take and learn from!
Otherwise, she has been focusing on stuff around her house, and making improvements there!
What is Katie doing to help decompress?
Once school ended, she and her family decided last minute to head up to one of the family cottages for a few days. This cottage has no cell reception, no wifi, no tv, etc. so it was a forced unplug, which was much needed.
This year, particularly with closures, cases in school, etc. it felt like she was attached to her email, messaging, etc. to stay on top of things, responding to emails at all times of day. The getaway without reception helped to remove that compulsive habit and to force some much needed relaxation!
From there, Katie was also able to visit with her parents at their cottage, and also did some camping in her new trailer! The focus has really been on family,
However, Katie is still struggling to open a book and read, which is something that is really unusual, as she typically reads upwards of 20 books every summer! So this year has really taken a toll on her, and her physical and mental health. The burn out is real.
The Tweet’s Responses
At the time of recording, the tweet had been published for less than a week, and in that time alone, there were 167 comments, 98 retweets, and 768 likes. That speaks volumes as to how everyone is feeling, and how we are trying to figure out how to manage the return!
Let’s go over some of the main themes or messaging in the responses.
Organization
One of the main themes we picked up on was an educator’s joy in planners and stationary. Many educators are super excited to pick out their planner, and get started with organizing the new school year. And of course, what’s a new planner without new multicolour pens or markers?!
Many educators thrive on organization, so while it may seem silly, a planner is a great way to start thinking about what you are going to teach, and jotting down some short range and/or long range plans for the courses you are going to be teaching this coming school year.
Remember, if teachers are feeling anxious about start up, it is extremely likely that our students are feeling the same way. Take the time to get to know your students, help them deal with the anxieties of being in a building, or in a virtual course. Covid has not been easy, so fostering relationships with students really helps everyone feel connected and ready to forge ahead with this school year.
Planning and organizing for the new school year, though, is a really great way to calm your nerves, and to mentally prepare for the return. It will help you feel like you have more control over start up, which is important.
Planners are great, and there are so many options out there! There are even digital planners that you can purchase, or you can use Google Calendar to help get organized and start your planning. Google Tasks is also a great way to stay on top of things you want to do, planning, etc.
In addition, there are great templates on Slidesmania and Canva that you can use and customize to fit your own teaching purposes!
What are you using as a planner? We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a comment here on our site, or leave a message on our flipgrid!
Another part of the theme of organization that educators seem to be sharing is that they have been organizing their homes as well! This has been helpful in turning off our teacher brains for a bit, and refocusing that energy on our homes. Plus, after being at home so much during Covid, our homes are much more lived in, and with Amazon and other online shopping, we have been acquiring more “things,” which after a while necessitates a reorganization and purge of possessions that are no longer being used.
Cleaning and organizing your home really are great ways to refocus your energy, and reset your brain so that you will be ready to return to work more productive, and hopefully no long burnt out!
Reintroducing Social Situations
After so many lockdowns and school closures, it is amazing how much our children are affected socially. Having spent so much more time as a family, and not seeing friends or family, it is time to slowly reintroduce socialization (responsibly, of course!).
Summer camps have been a great way to reintroduce kiddos to interacting with other people. Plus, it is great for parents too, as they can worry a little less about their kids, and feel more comfortable with the return to school.
Going to local parks, splash pads, etc are also great ways to reintroduce a social situations and relationships again. Even shopping is helpful, as we are all learning how to be around people again!
Having Fun!
Many educators are sharing ideas about how to decompress by going out and having fun, and not even thinking about anything school related! Whether it be camping, amusement parks, water parks, etc. it’s important to add a bit of these normal and fun activities during our summer breaks.
Katie plans to head up to Lake Superior for a couple weeks to camp and explore a part of the province that she has never seen.
Rachel is also planning to go camping for a week! A week away from home will be great and exciting for the whole family.
Even if you don’t have the means to get away on a vacation, even just taking advantage of local parks, free admission deals, etc. is a great way to have a little fun, and take a break from home and work.
Setting Boundaries
Another theme that is quite common in the responses is the importance of setting boundaries with one’s time this coming school year.
Covid and constantly shifting between in-person and remote learning has really taken up a lot more of our time in a day, and has removed quite a bit of balance. It has had a really significant impact on our families and our mental health this past year.
Many educators are going to set daily times where they are available and will work hard, but after that time, it is their own time to spend with their families, doing work around their home, etc. They have recognized how important it is to have a clear distinction between work and home, and want to set boundaries to maintain these different areas of their lives.
There is a theory that by setting an actual time limit or stop time, that if you respect that stop time, then you will get done whatever tasks you needed to get done on time. However, you need that hard cut off time in order to make this work. If there isn’t a fixed end time, then it’s easy to get distracted by many other things that you need to do, and you will then drag on the hours needed to get important tasks completed.
Start with specific to-do lists that are very clear, and chunk it out in parts. Set time limits and specific goals to complete so that it is manageable and easier to accomplish.
Try something new!
Another approach that educators are taking to get excited and energized for the new school year is to try something new and innovative in their courses! This is such a great way to approach the year, as it can be really exciting to learn something new and actually get started with implementation with your students.
It doesn’t have to be huge, but even just one new lesson or strategy that you want to try out can make a big difference!
Katie’s “New” Approach
Last year was particularly tough, as she had to teach two 4-way ESL (English as a Second/Additional Language) splits, one in quadmester 3, the other in quadmester 4. This forced her to really change the way she approached the themes/content, and the second time around she had the students choose some the topics they covered in class.
It was amazing how successful it was, and so she wants to move forward with this again this year, but in a more structured way that makes it easier to integrate some of the lessons or activities that she’s created previously. As such, the first couple of weeks will be a lot of getting to know the students, and having them all share ideas about topics or themes that they can use to learn the required skills.
Rachel’s “New” Approach
Rachel has been learning about self-paced and mastery-based teaching approaches, and has been working on creating resources that educators can take and use to implement these approaches in their classrooms.
She hopes to work with teachers more this year to get educators excited about PD, and to develop and provide PD that teachers want.
Setting Personal Goals
Another recurring theme in the responses was the idea of setting personal goals this year, and not just school goals, but a goal that focuses on yourself! Think about something that you’ve always wanted to do; may fitness, music, getting more sleep, meditation, etc.
Rachel’s personal goal is to continue working on the podcast and creating more blog posts that will help benefit educators around the world. Rachel and her family have also been learning how to play music using an app called Yousician. It is a paid subscription where you can learn how to play guitar, piano, ukulele, bass or vocals. She also wants to work on strength training again to bring back a physical outlet to destress.
Katie is also quite excited about podcasting, as it is her passion project as well. However, she started learning violin in January, so continuing to learn how to play the violin is a big personal goal that she has. One last goal or outlet is cardio kickboxing – it is an amazing way to destress and feel strong.
One last thing Katie and her family is doing is a push-up challenge. You start with Day 1, 1 push up, and add a push up each day. You don’t have to do them all at once, you can take a break – the goal is to complete the number of pushups in that 24 hour day.
Reading
A lot of educators have been taking time to read in order to take a mental break, and then be able to move forward. Whether it be hard copy books or digital books, reading can be a great way to relax, destress, and also learn new strategies and ideas that you can use in the new school year.
Sometimes even reading a series or books that you’ve already read is a great way to destress. You know what to expect, and the familiar reading can be helpful to feel calm and decompress after such a difficult year.
Overall, the biggest takeaway from this tweet is that you have to find what works for you to destress and recover from this challenging school year. Everyone has an outlet that works best for them, so figure out what works for you, and carve out the time to take care of yourself.
With a new and unpredictable school year edging closer, it is so important that educators take the time to focus on themselves and their own healing so that they can start a new school year refreshed and energized.
