Teacher stress? “Fa-la-la-la-la, please don’t mention it. Fa-la-la-la-la, going to my happy place.”
Yep! That’s my reaction. I’m hesitant to bring up teacher stress, especially smack-dab in the middle of the summer. But here’s the deal: if we chat about teacher stress before it strikes, I think we can help each other be better prepared to handle it.
So where do we start? I know that when I begin feeling overwhelmed my stress level skyrockets. Then, before I know it, I’ve spent valuable time and energy simply being overwhelmed. And what good does that do me? My best strategy for harnessing this type of stress is to focus on a solution. Sometimes I simply have to prioritize my tasks. Other times I have to reevaluate my personal expectations. And sometimes I simply have to ask for help. (That’s hard to do, isn’t it?)
What about you? What tips do you have for handling the stresses that come with teaching? I really think we can help each other out!
Thinking of you,
Diane
PS: Remember that July 20th (that’s tomorrow!!) is the last day to be entered in our gift certificate giveaway. Check out “The Mailbox.com Makeover” for details. Congrats to our contest winners, Ruth and Bee!
I think the best way to relieve stress is to focus on one task at a time. It is very overwhelming to see everything that needs to be done. It helps to step back and pick the most important thing, do it, then go on to the next task. Students get overwhelmed, too. If I give them too much to do, they can’t focus on what needs to be done first. We need to help them step back and prioritize. It also helps to only give them one or two tasks at a time. I do that with my summer tasks, too. The closets are still waiting!
In addition to Paula’s comment I also think its helpful to use a monthly calendar and mark it with duedates of the things you want to accomplish by a particular time. Seeing how much time or lack of time I have helps me prioritize.
Any tips on stress relief would be greatly appreciated.
I think that most of my stress comes from administrators and sometimes parents — not the students! 😉
I agree with a previous poster that we need to focus on one thing at a time. I make a list and check things off as I finish them. It feels rewarding to see a list with check marks next to everything.
The most important thing I do to relieve stress is to be OVERLY organized. For example, I have folders for papers that need to be graded, folders for graded papers, a file folder for each student, etc.
Another trick to handling stress is to try to handle papers only once. For example, once I read memos from the principal, they go straight into the memo folder in my file cabinet. If I stack papers to be filed later, I end up handling them many more times than necessary!
I also use my summer to prepare any lessons in advance that I possible can. I can’t make all of the accommodations for my students in my lesson plans, but I can make the basic outline of the reading lesson plans. Then during the year, all I need to do is plan for centers and individual needs.
Best of luck everyone for a stress free year!
I too do the over organized step. I work over the summer to have things ready to go. I also go to work and do some bulletin boards and paperwork. Yes of course its for free. But I know it keeps me focused and less stressed throughout the year. I have a list and work off of it.
I also walk. Walking helps my stress level.
I talk to my fellow teammates and then I go and face the stressor. Just taking a 5 or 10 minute break helps. Sometimes I create the stress ourselves and this talk break gives me perspective.
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I am still recovering from last year! Usually by now I am getting ready to rock and roll. This year I can’t wrap my mind around it. I just pray this year is much better then last.
Beth — I feel the same way you do. And I’m praying for the same thing.
Even if you feel you don’t have the time, take time out just for you. You know, where you are not focusing on job or family. I practice yoga after work, but during the day, finding even just a minute or two to stretch and breath helps.(The kids enjoy doing this,too) With a clear mind, I find the stressful tasks a little easier to face.
I totally agree with Ruth about most of the stress coming from administrators and parents.
I find making a list helps me prioritize what I need to get done. It also helps me focus at the end of the school day, so I can do what I need to do to prepare for the next day. If I write things down during the school day that I need to remember to do at the end of the day, I can forget about it until the end of the day.
Being prepared is my best defense against stress. It seems like the school year is so busy for “teacher-moms” because that is not only when our job starts back but so does school, homework, sports, church groups for our children. Not only am I charged with keeping my classroom exciting, new, challenging, and properly planned….. but also with helping my child keep up with all of his school, sports, and church needs. I spend some time during the summer developing and writing out lesson plans, making materials, and planning out special topic units and putting special units or topics on a planning calander. I go to my classroom several days before teacher workdays to “get as ready as possible”. When those precious few teacher workdays come I am ahead of the game and can handle any last minute requests from the principal with ease. Unexpected parent visits are welcomed and I am calm and confident on those first student days. On years that I have not planned ahead I have felt like I was running behind all year and therefor stressed !!!
I laugh- after all in the grand scheme of things is it going to matter if the lesson was not covered on Monday but had to wait until Wednesday. This year my school will be underconstruction, I will be moving 3 times during the year and sharing my class with Sunday school. I have no idea what is going on because one person said this the other something else. Last week I got a phone call to come move my room 2 weeks before I was oringionally told to move it. I went moved then took my favorite nine year old-who heled me- to see Romona & Beezus. Her smile and laugh make my day and any stress that I may have had falls away. Laugh until you cry or go see a comedy.
I work at a chid care learning center. One morning I was stressed over something a child had done. That morning, Brandon had woren transformer’s flip-flop’s to school which our center doesn’t allow. Brandon is four year’s old. As the children were doing art at the table ,Matthew who is four-year’s old too noticed Brandon’s tranformer flip-flop’s. Matthew said,Brandon where did you get those transformer flip-flop’s at? Brandon said,My mom got them for me. Then, Matthew said, I haven’t seen transformer flip-flop’s in twenty years. I thought that was so funny. I had no more stress that day because of Brandon and Matthew’s conversation about the flip-flop’s.I wrote this down in my kid’s say funny things book. When I get stress-out I go to my book.