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Teacher Wellness

7 Ways to Protect Your Health

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Protect Your Health

Educators, protect your health because no one is worried about your health. The Delta variant of COVID 19 is raging across the country and world. School districts are intent on returning students to class by all means necessary. Anti-vaxxers and anti-mask persons are creating havoc at school board meetings. Some even harass and physically abuse teachers and administrators who try to enforce policies. So you see, no one can protect your health better than you. You have permission to take care of yourself!

COVID-19 Hits Hard

Let’s review how we got to this point of contention. COVID hit our country hard in early 2020. Suddenly our hospitals and emergency rooms filled up with very ill patients. Medical personnel was overwhelmed with the number of people overfilling hospital beds. Businesses, schools, and government offices closed down. Mask and health mandates became requirements for us all. Scientists rushed to create a vaccine to help stop the carnage of COVID. In the United States, over 600,000 people died within 12-18 months.

For a few months, we thought that we might have a reprieve after people began to vaccinate. The number of Covid cases decreased as more received the shots. Hospitalizations also reduced, and people began to let down their guard. Cities and schools began to open again. Suddenly we felt like we could live again, hug people we love, take off masks, hold family gatherings, or go out to restaurants. We were throwing caution to the wind too fast created another dilemma for us to navigate.

Decisions, Stress, and Frustration

As decisions come, the teachers and school administrators are not a part of the process. What else we have to navigate is how to keep ourselves safe and healthy. School boards and politicians make policies and mandates without knowing the full effect and impact their decisions have on the teachers and administrators in the trenches every day. Afterward, the impact hits hard, and we are left to pick up the pieces. Unfortunately, picking up the pieces adds extra stress and frustration to one’s personal and professional life.

Eating nutritious and balanced meals can improve your overall health.
Photo by Sam Maqadam on UnSplash

We know how stress and frustration affect the teacher burnout statistics. Pile on the effects of a pandemic, and now more teachers and school leaders than ever want to leave the profession. The anxiety level of fearing of getting infected with COVID is a reality for many. Educators worry about the possibility of sick colleagues and students, unclean classroom surfaces, masks slipping off of students’ faces, and wondering what happens to you if you become ill.

So that the worry is not overwhelming, it’s time for you to protect your health. What can you do to keep yourself healthy and safe? Here are several ways to protect your health.

Proper Nutrition and Hydration

Good health begins with eating nutritiously. Your body needs healthy foods and plenty of water. Frequently, teachers and school administrators do not take the time to eat proper meals or to stay hydrated during the school day. On the other hand, stressed-out educators may emotionally binge on the junk or processed food as a way to self-medicate. Or some of you drink coffee or sugary drinks all day instead of water. Your body needs foods rich in nutrients, vitamins, proteins, etc. Check the CDC website for suggestions on preparing and eating nutritious meals.

Exercise and Stay Active

Your body needs exercise and movement! Being sedentary is not suitable for any human being. Our bodies are to be active. So, let’s get moving! Do not say that there’s no time to exercise, because you can make the time. During preparation periods, find a few minutes to stretch, leg lifts, yoga moves, jumping jacks, etc. Roll your shoulders and neck, deep breathe and work the kinks out. Walk around the playground or football field. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Even in the classroom with your students, you can have stretch breaks between transition times. You will feel better and get your body more accustomed to constant movement.

Get Adequate Rest

Maintaining Healthcare

Are you the person who never goes to the doctor or takes your medicine? Do you go to work sick and spread your germs to others? Why are you saving your sick days? Do you have a chronic condition like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, or asthma? COVID-19 took a toll on persons with underlying health issues. Many infected people with previous health issues either died or continue to have serious side effects. Protect your health by taking the necessary prescribed medications or schedule regular appointments with your primary care doctors. By the way, if you feel sick, stay home or see the doctor!

Take Stress and Anxiety Seriously

All of the chronic illnesses mentioned earlier are exasperated by stress and worry. Stress kills, and anxiety causes disease. Brushing off one or both are not good for anyone. Protect your health by recognizing the damage stress and anxiety causes to one’s body. Develop positive coping skills to combat the effects and damage of stress and anxiety. Try to stay positive and not focus on negative things. Seek professional counseling if everything is overwhelming and it feels like the walls are closing in on you. Also, find positive activities, including exercise, a hobby, journaling, reading, or meditating. A healthy mind helps to keep your body healthy, too.

Stay Connected With Family and Friends

During times of hardship, illness, or worry, some people disconnect from everything and everyone. Please do not isolate yourself from friends and family members. Protect your health by reaching out to people who care about your well-being. You may feel like you want to curl up in a ball and be left alone. However, you desire to be around people because we are social beings. We need to talk about how we feel and what’s going on. You want advice when there doesn’t seem to be an easy answer. Stay connected by reaching out to friends and family.

Keep Your Workspace Clean and Healthy

One of the biggest things teachers can do to protect your health is to keep your workspace healthy and clean. The classroom should not be a petri dish. Create health and safety routines with your students. First, you need a few items to have a clean workspace and classroom. It would be best to have anti-bacterial wipes and gel, Lysol spray, masks, rubber gloves, paper towels, tissue for runny noses, and a few more items. Hopefully, the school can provide the supplies to have available for daily use.

Establish a schedule in the classroom for cleaning moments. Delegate specific responsibilities to students (helpers for the day). They can help to wipe off desks; door handles, etc. Students do enjoy having duties and jobs in the classroom. Build out an hourly schedule, or between transitions, so the cleaning becomes a daily routine. Also, turn it all into a teachable moment about how a clean classroom environment reduces the spread of germs and illness.

Students Need a Well Teacher

Educators, your health is a significant priority. Of course, students need a healthy teacher, but your family and friends need you to be whole, too. Put yourself and your health first! Even when we get beyond this COVID pandemic, the seven ways to protect your health remain essential to fighting disease and illnesses.

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Life After Teaching Does Exist

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Life After Teaching

For several years, we read news about teachers leaving the profession. Now we hear more stories due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Educators are under a tremendous amount of stress and emotionally drained. Some may not make it to the end of this school year. Those that do make it will seriously consider a new profession. Others may fear what’s on the other side of teaching. Have no fear; life after teaching does exist.

How do I know that life after teaching exists? I experienced it and have first-hand knowledge. Here’s my story. In 2016 I left the profession, but it was under duress. After 26 years of teaching and being an administrator, I lost my job. District politics pushed me out of my principal position two weeks before starting the new school year. Without going into all of the details, I was beyond distressed for not only losing my career but leaving my students, staff, and families.

Hopeless and Depressed

Never had it crossed my mind to think about what one can do after teaching. Despite the heavy emotional load of the job, I planned to stay with it until retirement. Others had a different plan. I felt hopeless and depressed because I knew it is even harder to find a job at my age. Age discrimination in the workplace is a reality. Anger, sadness, sleeplessness, and grief were just a few emotions I felt at the time. It felt like I experienced the death of a close family member. I did not have a plan for a day like this. However, it was time to regroup, recharge, and re-evaluate my options.

Abrupt Professional Changes

Life after teaching began abruptly, and I did not have time to plan for the transition. Thank God for years of saving for a rainy day. The savings fund gave me time to re-evaluate what I wanted to do and what skills I could bring to the new table. It was time to rewrite the resume and get ready for a new way to interview.

After rewriting the resume, I searched for jobs using Indeed.com, educational sites, and professional references. Virtually completing and sending resumes to school districts throughout my state, my epiphany became very clear. I did not want to work as a teacher or principal ever again. Then I felt a heavy burden lift off my shoulders and mind. Life after teaching allowed me to take control of my next chapter. It was not easy, but now I have healed enough to share the journey.

A New Journey Begins

Let me finish my story, and next, we’ll get to your next move. While my next steps did not come easy, I am happy with the choices that I made. My life after the teaching journey led to becoming an instructional coach for a not-for-profit organization. I also am a part-time professional learning consultant for an educational publishing company. Both positions allow me to train adult learners and coach educators across the country. For one position I responded to an ad on Indeed.com. A friend and former colleague assisted me in getting hired for the other position. Years of helping others returned the favor.

Reasons to Leave

On a personal level, my creative mind now has room to grow. I published a book and this blog for educators. Also, I have spoken at national conferences and freelance to write for publications. Free your mind, and the rest will follow. I learned to use and market my skills, knowledge, and expertise.

We know some of the reasons educators leave the profession. The Learning Institute created an infographic that lists six reasons for exiting. Why Do Teachers Leave lists these reasons: Inadequate preparation, lack of support, challenging working conditions, lack of compensation, better career opportunities, and personal reasons. Whatever your reason for leaving the teaching field, a career change is possible.

Preparing and Planning Your Exit

Now let’s talk about your life after teaching. How do you prepare for your next steps? First you are not alone in your feelings of wanting to leave. According to the Economic Policy Institute, fewer people are interested in teaching. A recent study states, “Schools will struggle to staff their ranks with well-prepared teachers if fewer individuals are attracted into teaching or if their training and preparation have weakened.”

Now due to COVID 19, more educators consider this a good time to leave the profession. In an Edweek article, Did COVID 19 Really Drive Teachers to Quit, teachers from across the country were asked about leaving the profession. “Surveys showed that 1 in 5 teachers said they were unlikely to return to in-person instruction in the fall, and that the same percentage said they were more likely to quit at the end of last school year than they were before the pandemic.” While COVID 19 may not be the only reason you want to leave, here are three things to do before exiting the profession.

Plan Your Exit

However much you want to leave right now, take a moment to stop and breathe. It would help if you planned before you walk out of the door. First, are you financially fit to quit? If you do not have another job lined up, how long can you live without a paycheck? Figure out how much you need to pay your rent, mortgage, and bills. Write all of your expenses down and begin to think about the necessities and the things you can live without. Are you the only breadwinner, or do you have a spouse or partner to help out financially?

Have a plan before walking away from teaching..

References and Recommendations

Next, begin to collect references and recommendations. Who do you know that can help you with your career move? Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know helps to get the foot in the door. Reap some of the seeds you’ve sown over time. Think of all the times you helped others in their careers. Call them up! Time to use them as a reference and their recommendations.

Assess Your Skills

Begin to assess your marketable skills. Educators often underestimate what they have to offer outside of the school buildings. Some transferable skills you have include problem-solving, coordinating projects, critical thinking, and instructing. Decision-making, managing time, multi-tasking, and more are skills to add to the resume. You also have skills at working in challenging positions and customer service. These are just a few items you can list on your new resume. Companies and organizations will love to have you on staff. Or you may want to start your own business. Go for it!

Stay Encouraged

Lastly, stay encouraged as you pursue the next chapter in life. Sometimes, the feeling of despair and desperation will show up in your mind. The pursuit of a new profession or career does not happen overnight. You must align many things. Life after teaching is a personal and professional journey; therefore, you must prepare emotionally and financially. Start planning your exit. Research your options. Stay positive and pursue your dream. Life after teaching does exist!

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Additional Resources

Why Do Teachers Leave – The Learning Policy Institute

https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/Teacher_Exodus_Infographic.pdf

Working in Schools During a Pandemic Requires GRAPES

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a small commission may be paid.

Working in Schools During a Pandemic

Teachers and school administrators are nearly at the end of their ropes. Many don’t recognize or seem to know the professional or emotional needs of teachers and school administrators. This is especially true while working in schools during a pandemic. Stress is affecting all stakeholders, including educators, students, parents, and community members. However, the educators are on the frontlines, and they need GRAPES.

Working in schools during a pandemic brings unexpected new demands on educators. Even before COVID, teaching was never an easy profession. During this trying time in our history, teaching and learning changed on the drop of a dime. Suddenly classes were virtual with nearly no preparation for professional development. Yet, teachers and school administrators had to think on their feet and make it work. It may not have been perfect, but teachers know they must have a plan A, B, and C. They work hard under pressure, but at some point, it all becomes too much to handle.

Teachers’ Emotional Needs

According to the article How to Support Teachers Emotional Needs Right Now, the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) launched a survey to get an idea of teachers’ emotional lives during the pandemic. Over 5000 teachers in the U.S. responded to the study in March 2020. “The five most mentioned feelings were anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed, and sad. Anxiety, by far, was the most frequently mentioned emotion.”

In the same article, 2017 is mentioned, too. Again, over 5000 educators responded to the same questions. Then the top five emotions were frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed, tired, and happy. Of course, the responses were before COVID19, but you can see how the feelings are much more intense or worrisome.

The emotions in 2020 are much more personal for educators. Both teachers and principals worry about their own health and the needs of their families. Teaching in a virtual setting or a hybrid is difficult. If you must work from home and your own children must learn from home, conflicts will occur. Your students need attention, but so do your own kids. How do you balance both? It’s impossible!

Decision-Making Without Teachers’ Input

Stress and burnout among educators was an issue before COVID. The pandemic intensified the problem. Decisions were made to return to schools despite an increase in the number of cases of the virus. Teachers were left out. Decision-makers seem to forget that teachers’ emotions, opinions, and experience matters. Educators still feel some kind of way about how politicians and district leaders ignored their pleas. Right now, the negative emotions will only increase the levels of chronic stress in teachers and school administrators.

Not only do educators have to deal with being left out of the decision-making process, but they must also deal with hostile public relations. The perception and some headlines seem to portray teachers as not wanting to work. “Teachers need to do their jobs and return to the classroom!” How many times did we hear and see those words? We also heard from politicians if schools did not reopen, districts would lose federal funding.” Educators did not need additional and unnecessary pressure. What they need are GRAPES! Here is an explanation.

Working in schools during COVID19 — Teaching during COVID19 is a game-changer.
Photo by Adam Niescioruk on Unsplash.com

Grace and Resilience

First, teachers and school administrators need grace. What is grace? How do you provide dignity to educators? Grace, as a noun, means favor or goodwill. As a verb, grace means to favor or honor. All first responders and essential workers deserve dignity, including teachers. Educating the nation’s children is an honor and a tough job. Many cannot and will not do it. However, those that do the job make many sacrifices daily. They teach, but they also give, nurture, care, love, and go beyond the call of duty. Show an educator some grace by honoring the work they do daily.

The second part of GRAPES is resilience. In the field of education, school staff members need to be resilient. We cannot take everything personally because stress and disappointment will have their way with us. Educators can bounce back after being pulled in too many directions, overwhelmed, disrespected, and much more.

Kicks Crew

Access and Patience

Next is access to the necessary resources and support. Give educators the funds, materials, technology, and professional development to be successful and provide the best quality education. Also, provide access to the social-emotional needs of the adults who work in schools. Make funding our schools a priority so that resources are plentiful and equitable.

Educators give and need patience. Parents are upset that virtual learning is not going as well as they’d like it. Students are squirmy and overwhelmed. Teachers are frustrated with virtual learning platforms, low bandwidth, unobtainable expectations, and a few other things. Everyone is tired of sitting in front of a screen for too many hours. Impatience turns into stress for all.

Empathy and Support Systems

Teachers and principals need empathy, too. All non-teachers should put yourselves in their shoes. Wear their moccasins of an educator. Ask yourself, can you survive a week in a classroom with 25 or more students? If the answer is no, then give empathy to all those who teach your children. Many parents discovered how hard it is to work with their own children during the pandemic. Some parents even praised teachers for the job they do. Still, others feel teachers do not work hard enough.

Lastly, teachers need a variety of supports. Working during a pandemic showed how vital teachers are to our country. Educators represent an essential market in the economy and in politics. We are an engine that helps to move many working parts in our nation’s systems. Support systems must be in place to deter the effects of stress and burnout bound to happen during and after this pandemic.

Teacher Self-Care During a Pandemic

Provide grace, resilience, access, patience, empathy, and support to every educator you know and meet. Let’s make teachers feel seen and heard. Empower them to make decisions. Value their opinions, knowledge, and experience. Make working in schools during a pandemic less scary, Tell teachers they are worth every penny and more of their salaries.

Now, educators, you must do some things for yourselves, too. You can only control the controllable. Carve out some time for self-care to maintain your mental health. During breaks from virtual classes, move your body by walking around your house or apartment. You need self-compassion, too. Set reasonable expectations for yourself and others. More importantly, reach out and communicate your mental health status. Do not stay silent when your suffering. Your livelihood is a priority, but your life is more important.

Got GRAPES?

Additional Resources

How to Support Teachers’ Emotional Needs Right Now

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_support_teachers_emotional_needs_right_now

Teachers Are Caring More Than Ever

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/07/22/teachers-are-caring-more-than-ever-but.html

Reflecting on Teacher Well-Being During A Pandemic

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/blogs/blog28_reflecting-on-teacher-wellbeing-during-COVID-19-pandemic.asp