Self-Care for TEACHERS

Chapter One: The Simple Necessity of Self-Care

Will time say nothing but I told you so?
If I could tell you, I would let you know.
--W. H. Auden, “If I could tell you”

Wounded healers & early warnings

A good case can be made for induction programs for new teachers, though their benefits are not altogether clear since they are relatively new. One time-honored institutional measure to prevent burnout is to create a “buddy system” for teachers in which the old hands mentor the newbies, though this depends on the good will, dedication, and skill of the staff. In my experience, however, the results of mentoring are variable, ironically because such programs often add yet another duty to those who may be taking on too much already. Those courting burnout are unlikely to protect you from burnout yourself, any more than the intoxicated partygoer will dissuade you from taking another drink.

But whether you have a reliable common room confidant or not, the prudent thing to do is to develop your own “early warning system´´ to guard against burn-out, and prevent the normal wear and tear of teaching from going too far before you counter it. Whatever the school can offer in this regard—and some schools/districts do promote wellness programs—is best seen as an added benefit, something above and beyond or simply augmenting your personal self-care. Appoint yourself your own chief care-giver.

One simple early-warning strategy is to take a personal inventory from time to time. These can take many forms, but a simple check list will tell you a lot. For example, consider the following phrases in a private moment.

Self-Care Inventory:

In all honesty, check the boxes which seem to apply more than “just once in a blue moon.”

• Shallow breathing / trouble ´´catching your breath´´ sometimes
• Knotted muscles in the neck / back
• Chronic aches and pains
• Complains frequently about work
• Sometimes neglects family / friends
• Sometimes eats / drinks too much
• Wakes up feeling tired most days
• Works 6 days a week
• Can’t find time for exercise
• Wishes he/she had more time for recreation
• Hasn’t laughed out loud at work recently
• Co-workers describe him/her as ´´anxious´´ or worried
• Requires medication (prescription/herbal/otherwise) to relax
• Driven to achieve goals
• Feels time pressure acutely
• Sometimes impatient with self / others
• Does not plan holidays ahead of time
• Feels disappointed in self / colleagues
• Short-tempered / irritable in class
• Arrives early / works late
• Typically takes work home
• Constantly preoccupied with school

I want to emphasize that I am neither a physician nor a psychologist. I am not qualified, nor do I intend, to offer medical or psychological advice as a trained specialist would. I am educator, like you, and am only offering you the benefit of my own experience and observation through the years. However, as your colleague, I would suggest that if you have checked 5 or more of these boxes, you have some self-care concerns; that if you have checked 10 or more of these boxes, you may be in serious trouble; and that if you have checked 15 or more, then you should probably seek professional help.

But don’t let me be the judge; I would prefer you to determine your level of self-care for yourself. Look in the mirror, and honestly consider for yourself what you see and feel. Do you appear tired, strained, or dispirited? And apart from appearances, do you feel worn-out on a daily basis? Are you “soldiering on” because you feel duty-bound to do so?

Chapter Four: Regaining your Balance

“The impossible we do at once; the miraculous takes a little longer.”
—motto of the US Army Service Corps

Like the notion of success, the concept of balance is not as simple as it may seem. As we dig deeper, it becomes apparent that there are many aspects of balance which we need to consider in our lives and work, and that some ways of thinking about balance are going to serve us better than others in the caldron of the classroom.

In this chapter, we will explore some ways to find a balance between:

• The personal and the professional
• The formal and the familiar
• The mind and the body
• Teaching and learning
• Being and doing
• Efficiency and effectiveness
• Doing things right and doing the right things.
• Retaining one’s own cultural identity and exploring others

The irony of balance:

Balance is a complex and fascinating subject, rich in irony. Although it can literally be a matter of life and death for all of us, our balance is easily lost and often neglected. Although it is one of the hallmarks of educational excellence and a defining characteristic of the International Baccalaureate Program, balance is notoriously difficult to define and notably lacking in many IB schools. And while almost everyone appears to believe in balance, almost no one seems able to achieve it.

Balancing practice

Our educational practice—including that forgotten piece of pedagogy, self-care—should balance rigor and results with imagination, wisdom, and delight. When we find ourselves driven to slave-like labour or attempting machine-like efficiency and precision as we often do at “crunch times” in the school year, we would do well to think again. What are we trying to produce as educators if not curiosity, eagerness, eloquence, understanding, and insight? The school may seem like a factory during exam week or report card season, but that doesn’t mean that we need to make our beds on the factory floor. Our life and our health require still waters.

How do you know when you are leading a balanced life?

Fortunately, balance is easier to recognize than it is to define. There is a litmus test for balance, just as there is for vocation, and you can consider it your personal gyroscope. More about this later, but even from what we have said so far, you might ask yourself whether your life—including your work life—is permeated by:

• peace and productivity
• pleasure and appreciation
• understanding and harmony.

Or would it be more accurate to say that your life, like many of ours, is characterized more by:

• stress and struggle
• duty and necessity
• striving and confusion.

As we becoming more balanced, we become more peaceful. I believe that we are meant to experience a deep, heart-felt sense of satisfaction in our work, and to experience a poised equilibrium in every aspect of our lives. This is our birthright which we urgently need to regain if it has somehow slipped through our grasp.

It might help to imagine yourself as a figure skater or a gymnast in the classroom rather than a harried shop attendant or tired factory worker; however, I would like to offer you two simple but powerful strategies for assessing your current state of balance.