I recently began a discussion with a group of teachers about their ‘battery life’ as a teacher. I showed them an image that illustrated the ‘battery life of a teacher’ as being full on a Monday, radically depleting into Wednesday and Thursday and by Friday, the battery is completely gone; wasted and collapsed!
Their response was firstly to smirk and giggle at how true it was but after that initial response, the general reaction was one of frustration and even anger. One teacher even saying ‘never mind empty battery by Friday; my battery is empty by Monday evening!’ It can often feel as though we just about make it to Friday and then as this analogy of the battery suggests, we are near fit to collapse into the weekend. As one other teacher stated ‘I spend my weekend recharging the battery and even sit in to make sure I have enough energy to start again on Monday.’ Is this living? Is this good enough for our teachers?
Let’s be clear with how this discussion progressed – it was not a ‘moanfest!’ These teachers were not complaining about their job or dramatically moaning about their roles or responsibilities. The unfortunate truth is that there was genuine concern and worry amongst them about how true this image was for them and about their own well-being. After all, a teacher’s life works in line with the terms and seasons more so than other profession and it can often feel as though the years pass us by.
If every week in a teacher’s life mirrors the analogy of the battery, this can have long term negative effects on their health and well-being. Knowing this, teachers do have concerns and rightly so. There was a general consensus within the room immediately that if there were solutions, they were more than willing to take them on board. Overall, as I always state here when discussing teacher well-being; the majority of teachers I work with really do genuinely want to identify stressors and find worthwhile solutions.
Let’s not forget teachers are also the people who stand in front of our children and young people each and every day attempting to teach and inspire. But not just this; we all know how crucial modeling behaviour is, not just in the classroom but in how the teacher carries themselves in relating to parents, colleagues, on yard duty – this behaviour shapes and influences our children and young people in so many ways whether it be consciously or subconsciously. Stephen Sondheim wrote the following lyrics in his famous musical ‘Into the Woods;’
‘Careful the things you say,
Children will listen.
Careful the things you do,
Children will see
And learn.
Guide them along the way,
Children will listen.
Children will look to you
For which way to turn,
To learn what to be.’
‘To learn what to be’ – if our teachers are struggling and do not feel well in themselves for the majority of their day, then that day turns into a week and that week into a month and so on. Children look to us ‘to learn what to be.’ What are we teaching them then in how we treat ourselves as teachers? So the issue here does not just lie in keeping our teachers well, it also lies in how the children see us and what they learn from our behaviour and general ‘wellness’ in ourselves. We can all have an off day of course but if we are constantly stressed or exhausted, this tells them that it is okay to wear ourselves out when in fact it is definitely not.
Of course it may be easy enough for the cynics and critics to come back with the argument that teachers have the ‘easy life.’ We have all heard the usual comments about ‘the holidays, the permanent pensionable job, working a half day’. Yes we know them all only too well! Let’s be fair, there is some truth in some of these statements; teaching can indeed be a great job that can bring security and satisfaction but it cannot be ignored just how many teachers are actually suffering with long term stress; be it from feeling overloaded by paperwork, teacher guilt, parent and colleague interactions, social issues infringing on classroom life, the list goes on.
How many times a day are you operating from the ‘fight or flight’ stress response as opposed to a calmer disposition? Imagine you are late for school and you can’t find your keys for example, what would be your normal reaction to this or a similar situation? Do you panic and set off the stress response? If your answer is yes, then you have already used up some of your ‘battery life.’ Naturally, we will use up energy from our battery; of course we will. This is just part of life. But how much could we prevent? How much of the battery is being wasted on worrying and stressing over things we can’t control, or on the fact that we are putting far too much pressure on ourselves to be the perfect teacher?
So back to the question then: how can we keep that battery topped up?! Before you read the tips below, please make a mental note of the following quote:
‘Life changes when you change something you do on a daily basis. The secret to success is found in your daily routine.’
So, if we do want to see a real difference in our ‘battery life,’ as a teacher, we do need to remember to try practicing at least one of these tips on a daily basis.
Tips to keeping the Battery Topped Up!
- Practice Mindful Living: Each morning when you wake up (before you check your phone!), notice your breath and take two or three long deep breaths in and out. Throughout your day, do this whenever you think of it. It calms down the fight or flight stress response and allows the adrenaline to drain from the body, thus not wearing the body out as much.
- Be Realistic with Your To-Do List: Making an unrealistic list of everything you have to get done in one day and then attempting to reach those goals will lead to huge frustration and a feeling of failure. This also wears down the ‘battery.’ Make a list that is realistic and therefore you will feel you have set and reached some if not all of your goals in that day as best you can. This will not only conserve your battery life, it will actually give you some energy!
- Do a meditation with your class and engage in it yourself: There are some great meditations out there if you don’t feel comfortable leading one yourself. Press play and allow yourself to relax. You may have to keep one eye on the class but you can take those moments to at least breathe and notice your feet. Again, if the children see you relax, they are learning that teacher thinks enough of him/herself to do this too. If you are running about the classroom whilst they are meditating, what example does that give? This will offer time during the day for more ‘topping up of your battery!’
- School Gate Recognition: As you go out through the school gates in the evening, make a mental note of what you have achieved that day. This includes a child you helped or a colleague you offered some support to. This will also energise you, giving you a sense of achievement, adding to your battery life.
- Check-In: Begin with the mind; give it a label (even if it is a negative one!), notice your shoulders and give them a gentle roll, notice your stomach muscles (breathe in and out gently) and notice your feet. Work from the top down. This will again allow the adrenaline to drain away. You can do this any time throughout the day. It can take 30 seconds or longer if you have time. We all think we don’t have time to check in, but we do. The recommendation would be to do this before the children come in and before each break time but remember that you can bring attention to your breath at any time, especially when you are actually teaching or interacting with the students. This conserves energy, keeping the battery topped up.
- Admit When You are Struggling: Why is it that as teachers we feel we must wear the ‘iron mask of perfection’ and never admit we are struggling?! If you feel overwhelmed, share it with a colleague or member of management if possible. You would be amazed at how much better you will feel if you face the problem and amazed at how much energy you will save from this issue just being addressed.
Remember, your battery life is your life and you only have one of those! Try even one or two of these tips and watch this space for more tips in the future on keeping yourself well. We are what we do on a daily basis so check-in with yourself right now on what it is you do and if you need to add or subtract from it, then that could make all the difference to keeping your battery life a little healthier than usual.
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