Senioritis
has arrived. Teaching high school seniors
while I am a senior in college has given me a unique perspective on what my
students are going through as they complete their senior year. That being said,
the senioritis manifests itself a bit differently in me than it does in my
students. For example, I have finished all my work on time; however, I can
definitely relate to the stress, excitement, and overall feeling of being
burned-out. I share my students’ anxieties about losing the safety-net of being
a student as we move to the next stage in our lives. For them, this means college
and/or work; for me, it’s my first teaching job. Then there is the issue of
actually completing senior year—fighting with the stress of deadlines, worrying
about what my final GPA will be, and trying to find time for family and friends
in between the KPTP and lesson planning. During the last few weeks, I have often
felt like hiding under the covers until life fast-forwards a bit.
As
I contemplated this idea of ‘senioritis’ I began to wonder—what’s to keep me from becoming burned-out
as a teacher, too? If I feel stressed and exhausted as a
student-teacher, does that mean I will feel like this as a full-time teacher as
well? Is this what I have to look forward to…for my whole career? Panic
beginning to set in…
I
decided that instead of freaking out, I should remain calm and find a solution.
I found an article at http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/teacher-stress-burnout-preventing.shtml
called “Avoiding Teacher Burnout: Five Strategies.” This concise article
provides tips for avoiding burnout: 1) leave work at school; 2) share the work
load; 3) take a mental health day; 4) arrive at school early; 5) avoid the
Sunday blues.
I
could summarize the article for you, discussing the points as hypotheticals,
but instead, I have decided to write a contract of promises that I will adhere
to next school year:
1) I promise to leave work
at school, even if that means staying
at school until 7pm each night. I will designate times during the school day
for planning and grading. Whatever is not finished when I leave the building
will have to wait until the next day. Home will be my sacred place—a place for peace,
relaxation and spending time with family.
2) I promise to ask for
help when I need it. I will not let ego prevent me from asking
administrators or fellow teachers for assistance or advice. I will use all of
the resources available to me.
3) I promise to arrive at
school at least 45 minutes early every day. This will be my quiet time to double-check my lesson plans for each
class, and to mentally prepare myself for the day.
4) I promise to plan ahead
to avoid the ‘Sunday Blues.’ I will plan each unit in
depth well in advance, and have a tentative plan for every lesson in the unit. Every
Friday, I will finalize lessons and prepare resources for Monday, so I can keep
my weekends stress-free.
5) I promise to focus on
the joys of teaching—watching my
students grow, collaborating with other life-long learners, and teaching
content that I am passionate about—instead of dwelling on the difficult parts.
6) I promise to take it
easy on myself when I make a mistake—no teacher is perfect, and I should especially not expect to be
perfect my first year.
