Keeping Your Sanity
"Being a new teacher is like trying to fly an airplane while building it." - Rick Smith
Seven years in (3 in Resource, 4 in First) and I finally feel like I can breathe a little bit. I’ve got my classroom systems down. I feel confident in my knowledge of my current grade level CCSS. I’ve got ‘homemade’ math lessons, systems, and daily exit tickets in place. And to top it off, this year we finally have a literacy curriculum.
I no longer feel like I’m building this airplane whilst piloting my way through the year.
No – it’s more like I’m serving all the drinks, handing out the snacks, helping those in need of assistance, checking tickets, handling passenger disputes, giving safety reminders, and firmly but politely restating the expectations to stay seated until the illuminated light indicates otherwise - while flying that aircraft.
Where’s my co-pilot?
The demands on a teacher each and every day are insane.
There is so much to do in the hours that students are with us, and even more to do before they arrive and after they leave so that we can be ready again to so wisely use those precious moments that they are with us.
When I talk with non-teachers about the use of my time when kids are not around, my first instinct is to explain it like this:
It’s like you have a really important presentation tomorrow. It’s a six hour presentation covering a range of topics. You’ve got 20ish people that need to stay engaged in and motivated by your presentation. It’s got to be interesting and interactive, differentiated to meet the needs of everyone in your audience. And you need to plan for ways to be sure they’ve all picked up what you’ve put down. You have 70-90 minutes of highly-interrupted time in which to plan for this six hour presentation (and that includes any times you wish to use the restroom, have a snack, prepare materials, and communicate with colleagues or families of those attending). Will you choose to work through your lunch to get it done? Maybe. Will you work beyond those 70-90 paid minutes? Probably. Oh, and tomorrow - you’ve got to have a brand new presentation prepared.
When I think of this expectation transferring into an office setting, I can’t imagine that would fly. Yes, the curricula (if you have such a thing) helps to speed up the planning A LOT. But, for those that don’t have curricula, or for those that have outdated or misaligned curricula, that prep time just jumped beyond not only your paid time, but also beyond the amount of time that even the most time-generous human being can sustain without burnout.
Basically what I’m saying is – whether you are a first year teacher or a tenth year teacher – you’re doing A LOT. I see you. I hear you. I respect you. And to keep your sanity while still rockin’ what you do best, you’ll need to speed up. And slow down.
Stick with me.
You’ll need to speed up. You are already doing a million things in one day, so clearly you’re pretty productive. But, if you’re like me, your brain might hit a shut off point once you finally reach your prep time. Sometimes I find myself standing in my room in a zombie like state wondering, “What was it I was going to do?” And suddenly prep is over. My precious prep is much better utilized when I write down what it is I need to do. So I write it down on a post-it. And then on another. And then another. And just one more. My desk gets piled high with post-its overlapping in the content of their lists. And now I have to write a new post it: clean desk. I’m left with no choice but to ween myself off post its. I’m doing that with a weekly to do list organizer. And it’s yours to try out if you have a post-it issue like me:
Here’s what I do. I print out the Monday-Friday pages. Friday includes ‘later this week’ and ‘this month/soon’ list sections at the top. Monday-Thursday do not. Because I plan to write my weekly/monthly/soon items only once. Friday’s list sits at the bottom of the pile, with M-Th stacked on top. I cut down the M-Th pages and place all pages inside a sheet protector so that I can see through to Friday once they’re stacked.
I write on each day with dry erase, making my lists while saving the trees. It’s not fool proof, but it’s helping.
So plan it out. Write it down. Speed it up.
But also, slow it down.
You have to go home sometime. Write it down, walk away, your list will be there when you return. You can do more then.
And when you scroll Pinterest, participate in a PD that sparks some ideas, or visit another classroom that inspires you to add more to what you’re doing – slow down.
Pick only one idea to implement immediately. Limit what you plan to do in the near future. Write it down; it will be waiting for you.
You can do better, you should do better, you will do better. But not all at once. Give yourself some grace, be good at what you have implemented now, shift what you need to shift, but when you find new systems or big take-back ideas to implement, stop. Decide what you can do now, but don’t feel the pressure to do it all. Write it down for next year. Store those pages in a binder to look back at when you are feeling refreshed, able to take on something more, or willing to give up a few of those last minute summer days in order to set up your ever-improving classroom for next fall.
Whatever it is you do to manage all that’s required, still improve your practice, and keep your sanity -remember to be kind to yourself and carry this heavy load of teaching in a way that helps you maintain your light.
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” -Lou Holtz
Carry your load wisely, for you, for your family, for your friends, for your students.
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