editor While shaping young minds may be rewarding, it’s also undeniably exhausting. Teaching is stressful and it’s nearly impossible not to feel burnt out. Education is a demanding and emotionally draining career, so self-care is essential. Utilizing self-care strategies — like journaling, meditating, or practicing mindfulness — helps to preserve your well-being and happiness. These practices allow you to recharge, clear your mind of stress, and remain composed throughout the school day. Physical education teachers can practice self-care by incorporating mindfulness and relaxation activities into their lessons, such as yoga, tai chi, or deep breathing. Individual practices, however, can only go so far.
Check out Teacher Self-Care 101, provided by Curriculum Associates; an organization specializing in formative assessment strategies.
These small exercises do nothing to address the cause of the stress and pressure on teachers. Instead, transformational, systemic change is necessary. Schools must step up and help their teachers by establishing an environment that supports teacher self-care. Studying online from home can be challenging for teachers, so it is important for them to prioritize self-care tips such as taking breaks, setting boundaries, and engaging in activities they enjoy. While more and more schools begin to do this, it’s important for teachers to still have the methods in mind to practice self-care. To learn more about some of the most common methods of teacher self-care, check out the resource coupled alongside this post.
