Teachers have been around for centuries from being the first philosopher to being a
21st Century educator. Teachers undergo a tremendous amount of stress thought out the year. However, until recently, there seems to be a shortage in some states because teachers are leaving the field or not wanting to start. Educators have to look over their shoulder to see who is watching when they are not in school. A teacher's personal life does not exist just like it was in the 1920s.
Within the last few years, teachers have been leaving the field due to the lack of support from the government and district. The pedagogy has changed to focus more on standardized testing than student learning. But most of all, teachers are under more stress than ever before. Why?
The answer is not as difficult as it may seem. Think about building a card house; over the years, it's built taller and taller (similar to a teacher's experiences) to where the house seems to be structurally sound. Yet, someone comes by and takes a card from the bottom. All of a sudden all the cards fall leaving them in a pile.
This is similar to a teacher's life. Teachers come to work each day ready to start the day of learning. But deep down, that teacher has insecurities; that teacher has personal issues that must wait between the hours of 8:30 and 3:30; that teacher must focus on student achievement no matter what. Teacher self-care has taken the "back seat" for the 9 months students are in school. Teachers needing a personal day are declined because their attendance is essential. Teachers then begin to regret their choice in careers.
I've spoken to many teachers across the nation in several districts. And yet, many feel this way. But why should we? Why should we put our own self-care on hold for 9 months to only regret each morning and each day? It can always be argued that there are holidays and breaks that teachers can relax. But do they really?
I didn't really think about this all that much until a senior did a presentation on a research paper regarding a career in teaching. While I knew everything she presented from NCLB to Common Core, what I didn't know is that she knew how the teaching career is before she even graduated. Sometimes we take for granted what students know and understand. My son comes home and wants to play basketball. I look at his face, give him a kiss, and walk upstairs to lie on the bed. He comes in a few minutes later and says, "mom, come on." I look at him, attempt to get up, and collapse again. I realized that I am starting to neglect my own family because of the amount of stress during the day. The internal fighting that I have to do; the mental anxiety that overcomes the physical part of my body. He walks out of the room wondering why his mom can't play with him. And all I can think about is sleep.
Teacher self-care is said but is it really focused on? Implementing an idea does not mean that it works or that it is exercised. The feeling that I felt when my son asked me to play basketball and all I could do was think about sleeping is not ok with me. Self-care is essential to a teacher's life; if teachers don't focus on themselves, there won't be anymore
teachers.
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