Teacher's Funeral

Inspired by @inwhichHeikereadsharder
#teachersoflitsy

I'm sure many of us are gearing up to go back to work in the coming weeks. I'm going into my 23rd year of teaching and oddly feeling a lot of anxiety (state takeover.) My biggest fear is letting the job take over me.

So...what are some ways you take time for you? What does "self-care" look like at your house?

lauren.lerner In our house, it's about making sure I have time and space to read and do yoga. My husband is amazing about reminding me remember that yoga is a huge help for me to manage the stress.... and he is happy to give me space to read on days when I need that alone time too. 7y

TheBookAddict For me it usually entails a book, a glass of 🍷 or a Mike's hard lemonade over ice, and a comfy spot to read. Other times, when the weather permits, it means a walk to the park with my husband while we talk. I also like to craft, crochet, and loom knit so sometimes it means getting lost in a project for my own enjoyment. 7y

Lynnsoprano I'm retired 4 years now, but one strategy that I used was that my husband and I took about a half hour, often while taking a walk but lots of times over a glass of wine, to talk about our day, and then the rest of the evening was for us. I found exercise (walking) so helpful when it was a really stressful day. 7y

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Sace @lauren.lerner I don't know what I would do without my understanding husband! He gives me the alone time I need. 7y

Sace @TheBookAddict my husband and I try to walk for at least 30 minutes every day right after I get home. It's so hard with the weather sometimes. The heat is unbearable sometimes (even in the early evening.) 7y

Sace @Lynnsoprano walking is absolutely the best. It does help to just go over the day and then be done. 7y

LectricSheep 23rd year of teaching! Congrats! This year will be my first year of full-time teaching, and I have been worrying for weeks about finding time for myself. When I was just teaching one course as a grad student, it was so easy to replay every discussion and obsess over details because I had a surfeit of time. But I won't have that this year, so I'll have to figure out ways to disengage from the job. I look forward to seeing what other people say! 7y

Sace @LectricSheep 😂 well here I am at 23 years and every year I still worry about finding me time. Plus I still obsess. 😁 7y

LectricSheep Oh good to know it never goes away. 😬 7y

Wife @Kelican17 7y

Purrfectpages Ditto reading, a cocktail...maybe zoning out with my favorite show. Not working in the summer is important, too. I feel it's a crucial part of recharging my batteries. Walking when it's nice is great, too! (edited) 7y

Lmstraubie I love my job, but I detest the politics that surround it. I have to say yoga is what does it for me. Ideally it's getting to a class, but if that doesn't happen I take about 20 minutes at night to do some poses and breath. This may sound corny, but I also find taking a moment to think of 3 things I'm grateful for can help too. Finally, escaping into a book let's me leave reality at least for a little while. 😁 7y

tournevis I'm approaching my 18th year of teaching at universities, 16 years as a professor and I'm still bad at self-care. My chronic illness has forced me to slow down and do the medical self-care, but I have a 7yo and a dog, and I work out-of-town, so it's always a juggling act between self-care and obligations. I read every second I get, I art at least twice a week, and I try to go to my board game group when I'm not completely exhausted. 7y

CoffeeK8 I think the biggest self care thing for me is choosing one work evening where I am not allowed to take home work, think about work or even check my work emails. Forcing a mental break from teaching makes a huge difference 7y

Alicia @Onlaughterandliteracy 7y

minkyb Great discussion! 7y

Onlaughterandliteracy Especially ones I got married, I HAD to start leaving work at work (physically, cuz we all know it mentally comes home). I stopped grading papers at home and planning at home. It will be there tomorrow! 7y

Onlaughterandliteracy @Lynnsoprano I really love the idea of "getting it out and moving on" ?? 7y

heikemarie I like a lot of what I am reading here. I'm a middle school learning specialist going into year 7. My school's work culture is a pretty toxic one where teachers are easily working 12 hour days inside the building with Saturday obligations etc. There are no subs so if a teacher is out we cover for them and thus my prep goes missing. Last year we had several personnel shifts & me being partially competent at my job meant I picked up a lot of slack. 7y

heikemarie All this to say that I have a really hard time protecting the time I need. I am an introvert who needs space at the end of the day, and I too find the workplace politics to be anxiety inducing. But I also have a hard time saying no and letting other people do a mediocre job because no one wanted to say they would do something. At the end of the day it affects my students and that is unacceptable. 7y

heikemarie This year I do want to exercise and do more stretching and yoga to help with my back issues, which are worsening. I also didn't read during the week so I plan to protect time to do that daily as well. 7y

heikemarie I have a coworker who is going to be my "accountabilibuddy" for leaving work by 4:45 (school hours are 6-4:35). I really hope this helps because I can't have another year like last year. 7y

Sace @Onlaughterandliteracy absolutely a must to just work at work. 10 years ago my husband gently put his foot down and reminded me that it's his home too and his job is also stressful. My bringing home papers and planning and my resentment of that made it stressful for him too. So now nothing comes home with me. 7y

Sace @inwhichHeikereadsharder I read every morning with my coffee. I'm a stickler for 8 hours of sleep. It means setting my alarm a couple hours early in the morning and going to bed by 8 but it's worth the peaceful morning read. 7y

Sace @inwhichHeikereadsharder 😨 those hours. Mine are 7:45-3:45. 7y

Sace @inwhichHeikereadsharder No is a beautiful word. I use it often. But it took me years to learn how to do it. 7y

Sace @tournevis I'm lucky enough to be at a school where I can read while the students are at lunch. Sometimes it's just a magazine, but that 20 minutes makes a huge difference in my day. Reading all day is what I miss most when summer ends. 7y

Sace @Lmstraubie 3 good things is not corny at all. 7y

Sace @Purrfectpages I admit, my telenovelas are great escapes! 7y

Lynnsoprano @Onlaughterandliteracy There's a Jimmy Buffett song called Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On. It should be all teachers mantra. 7y

Onlaughterandliteracy @Lynnsoprano I love it!! 7y

CindyMyLifeIsLit This is something I've struggled with. My plan for this year is to break my exercise up into multiple smaller increments rather than one big block, and maybe I'll have the energy to tackle it. I'm also going to be more organized about time management so that I get more grading done during my off-period. I'm too often distracted by my social media! It's still going to be rough since I'm teaching a new curriculum, so everything from scratch! 7y

Sace @CindyMyLifeIsLit oh it's so hard when you've got a new curriculum/course. I've been so lucky for the last seven years. Never more than two preps and always the same two courses. 7y

SheilaChew I try to not bring work home, and I eat lunch with other adults (and not alone in my room while grading papers). I also do things for myself like yoga, breakfast dates (alone or with a friend), and read every night. GREAT post! Thank you! 7y

Kelican17 Fudgey brownies, booze, and hibernation whenever possible. (edited) 7y

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