Teacher Burnout: My Recovery

Why, hello there.

It has been a long time since we last spoke. Ninety days to be exact. A quarter of 2016. Since then my brother got married, Kyle and I traveled to Europe and celebrated our five-year anniversary, Pokemon Go took over the world, we witnessed the magic of Harry Potter on stage, and we crossed a few other things off our bucket list. Simply put, a lot can happen in three months. 

Celebrating five years at The Sky Garden

During the past three months, I was also able to recover from being extremely burnt out and exhausted. I've even started to feel nodes of excitement about the upcoming school year. Reaching this point of almost excitement was no simple task. I know it sounds a bit cliché but the last three months have truly been ninety days of healing.

When I wrote my last post I was emotionally beat down. I knew the path to recovery would take a lot more than a blog post and a few days off school. It would take an intentional commitment to keep my newly defined personal teacher/teacherpreneur norms, time,  and distance from school/TPT/blogging/etc. Thankfully, that’s exactly what this summer offered. It may have been just as busy as the school year but it has been filled with nothing related to work. It’s just been family, friends, travel, and exploration. And it has been wonderful!

A few photos from our summer travels

Now that I am fresh off a rejuvenating summer (it was basically workaholic rehab) and I begin prepping for a new school year, my biggest concern is making sure I don't reach the same level of exhaustion again. Additionally, I am committed to helping other teachers steer clear of burnout land. I know this is no easy feat, as teachers tend to naturally be overachievers. But as we head into the final days of summer I wanted to remind you (myself) that you don't have to (and you can't) do it all!

Now, I know this goes against our teacher nature as we are fooled into believing that by sacrificing we are being heroic and honorable. But we all know that the person you become by continually sacrificing yourself is not a pretty sight. By all means, go above and beyond for your students but don't forget to go above and beyond for yourself. I promise that when you intentionally set boundaries and protect yourself, you will be a better teacher. You will be more patient, kind, and loving. And you will be able to make a greater impact on the lives of your students! Fact.

So before I sign off, I'd like to share my cheat sheet for avoiding burn out and staying fresh throughout the next school year (click here and scroll to read the whole list). As you read through, I encourage you to adopt mine or create some for yourself. It will totally be worth it!