Battle Burn-out with Three New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers

Happy New Year from Science Island!

It’s time for resolutions again. Of course, for teachers in the US, this time of year marks the middle of the school year.

The weather may be gloomy and there are probably some days when it’s still dark as you arrive at school in the morning and dark again by the time you’re heading home. And, with no major holidays until Spring Break, things at school can really drag.

On top of that, teaching is stressful. I was just reading an article the other day that said almost 50% of teachers quit within the first 5 years. I hope you’re not one of the many discouraged teachers out there, but if you are please know that you’re not alone. I thought about quitting almost every day for the first year! I’ll save that story for another post. For now, I have three suggested New Year’s Resolutions that may help keep the “drearies” away from your classroom.

Get Organized

Whether you’re a neat freak or you prefer a little chaos, piles of “stuff” everywhere can start to weigh anybody down.

Teachers tend to have lots of papers. These papers are often important – student work, lesson plans, memos from the administration, notes from faculty meetings or professional development sessions, and the list goes on.

Spend a little extra time filing things away where they belong and when you walk into your classroom each morning and see that clean desk I bet you’ll feel a little spring in your step – even if it is snowing outside.

Try Something New

Avoid falling into the trap of doing things the same way for each topic or chapter. We’ve all had teachers who asked you to read on Monday, define keywords on Tuesday, complete a worksheet on Wednesday, review on Thursday, and take a test on Friday. And, the next week it started all over again.

While this may make planning easier, it also becomes monotonous for you and your students. Even on a tight schedule, you can find ways to incorporate new activities and learning opportunities for your students.

Try graphic organizers, diagrams to color and label, a current article or video about a related topic, or maybe a review game in place of a worksheet.

Give Yourself A Break

If you’ve been teaching for several years, you may have this all figured out by now, but I think all teachers need to plan regular breaks within their schedule.

I discovered early in my teaching career that taking a day off is never easy. Planning for a substitute and dealing with the aftermath is just more trouble than it’s worth.

But, you can find sneaky little ways to work breaks into your schedule. Show a video, play a game, or let students collaborate on a short project. If you plan these activities well, you can have a fun day that is still educational for your students. And, best of all, you’ll have ZERO papers to grade that night.

Teaching can be very rewarding, but it can also be exhausting, especially in the first few years. I suggested these three resolutions because they’ve helped me be more productive throughout my career. Get organized, try something new, give yourself a break, and have a Happy New Year! Or, as they say in Hawaii, Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

What resolutions would you suggest to fellow educators?

Happy Teaching!
Carla