It’s almost 10 o’clock, and I’ve just told my 10-year-old son to go to sleep for the 13th time. But I can’t blame him tho. I remember how I used to get so excited for the first day of school that I would wake up every hour of the night, hoping it was already morning. But let me tell you something: teachers also feel those jitters before and on the first day of school!
Summer vacations feel like a time to breathe again, but as the break comes to an end, you take a deep breath and brace yourself for the year ahead 😮💨. With that breath, I want to tell my fellow teachers this:
For those who are excited to meet the new students, to get to know them, to connect, to teach, to inspire— I see you.
For those who know, deep down, that this system is old, broken, and isn’t doing justice to you or your students, yet you stay, you fight, you stand up for what is right— I hear you.
For those who feel the weight of it all, who give more than they receive, who pour from a cup that’s running dry, yet still show up and refuse to lose the fight— I feel you.
What 12 years in education has taught me is that YOU are responsible for every single drop in your cup. You HAVE TO take care of yourself. No amount of noble self-sacrifice or martyrdom will convince the system of your worthiness of being filled. If your cup is dry, you will inadvertently rob your students of their precious water, and I KNOW that is not something any good teacher would want to do. So, please, take care of yourself!
You have to set boundaries. The system will not set them for you, even if you are drowning. Throw perfection out the door. Accept the ebbs and flows of being a HUMAN teacher. AI and online education could never take your place because, human children need human connection and models for being human in this world.
Dare to say 'no' to unrealistic demands. Laugh more. Play more. Lightly. Gently. Lovingly. And most important of all, make time throughout the year to BREATHE.
I'm on a 'sabbatical' from the system to catch my breath again. But once a teacher, always a teacher. I carry it in my heart and kidneys (haha, greetings to my Dutch teacher friends👋🏼🫶🏼). There are more ways of teaching than the traditional school-setting, and that is what I am exploring and filling my cup by doing so.
Well said Robyn!