Stress Already? A Little Reminder

In an earlier post I wrote about stress and not letting what you can’t control overwhelm you. As a new school year is starting and I am already hearing how completely overwhelmed many of you are, I feel like I need to write this to remind you all of something.

You are amazing and strong. Don’t forget it.

The love you have for your students and your profession have brought you to where you are today. You wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t true. The best thing you can do is take care of you first. I know you love your kids and have tons to do but don’t take it home with you. If you have to stay late, fine. But once you leave, leave it in your classroom. Take care of you and live your life. If you aren’t happy and healthy, then you can’t be everything your students need.

Over the years, I let teaching overwhelm me. I took it home with me every day. Even if it wasn’t actual work that came home with me, it was the emotional stress that hung over me all the time. It was a constant weight pulling me down.  I didn’t see it until now, how much it affected my overall disposition and my life. Don’t let the stress of the job overtake you.

In teaching, things are ALWAYS going to come up. Change the things you can. Make a step by step plan for how you’ll overcome each challenge that comes your way. Get it done. There will also be things you can’t change or fix. For those things, you have to change your perspective on how you look at it so it doesn’t overwhelm you.

I am also the type of teacher who likes to do everything myself. I didn’t like asking for help. BIG MISTAKE. Teaching is a team effort. We have to support each other and work together. It makes us better teachers and better people. We all know the saying, work smarter, not harder. So let’s do that. Look at your responsibilities as special education teachers. You are not only teachers, you are coaches, you are therapists, you are life educators. Divide and conquer. Work with your team to create those special education lesson plans, assessments for your students, and materials for your classroom. Find a team that shares the same vision. It will help you be a better teacher and a better you. The stress is less when you share the burden and work together.

So remember these 2 things this year to help you stress less and be better.

Take care of yourself first and you will be able to take care of others.

Teaching is a team effort. Work together to lift up each other and your students.

You got this!