Teachers: How Can You Make a Change?

Teacher burnout is a real thing.
Passionate, educated teachers give everything they have.
Teachers give everything to their schools; towards improving data, and test scores,
and towards trying to be the perfect educator in a world full of beautiful,
DESERVING, important students.

Little by little teachers are being worn down, beat up, and drained.
And we know this drain isn’t be fixed by the summer break.
What do you do when you love teaching,
but something HAS to give?

Make a change.

Those three words are so powerful.
Those three words are so scary.
Those three words can strike fear.
Don’t let them.
Let those three words empower you, inspire you, and motivate you!

MAKE A CHANGE

When you feel the burnout coming,
I want to urge you to CHANGE something.

Change a problem area in your class.
Find a problem area that is causing you to stress and work to change it.
Read a book about classroom management tips
to learn different ways to deal with challenging students.
I recommend Teach Like a Pirate.
Try a new teaching structure to reduce the amount of prep time you have to contribute to your class, like The Daily 5.

Are you stuck on what you need to change?
Ask to attend a conference to spark that teaching fire!
SDE is hosting a HUGE National Conference
called I Teach K  in Los Vegas in July.
This might be exactly what you need to make small,
but meaningful changes in your classroom for the better.

Frog Street has an AMAZING conference experience this July
that I know you will not want to miss.
It can and most likely will change you as a teacher forever.
I know you will walk away with TONS of tips and tricks
as well as meet so many teachers just like you!

Change your grade level.
Start by trying to wrap your head around changing grade levels.
What would be ideal; up or down?
Classroom teacher or support staff?
What is a position you think you would enjoy as well as soar at?
Is there another teacher who you think could and would complement you as a teacher?
Not your friend but someone who could balance you
and push you in the right ways to help students and your school?

If you answered yes to any of these perhaps
you should have a real conversation with your administration
about your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher.
Let them know you are open to a change in your school.
It might not happen instantly,
but often times shaking things up in your building can be a great way
to invigorate you as a teacher.
Teaching a grade level that may scare you, might be the perfect fit,
and it might make you a better teacher.

Change your school.
This is a huge undertaking but can make a defining change for an educator.
In my district, it is difficult to change schools.
But this was the path I found myself on this past school year.
I went from the comfort of a school I taught at for 10 years,
where I discovered myself as a teacher
and learned how to REALLY teach,
to a school where there were a lot of unknowns.

I left friends, one of who I miss deeply every single day.
I left the students and families who I called “mine” and who I watch grow up and value.

It was scary.
I was petrified. I played the “what if” game in my head for months.
But guess what? I am almost a full year into this change and
it was without a doubt the BEST move I could have made for my family.
I had to change as a teacher.
BUT… I am growing as a teacher, as a parent, and as a person.
I am inspired by the teachers around me.
I am me… but I feel like I am a better me.
I grew my school family
because I refused to limit myself to staying safe and not venturing into the unknown.
The unknown is good… and in my case great!

Change your career. Here is the truth.
When you try everything I listed above or a life change happens within your family, sometimes it is time to change your career.
Hold your head high and know that you are making a change
that is the BEST thing you can do for yourself.
If you are having a baby and want to stay at home with the sweet little love,
change your job.
If you are moving on toward administration in a school,
congrats!
If you want to retire and start a second career, try it.