There are two times of year that I feel especially exhausted: the beginning of the school year and the end of the school year
Am I the only one?
I know my problem about the beginning of the school year. I spend almost a month before school starts getting ready. Then it starts and there is just so much to do.
Eventually, I get into the groove. I get ahead. I relax and things are fine.
I won’t project any farther into the school year. Right now I’m ready for that get into the groove stage. I’m not quite there yet.
It got me thinking. This is my 15th year teaching. Sigh. That number is huge. I’ve seen some people come and go in that time. I’ve seen a lot of stress in people already this year. I’ve been asking myself, how do I keep going?
I give myself permission.
I think that might require an explanation.
I’m sure I’m not the only teacher out there that has this overwhelming urge to put all my time, money, and resources in my classroom. It took some time for me to learn to give myself permission. Permission to be human. Permission to spend money on myself (instead of my classroom). Permission to actually relax during weekends or breaks. I could put every moment of every day and every dollar I have into my classroom and I would still have more I wanted to do.
So, I give myself permission to take care of myself.
Today, I thought I’d share one way I do that: designate extra money. I call it my mental Teacher Appreciation Fund.
There are little things that might come up where you can earn a little extra money. It might be an inservice day (our budget in California has cut those). It might be extra duties. (For me it’s being a support provider for new teachers and being part of leadership.) It might be money made on TPT or TN.
In California, our new teachers need to complete something called BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment). As a support provider, I spend time at meetings and work with new teachers. When I started doing this, I just let the money I was paid go into my easily depleted everyday budget. I did the same with the small leadership stipend. Then, I realized, I could take those extra dollars, transfer them into savings and spend them on something great.
The little bit of extra money that comes in might be just a few bucks. But, whatever it is, I make note and require myself to do something for me. I designate it as Teacher Appreciation Fund (in my mind).
This may sound silly but it has changed my life. I started doing this years ago, and have had some great adventures because of it. This summer, I went on a hot air balloon ride with my husband with my Teacher Appreciation Money. I would have felt guilty spending on something frivolous if I hadn’t started this system years ago. This summer, my Teacher Appreciation Fund also paid for a project to paint my bedroom. I’ll post some before and after pictures at the end of this post.
As teachers, the best way for us to avoid teacher burn out is to give ourselves permission to appreciate ourselves.
I challenge you to start your own mental Teacher Appreciation Fund. You may not be like me and save up over a long time. You might just take yourself to lunch. Whatever it is, your heart desires, you deserve it.
Before |
My husband prepping our small bedroom for painting. |
After (The color is called Mermaid and I love it!) |
I wanted a relaxing ocean getaway. |
Here is the teacher in me: My charging station is next to my bed and my laptop is on a step stool next to the bed. |
A few reminders of our love of the ocean. |
I got this candle holder years ago and am so glad it fits in now. |
Our fun IKEA find: bedside lights. |
That coaster was inspired by Pinterest. A friend hosted a Pinterest Party and gave us those as favors. It is a bathroom tile with scrap book paper on top and felt on the bottom. Love it!
This year’s Teacher Appreciation Fund will give us many nights of relaxation! |
I’d love to hear how you avoid teacher burn out.
Mary says
I love this idea! I've also been teaching at my present school for 15 years. This year I'm a mentor teacher and will be with this new teacher for the next 4 years. I'll also have a student teacher, so I'm definitely going to put my money aside for myself (and I may let my husband enjoy it too!!). Your bedroom came out beautiful!
Mary
Teaching Special Kids
Mercedes Hutchens says
Thanks, Mary. I look forward to hearing what you do with your teacher appreciation fund. Sounds like you'll need something that takes care of you since you'll be taking care of so many people this year!
Julia says
These are great tips! Thanks for sharing.Love your bedroom color! It looks SO relaxing! Lattes and Laughter
Mercedes Hutchens says
Thanks! I have that beginning of the year cold and spent Saturday in and out of sleep. I was so happy to keep waking up in a happy place.
Wendy P says
What a great idea! I too have been teaching for 16 years and I am a mentor teacher for the first time. Needless to say it has been an up & down road so far. I currently I am burned out. I agree that sometimes you have to give yourself permission to take care of yourself. My mom always said you have to take care of your self in order to be a good mom, wife, sister, teacher… no one else is going to do that. Love the bedroom.
Mercedes Hutchens says
I hope you give yourself permission so you don't stay burned out. The best analogy I've heard was to think about what they tell you on a plane. In the event of an emergency, you have to put YOUR oxygen mask on before you put them on your children. Life is that way, you have to take care of yourself or you won't be around to take care of others.