Balance Before Burnout

| By: Committee for Children

 “Effectiveness lies in the balance.” —John Gardner

These days, teachers have so much responsibility—large class sizes, little support, a diverse range of learners, and many mandates, including new teacher-evaluation systems, the Common Core, and standardized testing— that many feel overworked and stressed. Few have time to sit and eat lunch, let alone leave school right at dismissal and go for a run. However research shows that people who take the time to lead a balanced life really are much more effective and happier overall. When we are “on” all day long, we need to make time for activities that relax us, rejuvenate us, and help us reflect, so our job as educators is not just a job, but a calling.

When we put so much into our work, we lose balance in the rest of our lives. When we don’t eat right and don’t exercise, our health begins to fail, which means we get sick, which means we are not at our best for students. And if we miss school and have to have a substitute, students’ learning is disrupted. When we don’t spend time on our relationships and families, we lose emotional support. We may feel unloved and become depressed—maybe even resentful toward our work. When we don’t take care of ourselves, it’s harder for us to take care of others, including students.

Before you hit the year running, remember to think of yourself. This year, how will you—the teacher, the most important factor in a child’s classroom success—keep balance? For example, balancing strategies I use are going to an exercise or yoga class at least twice a week, reading to my kids at night, family dinners, girls’ dinner once a month, mindful reflection daily, date nights once a week with my husband, traveling to a new place every four months or so, outdoor walks, reading daily, and writing for fun.

Brainstorm a list of things you will do this year to stay balanced. Find a “balance buddy” on your staff who can help you with your balance goal and check in on you, and do the same for him or her.

When your balance buddy asks if you are staying balanced this week and you say, “I’ve kept my promise of going to yoga once a week,” you know you’re succeeding. If your answer is, “The last two weeks have been rough, and I haven’t gone,” you’ll know you need to redirect your attention back to balance.

The goal of staying balanced is not only to create a more effective and efficient you, but to be a teacher who is focused and loves teaching. Using the balance buddy system may also create relationships between staff members and add to cultivation of a safe and trusting environment. Essentially, there will be less stress and tension and more joy.

With so much pressure on teachers, leading a balanced life is more important than ever before. Teaching effectiveness is at the core of good instruction, and to become effective teachers, we need balance. As expert author and researcher on leadership John Gardner said, “Effectiveness lies in the balance.”

Just like we teachers try to look at each student as a whole by considering individual academic, social, and emotional needs, we must also look at our own needs and create goals in order to be a “whole teacher.” The beginning of the year where everyone is back from summer and rejuvenated is a perfect time to set this intention for balance. It is proactive planning to show you care about yourself as a whole teacher.

In addition, at the beginning of the school year there can be a sense of loss. We’ve loved our time away; we were finally eating healthy, exercising, and catching up with friends, and now the summer is over. Many educators I know flip the switch back to “draining mode” when school begins—the same mode it took them all summer to get over. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if come June, we didn’t need summer to rejuvenate or reenergize as much? Creating balancing strategies now can help set the stage for a more balanced year rather than a year of burnout. To a great year ahead!