Self Care Critical to Avoid Burn Out

If you're a teacher, then you've no doubt experienced exhaustion, frustration, and stress more times than you'd like to admit during the school year. Today teachers are being asked to do more with less and produce results that are nothing short of heroic. It's no surprise then that many of us feel burnout especially during the last weeks of school. In an article by Teach Thought on The Warning Signs of Teacher Burnout,

NPR Education reports that roughly half a million teachers leave the profession each year. While turnover is expected in any profession, a ... study shows that it’s 4 percent higher in teaching than any other profession. You can’t go far without reading an article or recent study that highlights the percentage of first-year teacher attrition, the overwhelming burnout rate of teachers in urban school districts, or the on-going debate focused on the value of teacher evaluation systems.

Even though teaching is a rewarding career, without proper self care, you could be in danger of being overworked, burned out, and neglecting your own mental and physical health needs. Often we put our needs aside to take care of others. Don't make that mistake. Make self care part of your routine during the summer and school year as well.

I'm sharing a self-care calendar with daily suggestions for staying healthy mentally and physically. You can download the calendar here from my free library by subscribing to Straight Outta Class. I hope you'll take advantage of the calendar and let me know what worked best for you. Taking time for yourself is not selfish but rather a necessary part of ensuring you are at your best to enjoy life and be a happy, productive teacher.

Until next time,

Melissa :)