5 Covert Mental Health Destroyers That a Former Teacher Wished Administration Knew
"Is there anything I can do to get you to stay?"
11 Words,
1 sentence
Said just like a soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, the one you had given too many chances.
TLDR: Discover the 5 covert mental health destroyers that a former teacher wishes school administration knew and what administrators can do to better support and appreciate teachers, especially during Teacher Appreciation Month!
How I Knew It Was Time For Me To Leave Teaching Full-Time In A Public School
I remember the fall day when an eager and bright-eyed student innocently asked,
"Ms. Cunningham, when are we gonna get a new warm-up?'
I cynically shouted, "Why do students think I want to hear their opinions?"
The next day the student could no longer look me in the eye.
I became what I told myself I would never become- another irritated and under-supported teacher whose remarks leaves students asking, "Why is she so angry?"
That remark could leave a lifetime of damage.
I may have instilled false beliefs in a child that form when a trusted adult feels too trapped, too indebted, and tired to respond affirmingly to a child's inquisition or needs.
Those beliefs could be:
"My opinions don't matter."
"The trusted adults in my life don't want to hear from me."
"When I speak up, I am invalidated."
I could no longer hold it together.
The weight of appropriately responding to every student's need within the public school system was turning me into someone who was misaligned with my teaching philosophy, which values divergent thinking.
I was a stranger to myself.
How to Tell When a Teacher is Struggling and What to Do About It
Administrators who are not regularly in the halls and classrooms with the students often only get glimpses of a teacher's disposition and temperament over a more extended period. Small injustices and inequities that affect the school's culture and teacher morale begin piling up, and teachers begin to experience,
Decrease in High Learning Standards and Self-Efficacy in the Classroom
Immense Feeling of Exhaustion Upon Arrival
Feelings of Helplessness
Feelings of Isolation Within the School Community
Feelings of Cynicsm
One snarky expression of a complaint at a staff meeting that could have been an email can relieve months of covert dissatisfaction.
Teachers want to reach out for help. However, the work overload and chain of command structures in school have teacher issues being passed on and passed on until it lands into the abyss of unfulfilled teacher needs.
5 Covert Mental Health Destroyers That A Former Teacher Wishes Administration Knew
Some of the issues listed below point to larger institutional structures that echo the injustices of larger groups of people globally:
Nothing like coming in for the day with hopeful plans and prayer and then learning that your fourth-period class has been canceled due to an assembly consistently.
Or when one of your teaching strategies or lessons works well with your 8-month-old students and four new students just joined your class.
As a performing arts teacher, I tried my hardest to infuse each moment I spent with students with not only dance content but also an appreciation for the form.
How am I supposed to teach appreciation for the form when the school’s actions show students that they couldn’t care less about me providing consistent instruction?
One day I asked my students to look around and asked if the space given to me to teach was inspiring.
Students immediately said no, and I wondered if that had to do with the general school culture of students wanting to spend more time getting their steps in walking the hallways rather than in classrooms.
“This is not the mall”, I found myself shouting daily, as students leisurely walked in and out of class like they had a choice to just rotate when they weren’t feeling something.
Administration in my past used to say, "If you made your class interesting, they wouldn't want to leave."
But the administration didn’t realize at least there was some natural light in the hallway.
I didn't realize that in my teacher preparation program the extent that I would be competing with other subject areas for instructional and enrichment time with my students.
Arts and Elective teachers can be counted on to relieve classroom teachers when necessary for their instructional goals; however, when we ask the administration to change the scheduling to support our plans, we often are not met with the same energy.
Too often, I sat at a staff meeting with sensory overload from the day, the week, and the month and an administrator asked an open-ended question in a guided discussion lecture-style format.
It felt like another request and demand, and we are so used to being "on" every second of the workday and ready to have an answer for anyone in no time.
I wanted to respond to questions without raising my hand, address everyone aloud, and have a quick answer.
Decisions made on behalf of the teachers without including teachers' voices or opinions are dehumanizing.
I experienced this on an extreme scale when I logged into PowerSchool to view my second-semester roster and found that 25 Venezuelan immigrants had been added to my class in the middle of the year.
They say teachers are the first responders to everything society throws at us.
It was made abundantly clear that I was expected to partially bear the weight of the changes in the Illinois immigrant population without a discussion or even knowing Spanish.
Ways for Administration Show Appreciation to Teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week and Year-Round
If your goal is to make your educators feel valued, appreciated, and empowered to do their best work despite the deficits and deficiencies in the American educational system, consider showing some appreciation year-round in these cute ways:
Surprise Prep: Step into your teacher's classroom and surprise them with a surprise prep
Offer a masseuse and fresh juices instead of catering
Invite the parents of a few children of the teacher to assist with an in-class project.
Write a quick email highlighting a positive interaction you witnessed between that teacher and a student
Offer a mindful movement workshop during professional development
Decorate a Teacher's mailbox or door without them knowing
Create a teacher wellness room with aromatherapy, sound bathing, and dimmable lights.
Pair teachers together throughout the day who prefer to co-teach instead of work alone.
To retain quality teachers and uplift the school's morale, administrators must be aware of the covert mental health destroyers that teachers face and create an equitable and supportive school environment.
It takes a mindful combination of understanding of their experiences and the resources to better support their inner person.
That is where my focus lies now as an arts administrator for a non-profit dance organization. I want to be the person who understands and supports the inner person in every great teacher, filled with the passion and perseverance to bring excellence to the next generation.
Join the conversation below!
Current Teachers and Retired teachers- I want to hear from you!
Join me in reflecting and voicing on the covert mental health destroyers affecting your time in the classroom during your time in the classroom and share creative ways you empowered yourself and your students amid those precious instructional minutes!
If you want to give a continuous
voice and spread the impact of all the reflections from myself and the community in the comments, consider pinning this blog to continue spreading awareness.