Health Suggestions for Teachers Heading Back to School

As a high school teacher, I know full well how the summer can change you. I also understand that getting back into a groove to begin the school year does not just mean organizing your classroom and setting up a neat file cabinet. After eight weeks off, or at least of not working in the school itself, getting back to school calls for you to adjust to life under the pressure of constant challenge and expectations.

Those of us who fail to make the needed changes will, to put it bluntly, suffer the consequences. Unbeknownst to people outside the teaching profession, the job is a tough one; the unfair and irrelevant stereotypes of "summers off" and "out by 3pm" could not be more erroneous in relation to the actual effort invested in doing the job well. For this reason, if we elect to not make quality decisions about our own health, meaning our physical, mental, and emotional well being, we will inevitably struggle. Chronic problems such as stress, headaches, weight gain, and anxiety, both in and out of school, will plague your life.

However, if you remember that you cannot teach well if you are not at your best, you will always make the decisions that benefit you. Much like the directions given by flight attendants on airplanes prior to take-off, where they encourage you to secure your own oxygen mask and insure it is working properly before assisting someone else, you must take the time to maintain your own health before trying to better the lives of others.

The suggestions about health tips for teachers that follow have worked wonders for me, and I remind myself of them not only at the beginning of the school year, but also almost daily. I have learned over my thirteen year career to take care of myself. Then and only then will my students actually get the best teacher I can be.

Finish your summer: Do not begin stressing about the upcoming year four or five weeks before it needs to begin. Let the batteries recharge and step out of teacher mode for a good while. If you want to read to prepare for classes, fine; however, do not spend hours a day worrying about lesson plans, etc. Spend the week before getting organized and back into the groove.

Pledge honesty: Do not tell yourself lies and expect to believe them. You know your state of being and how you feel. Honestly handle whatever emotions you have and fix them if they are troublesome. Holding emotions in and silently begging for them to go away will rip you apart as the year goes.

Exercise daily: Get out of the teachers' lounge where donuts go to die and get into some form of activity. If you enjoy the gym, schedule time for it. If you get a group of teachers to walk the track after school or do yoga, then so be it. Just give yourself a physical option each day. There exists a direct correlation between the body and mind, and exercise is well documented as the best reliever of stress. When you feel better about your body, you feel better about life.

Plan time for you: Some teachers often see themselves as martyrs, sacrificing each waking moment in the name of their students. If you truly wish to be an amazing, interesting person, one who the students will follow and love, then you need to have time to be yourself. Read a book that has nothing to do with school, take a cooking class, train for a marathon, ride your bike, take a walk each night with your spouse. Whatever it is, you need a sufficient amount of "you time" to survive as an individual.

Be organized and planned: No winging it or by-the-seat-of-your-pants teaching. Use your prep periods as well as time before and after school wisely. Do not sit and socialize the day away while you are at work. Make use of that time to plan for your classes, grade papers, and do any required paperwork. Try to eliminate as much take-home work as possible. Sure, we need to do stuff in the evening, but it should not be hours worth of work.

Eat well and avoid unhealthy snacks: Stay away from the common areas that seem to always collect cakes, cookies, and loads of sugar. Keep a few healthy snacks in your desk and grab those between periods or on your prep. The more unhealthy food you ingest each day, the worse your morale will become. You will feel lethargic and heavy, as you gain weight and become less enthused about your life. This will directly impact your teaching, not to mention your overall lifestyle. Plus, the more you enter these common areas to get the latest leftover birthday cake, the more time you will waste.

Give yourself one day: Many teachers, especially new ones, will work seven days a week. They use Saturdays to grade papers and Sundays to prep for the week. While using time on the weekends is normally a must, you should pledge to give yourself one of the two weekend days completely off. Even if you have a mountain of papers to assess, leave there and do something for you. The job, although it is critically important, cannot overwhelm your life. Take one day per weekend just for you.

Avoid the trivial and focus on what is important: Schools tend to be gossips mills, and drama can float about at an alarming rate. Whether it involves students or staff, practice determining what is meaningless banter and what is important. Get yourself to focus on the important pieces and let the other stuff go. Remind yourself of your role and perform your job with a pure heart. Do not get wrapped up in the drama that can and will inevitably surround you at some point.

So, as summer comes to a close and another school year begins, make sure you consider you. Think about what makes you happy and content, and blend that into your life. A happy teacher will always outperform a miserable one, and the students, not matter how hard you may try to hide it, will always know the difference between the two. Make your life important; that is how you can change theirs.