Focus on One

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I spend a fair amount of time reading what other teachers post on Twitter.  I spend less time interacting with them, but I will sometimes jump in if I feel I can add something substantive to a conversation (I will not jump into an argument about things like grades vs. no grade, but I will try to encourage someone or offer perspective).  

Yesterday, there was a sadness to teacher Twitter that's hard for non-teachers to understand.  We have just finished two of the craziest weeks of the pandemic (which is saying something) because Omicron has caused so many students to be virtual and teachers to be absent; subs are short, so there's a lot of covering for each other.  I had responded to someone with weird priorities who wanted some kind of awards to have something "to show for her career" and claimed her friend had won an Emmy yesterday (even though the Emmys were in September, so I haven't figured that out).  Anyway, one of the people who responded to me said she feels "demoralized and depressed."  Another said he had a "powerless feeling."  It all added up to we are exhausted. By exhausted, I don't mean tired.  Tired can be cured by a three-day weekend and a few good nights of sleep.  By exhausted, I mean depleted.  Teachers are used to pouring out, but we usually get refilled by a variety of things.  The last two years (two months from today will mark two years since the first day of virtual schooling) have required a lot more pouring out and included a lot less refilling.  What Twitter showed yesterday is that a lot of us are running on empty.

What occurred to me as I read all of this was that these feelings aren't new.  They are just more widespread and chronic than they have been in the past.  Before the pandemic, there might be one or two really demoralized teachers in the building, and those around them can lift them up.  Anyone who has been teaching for a while can tell you that you will have a bad quarter or a semester that makes you want to quit.  I have even had a year where I thought, "I just don't know how to do this well anymore."  The difference now is that the feeling of depletion is so widespread and has been going on for so long that it is hard to remember that this isn't our normal life.

So here's my advice.  Find an experienced teacher and ask them what they do when they feel demoralized.  They have been through it before, and they have developed coping mechanisms (I'm not talking about self-care; I'm talking about real strategies).  Here's what I shared with the teacher on Twitter who responded to me about feeling demoralized.

There is probably one student in each of your classes that seems "with you."  She is the one that makes eye contact.  He's the one who hangs around after class to ask a question or tell a story.  When you are feeling depleted, that kid is your bucket filler without even knowing it.  While you are teaching, focus on that kid.  Pretend you are teaching him and don't care about whether anyone else gets it (Of course, you do care.  This is just a mental exercise).  Make that kid the reason you don't just assign reading and go sit at your desk.  It is less overwhelming than thinking about big things we cannot fix.  As that student responds, you will get a little refilling of the energy you've lost.  When he stays after to share something, your momentum will increase a bit.  It doesn't take effect in one class period, but it does work (at least for me).  After a couple of weeks, you will find you have some of your motivation back.  

February is coming, which is often a time when we all feel a little low.  This year, we are starting it after a particularly difficult January caused, in part, by people who insisted on spending Christmas break as though we weren't still in the middle of the pandemic.  It's going to be hard, so: 

• Support your colleagues.  Spend time with them in whatever way you are able.
• Hang onto the notes or drawings kids might give you.  When you feel depleted, take them out and read them and have a good cry.
• Pray for your administration.  They are tired too, and we tend to forget that.
• Focus on one student.
• Every once in a while, show a video.  It won't harm their future if you only do it occasionally.
• Realize that you are not in control, and do what only you can do.