Teaching is hard. Not the actual teaching part of it. The planning, designing, orchestrating, thinking and delivering is the hard part. Good teaching takes a lot of work in the background that only educators understand. Great teaching means other things get sacrificed in your life. Time with you family can be reduced. Ability to just sit and relax (what’s that?!?) can be non-existent. Often educators have a second or third part time job just to try to pay the bills.

Non-educators might have gotten a better idea of what it means to be a teacher when we shuttered our schools and students were learning from home. Many families began praising teachers and thanking them for the work they’ve always done. This is greatly appreciated. Now if only that could translate to income! Just kidding. Kind of.

Educators didn’t go into the profession to get rich, or even to earn a livable wage. While it SHOULD support a family, the reality is that it doesn’t. We became teachers because we believe in people. We believe in growing a young human into a better one. We want the best for every single one of those children and young adults. For those of us that teach adults, we want what’s best for them too.

By now you might be nodding your head and thinking, “Yes! That’s what I want!” But, you’re tired. You’re stressed. Maybe you’re even a little fearful in the environment that we find ourselves in right now. It’s hard to find joy in things when everything seems different and maybe even scary.

So, what to do? How do educators manage to survive?

I know that I don’t have all the answers. Nor do I even have the right answers for you. You need to find the right answers that fit your situation. But, I DO know that we need to provide self-care and find the good where we can. I DO know that it’s hard. I DO know that we can’t always change our circumstances, but we can change our attitude about them.

I have needed an attitude change. I have to remind myself daily to stay positive, remember the goal of education, and give my best every day. Even if it’s not 100% some days, it’s still my best for that day. Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow I might have less to give, but I’ll still give as much of me as I can. With grace, I might even be able to give 100%. But that’s never a given.

Give yourself grace. Remind yourself that you never know how you might affect someone you meet, or work with today. Shine your light brightly. Thank you for being an educator and know that you make a difference. 🎹 BV