?? Self-care: A must for teachers

Hello Teachers!?

We recently asked a few teachers to share something they learnt for themselves in their professional course. We found some gems and thought of sharing one such eye-opening experience with you!

“Hi, my name is Kenneth and I have been teaching English for 8 years. I love the subject and I love my students. But after a few years of teaching, I reached a point where I felt I was unable to keep up with the enthusiasm with which I entered this wonderful profession.

As teachers we juggle between 3425678+ emotions every day.

“Did I make those copies for the 7th grade?” to “How do I handle this student with difficult behaviour?” and “When are Saima’s parents coming to discuss her report?” to “How proud I am of that fifth grader’s performance in the Spell Bee competition!”, “I haven’t been out of town for so long. I guess the excursion trip with the second graders will be nice.”

The fatigue from doing endless administrative tasks, lesson planning, preparing for school events, organising parents-teacher meetings had started taking a toll on me. This resulted in me procrastinating my personal commitments, displaying impulsiveness in my personal circle, and just feeling tired all the time. I suddenly hated making any decisions once I was outside of school.

I realised while I was doing my best to be a good teacher to my students, I was losing touch with the person I am outside of work. I understood that my lack of energy and enthusiasm was because I had way too much on my plate, with no time for myself. I was overburdening myself with work and did not reach out for help when I needed it. And this could affect my presence in the classroom- something that I really take very seriously.

So, I decided to do something about it. I followed simple tips and trust me, they helped me A LOT. And today, I am going to share these with you because I want every teacher to practise them.

Self care tips for teachers:

1. Do not hesitate to ask for help or share a task with a colleague. The teacher community is known as a community of helpful professionals. So make use of that!?
2. Try to disconnect from work once you leave the school premises. I know it is not possible all the time but do it whenever it is!
3. Have a fun, no-study, all-fun, chit-chat session with your students in a week. You will be amazed how the different and interesting perspectives of the young children will open your mind to so many things.?
4. Pamper yourself! Go hit that salon, catch up with your friends for a football match or read a book and drift away to a magic land.

Watch this masterclass to learn more about how teachers can take care of their mental health:

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• UAE: Free reading sessions to public school students UAE has announced a new “iRead” initiative to provide free reading sessions for public school students to improve their reading skills.

?? Quote for the day

"You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first."?

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