{"id":4206,"date":"2022-08-21T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-21T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=4206"},"modified":"2022-08-19T09:56:38","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T14:56:38","slug":"mental-health-tips-for-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/mental-health-tips-for-teachers\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Mental Health Tips for Teachers Having a Hard Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bad years happen. It’s hard to go many years in any career without a few slumps. But in the moment, those bad years can feel impossible to survive.<\/strong> In this post, I hope to share a few mental health tips for teachers who might be having a bad year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(If you’re a first-year teacher who’s struggling during your first year, this post is for you.)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"5 Mental Health Tips for Teachers Having a Hard Year\" Pinterest pin<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Mental Health Tips for Teachers #1: Beg, Borrow, Steal, or Buy Your Lesson Plans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you’re having a bad teaching year, the first thing you need to do is to get as much off of your plate as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Having a hard time creating boundaries around your time? Check out this post for some tips.)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quickest way to do this is to eliminate some of your planning.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great lesson can take me hours to create. I need to gather the content, put together slides, make everything pretty, create an activity, think of an exit ticket, etc. It’s a lot even when you feel great. But when you’re already feeling down, this can be impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So don’t do it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s ok some years to just get by.<\/strong> You don’t have to be Teacher of the Year every year. Sometimes survival needs to be the goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So get your lessons somewhere else. Know a teacher who already taught your class?<\/strong> See if she’s willing to share her plans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try and salvage what you can from your school’s textbooks or canned curriculum.<\/strong> It might not be your students’ favorite lesson ever, but it meets the curriculum and has also already been approved by the district. (This has the added bonus of not getting you in trouble if you’re in a conservative school.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to find a free unit online or in a teacher Facebook group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if all of that fails, buy a unit on Teacher Pay Teachers.<\/strong> Your mental health and hours of your time are totally worth that money. I promise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n