Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 186: Why Your Well-Being Matters for Student Success with Faye Snodgress

Transcript

Ep 186: Why Your Well-Being Matters for Student Success with Faye Snodgress · New Teacher Talk

Hello, I'm Faith Snodgress, an elementary teacher.
If you're listening to this while driving to school,
sitting in your classroom after dismissal,
or hiding out for a minute just to breathe, welcome.
You're exactly who this episode is for.
Teaching asks you to be an instructor,
a relationship builder, an emotional anchor,
a systems navigator,
and often a quiet crisis manager all at once.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that,
you're expected to take care of yourself.
Well, today we're gonna talk about self-care,
not as something extra,
but as a core part of teaching within what we call a
compassionate system.
In many schools, self-care is treated like a reward.
Well, once you finish grading, once the unit is done,
once things calm down.
But here's the truth, systems don't calm down on their own,
and teachers who burn out don't help students thrive.
Here's something grounding to remember.
Humans are wired for connection, not metaphorically,
but biologically.
From the moment we're born,
our brains and bodies depend on connection to survive and
regulate.
You can't automate it.
You can't replace it with technology.
And no matter how advanced things get,
authentic human interaction will always matter.
That's true for kids, and it's just as true for teachers.
So if you're feeling disconnected or numb,
that's not a weakness.
That's simply your nervous system asking for repair.
Teaching is relational, complex, and emotionally demanding.
You definitely are not alone in this experience,
even if it might feel that way.
Although we need connection and time for self-care,
it's also the hardest thing to sustain.
We're distracted over stimulated, sleep deprived,
and pulled in a thousand directions.
Most importantly,
teaching in this environment is not what we were trained
for.
So using the compassionate systems lens,
we understand that every part of the system affects the
whole.
Your energy, emotional state,
and sense of wellbeing directly shape classroom climate,
student regulation, relationships, and learning outcomes.
Self-care isn't selfish, rather it's systems maintenance.
Just like we wouldn't expect a school to function without
electricity or clean water,
we can't expect teaching and learning to thrive without
emotionally healthy educators.
In compassionate systems,
we pay attention to signals and identify our emotions.
Emotions are signals, not problems.
So teachers often feel overwhelmed, guilty, self-doubt,
anxiety, exhaustion,
even grief for the teacher they hoped they would be right
away.
But instead of pushing those feelings away,
try this simple reframe.
Emotions are simply data about us.
So ask yourself, what am I feeling right now?
Where do I feel it in my body?
What might this emotion be trying to tell me about my needs
or context?
For example, irritation may signal overload,
anxiety may signal uncertainty or lack of support.
Exhaustion may signal unsustainable pacing.
Naming emotions reduce their intensity and increases your
sense of agency.
Let's look at a simple repeatable framework that you can
use weekly or even daily.
A handout with this framework is available as part of this
podcast.
So let's start by taking a few minutes,
maybe at the start of your day,
during a break in the middle of the day,
or in the evening to pause and check in with yourself.
What emotions are showing up?
What patterns do I see this week?
Do you feel more overwhelmed or short on patients on
certain days or times of the day?
And what's happening when you have those feelings?
If possible,
writing your response to these questions in a journal can
be very helpful.
Noting your emotions is not judgment, it's observation.
So say to yourself, will these make sense?
Next, choose a small compassionate action.
It might be a pause for several minutes of deep breathing,
stepping outside for a few minutes between classes,
saying no to one unnecessary task,
asking for help or clarity,
and leaving work at a defined time once this week.
Self-care doesn't have to be big to be effective.
Consistency matters more than intensity.
As you reflect on the emotions you identified and the
actions you took to help you refill your tank,
ask yourself, well what helped even a little bit?
What felt good?
What drained me the most?
And what boundary might I experiment with next?
You need micro moments of regulation built into your day.
This turns self-care into professional learning,
not professional failure.
So here's something powerful to remember.
When you practice emotional awareness and self-care,
you're teaching your students how to be human.
You're modeling emotional literacy, boundary setting,
regulation, compassion, and sustainability.
Students don't just learn from what you teach,
they learn from how you live inside the system.
A regulated teacher creates space for regulated learners.
Before we end, take one more breath and ask yourself,
what is one small act of compassion I can offer myself this
week?
Write it down, say it out loud, and honor it.
Because in a compassionate system, you matter,
not just as a teacher, but as a human being.
Thanks for spending part of your day with us on New Teacher
Talk.
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