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Ep 119: Navigating Fragile February · New Teacher Talk

• 0:02
  Welcome to New Teacher Talk where we share the highs and
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  lows of educators' experience.
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  I'm Dr.
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  Beth.
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  And, I'm Dr.
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  Anna.
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  Today we're talking about something that hits close to home
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  for many educators, especially this time of the year.
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  We're calling this episode Fragile February, F
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  inding Your Way Back to Joy.
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  You know, Anna,
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  there's something about February that just feels, well,
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  heavy.
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  The excitement of the new year has definitely worn off.
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  Our spring break feels so far away.
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  And I'm seeing so many of our fellow teachers questioning
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  everything about their career choice.
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  Absolutely.
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  Just yesterday,
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  I was talking with a first year teacher who broke down in
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  tears, saying she doesn't recognize herself anymore.
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  All she does is work,
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  grade papers and worry about her students.
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  Her own life has become this tiny foot mount.
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  you know, that really resonates with me.
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  You know what I hear a lot?
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  No one told me it would be like this.
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  And you know, they're so right.
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  No one talks about how teaching can slowly consume every
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  aspect of your life, if you let it.
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  Let's be really honest with our listeners today,
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  February is when we see teachers hitting that wall.
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  The boundary between personal and professional life becomes
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  so blurred that you can't tell where one ends and the other
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  begins.
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  And what I see is the cynicism starts to creep in,
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  you know, we start noticing those veteran teachers,
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  those who've been, you know,
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  in the profession for a while now who seem just really
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  hardened.
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  And you wonder, you ask yourself,
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  is this going to be me at five years?
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  But here's the thing, Beth, it doesn't have to be.
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  Today,
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  we wanna talk about reclaiming your life and your joy in
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  teaching because both are possible.
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  Let's start with the most important thing, Anne,
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  and for our listeners.
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  You have to put yourself and your family first.
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  It's not selfish.
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  It's necessary.
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  Exactly.
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  Think of it like the oxygen mask on an airplane.
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  You have to secure your own before helping others.
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  Teachers who don't burn out fast.
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  One practical tip I want to share is leave the paperwork at
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  school.
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  I know it sounds impossible.
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  I can hear our listeners groaning already.
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  I can't do.
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  But hear me out.
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  When you bring work home,
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  you're sending yourself a message that your home is not a
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  sanctuary anymore.
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  It's just an extension of your classroom.
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  And let's talk about those late hours at school.
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  I used to think that staying until 6 or 7 pm made me a
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  better teacher.
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  But you know what, it just made me a more exhausted person.
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  I've been there too.
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  We really do need to reclaim time to think,
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  not about lesson planning or grading, but about life,
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  about our hobbies, our dreams, our families, our friends.
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  Remember those?
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  I'm serious though.
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  When was the last time you sat down and thought about what
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  you want to do this weekend?
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  Not what you need to grade, but what would bring you joy?
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  That is such a powerful question.
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  We need to put a little more life into ourselves.
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  Take that art class you've been thinking about.
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  Join the book club.
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  Go on a hike.
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  You know what I started doing?
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  I put a sticky note on my computer that says,
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  dream bigger than your classroom.
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  It reminds me that while teaching is part of my identity,
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  it's not all of who I am.
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  I really love that.
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  Here's something else that our listeners might want to
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  consider.
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  When we nurture our own interests and those relationships
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  that we have with people around us,
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  we actually become better teachers.
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  Absolutely.
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  We bring more energy, more creativity,
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  and lots more joy into our classroom when we're fulfilled
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  in our personal lives.
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  So here's our challenge to all of our listeners, Anna,
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  especially our newer teachers feeling fragile this
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  February.
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  This weekend,
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  do one thing that has absolutely nothing to do with
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  teaching.
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  And we want to hear about it share your stories with us on
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  our Instagram or Blue Sky
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  accounts@NewTeacherTalk tells us how you're putting more life into your life.
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  And remember everyone, teaching is a marathon,
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  not a sprint.
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  You cannot pour from an empty cup and you cannot inspire if
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  you're running on fumes.
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  You chose this profession because you wanted to make a
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  difference.
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  But making a difference starts with taking care of
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  yourself.
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  Listeners,
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  thank you for joining us today on New Teacher Talk.
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  Remember, this phase will pass,
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  but only if you take active steps to care for yourself.
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  Until next time, keep teaching, keep learning,
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  and most importantly, keep living!