Students want you to know you make a difference!
It’s a time of year that “burnout” creeps or leaps into almost every conversation that occurs among those of us in the education field. When I talk with teachers and those who work in educational settings, Spring seems to be all about too much work, not enough time for anything, testing, grading, dealing with students, or, for those of you who are parents, children acting like caged animals ready to run (or possibly trying very hard to push aside the desire to run yourself!) Whether you see yourself in these first few sentences or you are just feeling tired from a long school year and feeling the need for a break, I want to send you off with a couple of wishes as you head into the summer break. My wishes for you are that you:
(1) Recognize you are seen, appreciated, and make a difference!
This past year, Children’s Institute received funds from the Farash Foundation for a project that was designed to support and promote teacher retention. As part of this project, we convened a group of youth from various schools and gave them the task to co-develop and deliver training for pre-service and existing teachers focused on how to build caring and supportive relationships with students. In developing the training one of the first things this group of young people did was research why teachers are leaving the profession. The training they developed focused on the positive power that can come from the relationships between students and teachers, and strategies for developing them. In addition to providing strategies and tips for building relationships with students, the messages these young students want to share are:
- We know and appreciate how hard you work
- Your efforts don’t go unnoticed
- We know you are also stressed
- Even if you don’t think you impact your whole class, you do
- We appreciate and acknowledge your hard work
(2) Take time to reflect on and remind yourself “why” you became an educator.
Several years ago, I stood in front of 300 staff buzzing with energy and anxiety as the new school year was about to begin. My objective for this opening day was to somehow tap into “why” they came into the profession. I shared a video that, to this day, speaks to what motivates me to continue my work with and in schools. The video is of a 4th grader’s opening day keynote speech to a large district in Texas. His message was powerful, inspiring, and important for those of us in the field to remember, “… Do you believe in me? ... Do you believe that you are shaping not just my generation, but that of my children’s generation and my children’s children’s generation?… We need you! We need you to know that what you’re doing is the most important job in the city today. We need you to believe in yourself, in your colleagues, and in our goals. … Do you believe in me? Because I believe in me and you helped me get to where I am today!” Take some time this summer to remind yourself why you wanted to do this work. (Dalton Sherman’s keynote: Link to Video)
(3) Recognize and embrace the fact that to rejuvenate you must attend to what you REALLY need.
We each have physical, social, emotional, and mental needs. For some during the school year, these needs get lost in the stress and overwhelm of juggling to-dos along with all you carry throughout the school year. While spa days, time with family, and vacation trips are wonderful as you step away for a while, these activities may only address some of what you are missing. Take a moment to assess what you really need. Do you need: quiet, order, humor, inspiration, spontaneity, creativity, or self-expression? As you plan your summer, consider taking a moment to reflect on what you are truly missing and be intentional about how you feed those gaps. Come late August there will be students that need you to have the capacity to connect with them and colleagues that need your support and partnership. Remember to fully lean into WHY you became an educator and the difference you wanted to make. Here is a great resource to support your needs assessment: Needs Inventory from the Center for Nonviolent Communication (cnvc.org)
The Whole Child Connection team joins me in wishing you a safe and healthy summer full of whatever you need most. You are seen and valued more than ever for the difference you make to this and future generations.
Dawn Breitung, Assistant Director, Whole Child Connection
