Anxiety is a common occurrence among teachers. Deadlines, parent meetings, and defiant behaviors can cause worry and stress. It’s important to acknowledge these feelings and address them immediately. Often times when these symptoms get ignored, they can lead to an outburst of emotions; where it feels like we are at a breaking point. It’s crucial to take care of your own well-being and health.
After all, a happy teacher radiates, and students will notice the difference.
Keep reading to find 10 tips to manage all your teaching anxiety.
TIP #1 Complete Your Assigned Work Immediately
Let me explain. We all get assigned work by admin or agree to collaborative assignments with other teachers, right? Well, complete those right away. Don’t put them on your ‘to-do list’ for the weekend to forget. Any free time? Use that to finish the task. Keeping that list small will help you feel less overwhelmed.
TIP #2 Try to Finish Your Work at Work
It’s important to separate work from home life. You don’t deserve to come home and do 2+ hours of additional grading or planning. That lack of rest definitely can contribute to your anxiety. Take time to schedule, calendar, and plan your days smarter so you are most efficient during those 8 hours at school. If the students are working on an assignment, use that time to work on your grade book too. It’s never going to be perfect or you may not get all the work done, but it reduces your after-school work hours.
TIP #3 Have the Students Help You
Don’t do all the work when the kids can help you with it. They will learn from taking initiative and leadership roles too. For example, if you have a test to grade… do it as a class! Students will learn about their mistakes as they grade and you can teach them important lessons about honesty when marking a test. It’s a win-win.
TIP #4 Participate in Fitness Class
If you teach gym, include yourself in it. The students will appreciate it and you’ll get a workout in at the same time. It may not be intense, but daily movement will help your mood throughout the day.
TIP #5 Try not to be a Perfectionist
Remember that everything does have to be perfect. Especially in a classroom when the intent is to learn and make mistakes. Your classroom doesn’t have to be spotless. It doesn’t have to be super organized and you don’t need to always go the extra mile. Learn to differentiate what is necessary for the children’s education and be sure to do that well. But other things are sometimes just a luxury and not always needed.
TIP #6 Know Your Rights
It’s important to know what you are required to do and what may be tackled onto you unnecessarily. Know your teaching minutes and the prep times you are required to have… You don’t want anyone stealing your time!
TIP #7 Use All Your Supports Wisely
Take full advantage of all and any supports you get in the class, even if your aide works one-on-one with a student. An easy way to do this without too much hassle is to create a list of tasks for the day. Your support can do them when available and this ends up helping your workload. I recommend assigning organization and decorating tasks as this can take up a lot of time. This frees up your day to work on planning and grading.
TIP #8 Take a Day Off
Seriously though. If you need to take a day off to regroup or catch up on work, do it! Remember, your mental health is important. You are not being selfish, you are taking care of yourself.
PRO TIP Always consult your doctor for personalized advice. Each person is different. What may work for one person, may not for you!
Read about what type of teacher you are here!
Want to add your experience or other tips? Comment below.