The Present Teacher

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9 Astonishing Teacher Self-Care Ideas for Back to School

So it’s that overwhelming time of year that many teachers know as… Back to School.

It’s that time of year where teachers come back from summer break and start decorating, organizing, planning, and eventually welcoming their new students for the year.

In the midst of all that chaos it can be hard to remember about incorporating self-care.

So that’s why today we are going to tackle some teacher self-care ideas for back to school.

In this post we are going to cover:

  • What is self-care?
  • Why is self-care important?
  • 9 teacher self-care ideas for back to school

So grab that coffee and let’s get started!

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Categories: Teacher Self-Care

Do You Know Why Teachers Struggle With Making Priorities?

It’s no surprise that many teachers struggle with making priorities.

You want to make an impact in the classroom, and show up for your family in a meaningful way.

But figuring out the boundaries between the two can be difficult.

When I was a first-year teacher, I was constantly bringing work home.

So much so that by the time the year ended, I felt like I had neglected my family and felt exhausted.

I wasn’t able to effectively prioritize the items on my to-do list, so I always felt like I was drowning in work. 

I also had a hard time prioritizing things in my home life over my job.

If this sounds like you, you are not alone.

In fact, 4 in 10 teachers quit the profession in the first 5 years because of the work conditions.

So today we are going to talk about why teachers struggle with making priorities and how to fix that. 

We are going to cover:

  • What are priorities?
  • Why are priorities important?
  • Why do so many teachers struggle with making priorities?

So let’s get started!

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Get this Ultimate Self-Care List for Teachers that includes 40 ideas of self-care that you can incorporate into your day in 5 minutes or less.

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Download now by hitting “Download” down below!

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    What are Priorities?

    According to vocabulary.com, “A priority is the concern, interest or desire that comes before all others.”

    In other words, priorities are the things that you hold of value or concern above everything else.

    Some examples of priorities are:

    • Family
    • Work
    • Students
    • Friendships
    • Health
    • Home
    • Relationships
    • Hobbies
    • Religion

    Priorities are the things that you find more urgent or important than other things. 

    Download the Free Ultimate Self-Care Guide For Teachers

    Download 40 Self-Care Ideas For Teachers that you can do in 5 minutes or less now by hitting “Download.”

      You can unsubscribe at any time.

      ​

      This includes:

      • 40 Self-Care Ideas for Teachers that take 5 minutes or less
      • Habit checker to check off how many days in a row you complete a task.
      • A reflective page for notes.

      ​

      Why are Priorities Important?

      Priorities are important for several reasons. 

      For instance, priorities allow you to define which things in your life matter most.

      These priorities are your guide and something you can refer back to when you need to make a decision.

      By taking a moment to pause and reflect on your priorities, you are allowing yourself the freedom to see what truly matters in life.

      This is especially true for teachers who have a long to-do list. 

      At first, it can seem like everything on your to-do list has to get done right now.

      But when you take a step back and reflect, you can prioritize what needs to get done and what can wait. 

      Priorities are the building blocks to identifying what is important to you so that you can create boundaries that will keep your priorities consistent. 

      Without priorities, it can feel like you are always overwhelmed and swimming in things to do. 

      So let’s take a look at why teachers struggle with making priorities (and being consistent with them).

      Why Teachers Struggle with Making Priorities

      Teachers struggle with making priorities (and sticking with them) for several reasons. Including the following:

      Hard to Say “No”

      In general, educators care about their students and their performance as an educator.

      It’s no surprise then that some teachers have a hard time saying “no.”

      The reason many teachers have a hard time saying “no” is because they feel like it is selfish to put their needs first.

      Some teachers may feel like they cannot be successful teachers without compromising their priorities and boundaries.

      But the reality is, this is simply not true.

      In fact, having a clear set of priorities and boundaries will help you feel more energized and in control of your life.

      Which in turn allows you to show up as the educator you always knew you could be. 

      Want to Do it All

      Let’s be honest, teachers have that natural hustle mentality.

      Teachers will work hard and give everything they got for success.

      One of the flaws to this mentality, however, is not being able to stop when you should.

      There are all sorts of things teachers are told that they “should” be doing.

      Like:

      • Have Instagram-worthy classrooms and bulletin boards.
      • Being readily available to families even after office hours.
      • Cute crafts that will keep students engaged.

      But if we are being honest, these expectations aren’t realistic.

      In fact, I have a secret to share with you…

      Are you ready?

      You can’t do it all!

      That’s right! No matter how many times you write things down on your to-do list, you will never get all of them done (or rarely will). A

      And you know what, that’s okay! Getting all your to-do list things done doesn’t make you a good teacher.

      How you show up for your students does.

      So girl I see you and listen to me.

      Stop trying to do it all!

      You are perfect the way you are and you don’t need to do it all. Make some priorities and stick to them. 

      Perfectionism

      One of the biggest reasons why teachers struggle with making priorities is that they want everything perfect.

      While you may have priorities in place, it can feel nearly impossible to be consistent with them because you are always chasing perfection.

      Let me tell you, I have been there and it is not fun.

      Done is better than perfect.

      The reality is you don’t expect perfection from your students, so why do you expect it from yourself?

      Your students aren’t going to notice if you did that perfectly. So choose your battles and prioritize the things that really matter to you.

       Make sure to look at the big picture!

      Not Knowing the Difference Between Priorities and Boundaries

      I know that a lot of people use priorities and boundaries interchangeably. 

      But there is a difference and I feel like it contributes to why teachers struggle with making priorities.

      Priorities are the things that matter most to you. Whereas boundaries are the walls that protect the things that matter most to you. 

      For example, let’s say your priority is to spend quality time with your family. 

      Now that you have that priority in place, what are some boundaries you can set in place that help support that priority?

      Some examples could be:

      • Leaving work at a set time.
      • Not taking work home with you.
      • Turning off work notifications when you get home.

      You won’t believe how freeing it can be once you have a clear set of boundaries and priorities in your life.

      If you want to learn more about boundaries, read this post where I describe what boundaries are, why they are important, and some misconceptions about them. 

      Not Setting Priorities Ahead of Time

      Not setting priorities before you need them is like prepping for a lesson as you teach.

      It doesn’t work.

      That’s why so many teachers struggle to make priorities. They don’t take the time to sit down and write them out.

      So if this sounds like you, that’s fine! Do this exercise to get clear about your boundaries:

      1. Get a piece of paper out and write down all the things that matter in your life.
      2. Now rate those items from most important to least important.
      3. Keep this where you can refer to it and reflect on it often.

      By setting priorities out ahead of time, you are taking control of your life and are prepared to answer when things jeopardize your priorities. 

      RELATED:

      Putting it All Together

      Thank you so much for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful!

      Today we talked about:

      • What priorities are
      • Why priorities are important
      • Why so many teachers struggle with priorities

      Now that you have a clear path to setting priorities in your life, head over to my teacher self-care membership waitlist.

      In this membership you will learn how to:

      • Make priorities and be consistent with them.
      • Make boundaries and be consistent with them.
      • Figure out what self-care is right for your schedule.
      • Make a self-care plan that is right for you.
      • Connect with like-minded people with accountability groups.

      I know you are going to love this membership, and I can’t wait to see you there. 

      Happy Teaching!

      The Present Teacher Signature why teachers struggle with making priorities
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      Categories: Teacher Self-Care

      Do You Know Why Teachers Struggle With Making Boundaries?

      As a teacher, it can be a struggle to make boundaries.

      For instance, during my first year of teaching, I had such a hard time making boundaries with my work hours.

      So much so that my families would call me at 10 p.m. with questions. 

      For those of you who have done this, I’m sure you can understand how exhausted I was by the end of the school year.

      That’s why it is so important to set boundaries as a teacher. 

      But a question you might have is: Why do teachers struggle with making boundaries?

      If this sounds like you, then you are in the right place. 

      Today we are going to cover:

      • What are boundaries?
      • Why are making boundaries important as a teacher?
      • Why do teachers struggle with making boundaries?

      So grab a cup of coffee and let’s get to it!

      (INSERT THUMBNAIL)

      Download the Free Ultimate Self-Care Guide For Teachers

      Get this Ultimate Self-Care List for Teachers that includes 40 ideas of self-care that you can incorporate into your day in 5 minutes or less.

      ​

      Download now by hitting “Download” down below!

        You can unsubscribe at any time.

        What are Boundaries?

        According to PositivePsychology.com “Healthy boundaries can serve to establish one’s identity. Specifically, healthy boundaries can help people define their individuality and can help people indicate what they will and will not hold themselves responsible for.”

        In other words, boundaries are like the walls surrounding the perimeter of a castle. They are the security that protects the inner castle, or in this case your overall health.

        Recently I read a book called “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey. And in the first chapter, Covey mentions the differences between a ‘Reactive’ person and a ‘Proactive’ person.

        A ‘Reactive’ person is someone who reacts to the environment around them. For instance, if a student were to be disruptive, a ‘reactive’ teacher might become frustrated and take the disruption personally.

        However, a ‘Proactive’ teacher would realize that this student might have environmental factors impacting their behavior. 

        This teacher might wait to talk to the student individually to see what is going on. Rather than becoming frustrated and internalizing the behavior.

        This is where boundaries can help. When you realize and acknowledge what you can and cannot control, you are setting boundaries for what you take responsibility for.

        Boundaries allow you to accept the things you can control and what you cannot control. 

        That’s why it is important to create boundaries as an educator and think about what you will and will not be able to control.

        As an educator, this could be 

        • How late you are working
        • How early you come to work
        • What time you come to work

        The important distinction between boundaries and decisions is that you set your boundaries ahead of time.

        By deciding ahead of time how late you are going to work, for example, you are ensuring consistency to what time you are leaving every day.

        If you would like to learn more about how to leave work on time, check out this post about “How to Leave Work On Time as a Teacher.”

        Why is Making Boundaries Important?

        I recently read an article from Edutopia.org that talks about the importance of boundaries for teachers.

        In the article “The Necessity of Boundaries,” Eduptopia.org states “You need to set professional limits that will support long-term engagement with your students and with teaching. This is about protecting your energy and attention to maximize their effects.”

        In other words, boundaries allow you to protect your energy so that you can be more effective long term. You can only give a certain amount of energy before your cup runs empty. 

        Hence the importance of boundaries and self-care.

        To summarize, it’s important to set Boundaries as a Teacher because:

        • It prevents burnout.
        • Setting Boundaries allows you to reserve the energy to do this long term.
        • It allows your inner peace.
        • Boundaries allow you to show up for your students in a Present and Mindful way.

        Now that we have discussed why making boundaries as a teacher is important, let’s discuss why teachers struggle with making boundaries.

        Download the Free Ultimate Self-Care Guide For Teachers

        Download 40 Self-Care Ideas For Teachers that you can do in 5 minutes or less now by hitting “Download.”

          You can unsubscribe at any time.

          ​

          This includes:

          • 40 Self-Care Ideas for Teachers that take 5 minutes or less
          • Habit checker to check off how many days in a row you complete a task.
          • A reflective page for notes.

          ​

          Why Teachers Struggle With Making Boundaries

          Overall there are several reasons why teachers struggle with making boundaries, including the following:

          Teachers Feel Guilty

          The number one reason why teachers struggle with making boundaries is that they feel guilty for doing so.

          As an educator, it can be easy to feel passionate about your profession and helping others. 

          But sometimes that can get in the way of your ability to set boundaries.

          Teachers may feel guilty for putting up boundaries on where their limits are. This is because they feel like they cannot make healthy boundaries and be a successful teacher.

          However, I would like to challenge this belief with this scenario.

          Teacher A stays up late all night grading papers, prepping for the next day, and communicating with families. 

          When she arrives at school the next day, she is exhausted and maybe even grouchy.

          Teacher B leaves her work at the time she has designated for herself and spends the rest of the night being with her family and incorporating self-care. 

          When she arrives at school the next day she is eager to see her students and build connections with them.

          Which teacher is going to make the most impact the next day?

          Now I am not saying that you can’t be tired and a good teacher.

          However, it’s hard to show up every day as your full and brightest self when you feel stressed and overwhelmed.

          Boundaries help protect that inner light and passion for teaching so that you can show up as your authentic self every day. 

          Teachers May Think Boundaries are Selfish

          Another reason why teachers struggle with making boundaries is that they think that boundaries make them selfish. 

          Society has often relied on the fact that teachers do what’s right for their students.

          While this is true, that doesn’t mean that you always have to put the students first to be an amazing teacher.

          For instance, in our above scenario, Teacher A stayed up late because she was doing it for her “Students.” 

          But when she showed up the next day, she was so exhausted from the night before that she wasn’t able to show up mindfully. 

          Teacher B, however, wasn’t “selfish” for leaving her work at school and not staying up late. 

          She decided to do what was best for her students and herself by calling it a day.

          The reality is, you will hardly ever complete your to-do list as a teacher. No matter how organized or how hard you work. 

          That’s why it is so important to not only set boundaries but priorities as well on what you need to accomplish.

          RELATED:

          Can’t Help Students and Have Boundaries

          Many teachers struggle with making boundaries because they feel like they cannot have both.

          Teachers can not make impactful relationships and be effective teachers while setting boundaries. 

          This is just completely inaccurate. 

          If anything by setting boundaries, you are even more effective and impactful because you are conscious of your limits as an educator. 

          You help more students by making boundaries because you can show up as the educator you always dreamed of.

          Boundaries are Too Hard to Maintain

          Another reason why teachers struggle with making boundaries is that they feel like it’s too hard to stick with your boundaries.

          While making boundaries may be hard at first, it does get easier over time.

          Essentially when you make new boundaries you are breaking old habits.

          As you may know, breaking habits is no easy feat hence why it may be difficult to make those boundaries.

          However, deciding your boundaries ahead of time and deciding how you will be consistent with those boundaries leads to better consistency.

          For instance, an example of a boundary you may make is that you will only respond to families between 7 am to 4 pm during the weekdays.

          Apart from emergencies of course.

          To make sure that you are successful you might create a plan to turn off notifications when it’s not office hours.

          Or you could always respond right away but schedule your response out for your office hours.

          This is a great way to ensure consistency when it comes to setting boundaries. 

          Mixing up Boundaries with Priorities

          The final reason why most teachers struggle with making boundaries is that they are mixing up priorities with boundaries.

          Boundaries are the limits to which you hold yourself accountable.

          Priorities on the other hand are in what order you consider your duties important.

          For instance, you may decide that you will always prioritize your home life before being a teacher.

          This can help you set boundaries such as:

          • Leaving work on time.
          • Only working so many hours at home.
          • Setting certain hours to respond to emails.

          Your priorities help drive your boundaries as an educator.

          Download the Free Ultimate Self-Care Guide For Teachers

          Download 40 Self-Care Ideas For Teachers that you can do in 5 minutes or less now by hitting “Download.”

            You can unsubscribe at any time.

            ​

            This includes:

            • 40 Self-Care Ideas for Teachers that take 5 minutes or less
            • Habit checker to check off how many days in a row you complete a task.
            • A reflective page for notes.

            ​

            Overview

            Thank you so much for reading, I hope you found this useful!

            Today we talked about:

            • What boundaries are
            • Why boundaries are important to make as a teacher
            • Why teachers struggle with making boundaries

            In all reality, boundaries are extremely important and can help you become the educator you always dreamed of. 

            And as a thank you for reading to the end, I want to invite you to join my Waitlist for my Self-Care Membership.

            In this membership, you will learn not only how to set priorities and boundaries healthily, but to maintain them in a way that prevents burnout. So if you are interested or want to learn more click here to get on the waiting list and join like-minded educators like yourself.

            Because together we are stronger. 

            Happy Teaching!

            The Present Teacher

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            Categories: Teacher Self-Care

            The Ultimate List of Summer Self-Care Activities for Teachers

            Ahhh summer!

            That beautiful time of year where teachers get to unwind after a crazy school year. 

            It’s that time of year where teachers hopefully get to relax, enjoy the summer weather, and get some things done in your personal life that you have been putting off during the school year.

            But if you are anything like a lot of teachers I know, summer isn’t always a relaxing time of year. 

            In fact, you might have that natural “go-getter” attitude that a lot of other teachers do. This means that instead of relaxing, you have a to-do list the size of your arm on all the things you want to accomplish this summer.

            Yes, I am talking to you Ms. Overachiever!

            If this sounds like you, that’s fine! 

            Summer is such a great time to work ahead. But the problem is, many teachers work so hard over the summer that they blink and feel exhausted when back to school comes.

            That’s why today I want to point out the importance of incorporating self-care into your busy summer schedule. 

            So today we are going to talk about:

            • What is Self-Care?
            • Why is Self-Care Important for Teachers Over the Summer?
            • Some of my Favorite Summer Self-Care Activities For Teachers

            So if you have a long list of things to do this summer, but still want to prioritize yourself and find a balance – this post is for you! 

            So grab that iced drink and let’s get started!

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            Categories: Teacher Self-Care

            The Number 1 Thing Causing You Teacher Burnout

            Teacher Burnout can seem nearly impossible to avoid, especially these days. 

            In fact, did you know that according to a study done by the Middle-Class Dad, 41.3% of teachers new teachers leave the profession within the first five years?

            If I am completely honest, this was me as well my first couple of years teaching. 

            I felt overwhelmed, frazzled, and like the passion I once had for teaching was gone.

            If this sounds like you, then I want you to know you aren’t alone.

            Today we are going to cover:

            • What is Teacher Burnout?
            • Why is Avoiding Teacher Burnout Important?
            • The #1 Reason Why You Are Continuing to Burnout
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            9 Amazing Teacher Appreciation Week Self-Care Gifts for Teachers

            “Not all superheroes have capes, some have teaching degrees.”

            -Unknown

            It’s almost that time of year again where the community comes together to thank their teachers for all of their hard work.

            Teacher Appreciation Week is that wonderful time of year where students, parents, administrators, and even other teachers take time to thank teachers for their service.

            Some of the common gifts teachers will receive around this time would be:

            • Mugs
            • Gift Cards
            • Cards
            • Letters
            • And More!

            But maybe this year you are wanting something a little different. This year especially has been crazy and teachers have struggled to prioritize their self-care.

            So why not help teachers prioritize themselves with these 9 Teacher Appreciation Week Self-Care Gifts For Teachers.

            Whether you are getting a gift for your teacher bestie, your student’s teacher or your staff these gifts are a great way to show that you care about their wellbeing.

            Today we are going to cover:

            • What is Teacher Appreciation Week?
            • What is Self-Care For Teachers
            • Why are Self-Care Gifts for Teachers Important
            • 12 Teacher Appreciation Week Self-Care Gifts for Teachers

            So let’s get started!

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