If you work in education, you are likely already deep into new schedules, new policies, and new students and families, each with different needs, expectations, and demands. Even for the most passionate professionals in education, the shift back to school can feel intense.
As the academic year gets started, take a moment to consider: What does a new beginning look and feel like for you?
Are you cautious, dipping a toe into the water before slowly easing in? Or are you the impish kid cannonballing into a crowded pool?
There Is No Right Way to Start
There are strengths on both ends.
If you are a toe-dipper, you take your time. You watch what is happening before acting, and that carefulness can translate into a classroom where students who also need time to adjust feel safe and understood.
If you are a cannonballer, you may enter the year with lots of energy and ideas. That energy can be contagious. It can pull students in and make the first few weeks feel exciting.
Neither style is better. Knowing where you tend to fall can help you set realistic expectations for yourself, your students, and your school community.
Pay Attention to Your Pace
If you are a toe-dipper, pay attention to your comfort level. Are you and your students settling into a pace that feels manageable? Are you giving yourself time to adjust, or is caution keeping you from moving forward? Checking in with the people around you can help you figure out whether the pace is working.
If you are a cannonballer, pay attention to your energy. Starting the year excited is a strength, but doing everything at once can make it difficult to maintain that energy. You do not need to slow yourself down completely. You just want to make sure you are not burned out by October.
Checking in with the people around you can be helpful here, too.
Be Open to Feedback
Welcoming feedback can be difficult, especially when you are already managing a long list of responsibilities. Still, feedback can help us notice things we may not see on our own.
Being open to feedback also models something we often ask of students. You can be confident in yourself while still being willing to learn, adjust, or try something differently.
You do not have to get everything right at the beginning of the year. You can stay curious about what is working, what is not, and what may need to change.
Remember That You Are Working Within a System
As a social worker, I also like to think about the bigger picture and the challenges within our educational system that eventually reach the people working directly with students and families.
Funding decisions, policy changes, staffing concerns, students’ needs, parents’ expectations, and union and administration dynamics can all affect your day-to-day work. The list can become extensive, and carrying the impact of those decisions can wear you down.
It can be helpful to ask yourself: What is actually within my control?
You can care deeply about your students and your work without taking personal responsibility for every problem within the system. Some problems require changes that are much larger than what one educator, counselor, social worker, or staff member can provide.
Make Taking Care of Yourself Part of the Job
This is why taking care of yourself needs to be a priority, too.
Where are you finding play? Who is in your chosen community? What do you do that has nothing to do with your job?
It is easy for those of us in helping professions to put off our own needs. At the beginning of the school year, consider making a short list of things you want to continue doing for yourself as the year gets busier.
Maybe it is a cup of tea before work. Maybe it is ten minutes of mindfulness in the morning. Maybe it is going for a walk, making time for a hobby, or talking about a reality show with a friend.
It does not have to be complicated. The important part is making room for things that belong to you, not only to your role at work.
Asking for Support Counts, Too
I hope this school year gives you plenty of moments that remind you why you chose to work in education. I also hope you remember that being good at what you do does not mean you have to manage everything on your own.
If you notice yourself becoming overwhelmed, burned out, or having difficulty separating work from the rest of your life, reaching out for support can be part of taking care of yourself.
After all, we want students to learn that asking for help is okay.
The adults supporting them should be able to do the same.
Written by Wendy Widom
