Let’s talk about this coming school year.

As a website/brand focused on teacher resilience, I feel it’s important to step up. This year Joy in Teaching is showing up more than ever to help support teachers and provide tools to build resilience and fight burnout.

We start from a place of knowing.

There’s A LOT of opinions, anxiety, and frustration about what the 2020-2021 school year will look like. As a mother to young students and an educator, my thoughts and emotions tend to hit peaks and valleys as I sift through the flood of information regarding returning to learn. However, as a researcher, academic, and founder of Joy in Teaching, I understand we should first begin with the facts.

The wealth of information and misinformation leaves everyone prey to confirmation bias – for every opinion and wild idea you can find something out there to support it – whether it’s true or not. Starting from a place of knowing means building a sound foundation from which to make decisions.

Starting from what we know from within ourselves means we are can begin from a place of confidence as we navigate what teaching looks like this year.

So, here we go.

We know what’s happening

This is a school year amid a deadly pandemic

Government, Admin., Teachers, school staff, families, and community all have varying opinions on what returning to learn will look like.

We know what teachers want

Teachers want students to be safe and healthy.

Teachers want to make a difference.

Teachers want to help students succeed.

We know what everyone wants

Everyone wants a return to normalcy.

We know what we need to focus on

We need to focus on the health and safety of staff and students. 

We know this because all educators understand that basic needs must be met before learning happens.

Here is our next step

• Start from this place of knowing (it’s also a place of unity as we’re all vunerable and figuring this out as we go)
• Make sure educators’ voices are heard.
• Share your experience and document anything that puts you or your students at risk.
• Contact state and local representatives with any causes of concern.
• If you are teaching in an uncomfortable situation – focus on what you can control.
• Innovate! This year won’t look like last year – take it by the reigns.
• Keep your purpose close.
• Take care of yourself – You are no good to your students if you let yourself burnout.

Stick around as we continue to connect actionable resilience-building strategies to the obstacles and challenges that this unprecedented school year has in store.

Here are some articles that might be of interest next:

10 COPING Tips for Teachers at Home

Joy in Pandemic Teaching

Infographics Roundup on Teacher Burnout & Resilience

50 Resilience Strategies to Curb Teachers’ Stress