The Autumn Term & Its Challenges

The autumn term is a long stretch and even when we get into the second half, it can still feel like we have a long way to go. How can we look after ourselves? Have you ever sat down and thought about the pinch points of your general week? Had a think about which days cause to you feel not so positive emotions? Maybe it’s that you feel tired after the staff meetings or overwhelmed if you have a full day of teaching ahead with no scheduled PPA. Everyone’s weeks will be and feel different, so this is another meeting we need to schedule with ourselves to reflect!

Maybe this week you could sit down and have a think about last week – what days did you have more get up and go? Why was that? What days did you feel exhausted? Why was that? Once you have reflected, it’s time to PLAN your week around your answers. For me, Thursdays are my busiest day – so I know that if I stay late on a Wednesday and then go into a full busy day on the Thursday, it can leave me feeling tired and low ?. And so, I make a conscious effort to leave the building as close to school finishing time as I can on Wednesdays. On a Monday, to help with those Monday blues, I schedule in an early gym session ??‍♀️ to give me the boost of endorphins that help me tackle Monday with a positive mindset.

The point is this – reflect on what your pinch points are and then give yourself permission to structure your week to support yourself with what feelings come up.

Remember what I’ve said before – the to do list will never be totally complete, and that’s okay; it’s the nature of the job. So we have to give ourselves permission and not beat ourselves up about not staying late every night and working ourselves into the ground! A well-rested teacher with a good work/life balance is a happy teacher!