This resonates in a big way. I teach virtual school. It's challenging to say the least. I'm a kind of tired that tips into exhaustion. I am in touch with my colleagues at brick school. They feel the same. Exhaustion is setting in. It's Oct30. /1 https://twitter.com/jillpromoli/status/1321896869124079617

We were given a comprehensive mental health plan for students but nothing was removed from our plate; plus protocols for #COVID19 prevention that take up lots of time. Make disease prevention & mental health a priority. Ok. But also do all the other stuff too. Not possible. /2

So it is another example of the "pile on" for teachers. The taking on of one more thing because it is necessary for our students. We know that. We love them. We do it. But at our own expense. No one said "you know, let's do core subjects just to get them thru." /3

No one, not even the Board psych staff said 'maybe hire mental health professionals to come in and run some sessions with kids to give teachers a break.' Nope. We got a slide deck, a talking to about the importance of mental health, & a "now go do it" message. /4

I am not a psychologist nor a mental health professional. Giving me a slide deck on positive self talk & meditation is almost insulting to what I do. I care deeply but this is not something I can deliver alongside everything else. /5

You either scale back workload or do the mental health yourself, MoE/Boards of Ed. I can't do both and stay sane. The best way I can support my students is to be there for them - with equity, with knowledge, with learning. I tell the "I got you" daily. That's what they need. /6

But a slide deck of disrespectful & inflated expectations is insulting to me & my students. You want to lead. Do so by example. Get out from behind your desk & help these kids. Not with a slide deck on a teacher's to do list. /7

Because one more person loading my plate with another responsibility is not what I or any teacher needs. I need room to do my job & I need you to respect me enough to see me as more than a workhorse that you can overload. #teacherwellness #mentalhealth #studentsuccess