Reading an assigned text by an edu-celeb for a course & he says when you're depleted & have nothing left for yourself or your family, you dig deep & continue to "give everything you have."
Book is from 2017, but a deeply troubling message & that this belief pervasive in schools
I like to think we're shifting the martyr talk #onhere, but too many educators still rely on shame & toxic positivity as perverse motivators.
Giving literally "everything you have" for your job is not healthy, it is not productive, and it is not motivating. Teaching, yes, is life-changing work, but it is...work.
When I was a brand-new teacher in 2005, the district teacher of the year told me to make an appointment for an antidepressant prescription -- that it was the only way I would make it. The district's slogan at the time: Whatever it takes.
I have dozens & dozens of stories about required sacrifice and "giving everything" and "whatever it takes" because it's "what's best for kids." It's taken me 16 years in education to undo that attitude.
So new teachers if you're listening, love yourself enough to resist giving "everything you have" & allowing yourself to become physically, emotionally, & intellectually depleted. You will be & become a far better teacher if you do.
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