Teacher Tired: How to Stop It in Its Tracks

They say that there are “seasons” to every school year.  That some months are more taxing than others.  October, for instance, is typically the month we have parent-teacher conferences and when our first report cards are due.  Teacher tired really starts to set in this time of year.

But wait….you’re probably asking, “why am I always so exhausted, not just in October?”

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This is why teachers are so tired:

We start the school year off and running immediately.  Many teachers begin setting up their classrooms weeks before school even begins.  There’s all that set up to do, then the meetings… and the trainings… and the meetings…begin.  And finally, meeting your new set of students and their families, and then lesson planning.   Lots of lesson planning.  And this is the first month!  

It’s super important to begin the year with self-care habits already in place when the year begins, but sometimes, that’s not quite enough.  

Because suddenly the month of October is here, and once Halloween hits, it’s holiday after holiday.  And  more planning, grading, team meetings, staff meetings, and training.  Oh, and the honeymoon period is completely over, so some days are harder than others.  And you’ve probably gotten a new student by now, too.  

Before you know it, it’s the long stretch that is January and February.  That’s when you can get so much accomplished, and your kids are really taking off.  And then….spring break fever sets in, and your students are more out of sorts than ever.  If you’re lucky, you have a relaxing (and hopefully sunny!) spring break…and then it’s just a few weeks until the end of the year.  All this time, there’s continued planning, grading, behavior managing, training, and meetings.  

That, my friend, is why you’re feeling so much teacher tired.

What can you do about it?  Here are some key things I’ve found to be very helpful both for myself as a teacher and as a coach:

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  1.  Make sure you’re prepared each week and each day.  When there are loose ends–things as simple as not having the copies you need, or making sure that the read aloud you need is in your hands, or incomplete lesson plans, it can cause stress.  Avoiding stress is key to avoiding teacher exhaustion, and this is one small move that makes a big difference.
  2. Learn something new.  Nothing is more invigorating than experimenting with a new idea you’ve been thinking about.  When I have coaching conversations with teachers, talking through a new idea and then making plans to implement that idea always puts a smile on their face and they literally sit up taller and feel better–and excited.  The human brain loves to learn!
  3. Let go of perfection.  If you’re a slides teacher, scale back on them or how much you add to them.  Oftentimes, a simple sheet of chart paper is a more effective teaching tool, and it takes literally no prep.  Finding, snipping, copying, pasting, downloading and uploading can be a total time suck.  Think about what’s the most time-efficient tool for teaching your lessons, and don’t worry about it being Pinterest-perfect.  So often, aiming for pretty leads to a lot of visual clutter for kids, which isn’t useful.  Keeping your lesson planning simple is a huge help.  If you don’t know Angela Watson, from Truth for Teachers, I encourage you to check her out–she’s the guru of teacher productivity, and shares more about the idea of letting go of perfection here.  
  4. Work with a coach. We all think better–more efficiently and more creatively–together.  A coach can help you think through ideas and really help you streamline things with the goal of maximum student learning and engagement in mind.  They can help you declutter your curriculum, streamline your planning, and even help you gather resources.  A coach can be your right-hand man and save you a ton of time!
  5. Do NOT let behavior management go.  It may sometimes feel like it’s September again, and you might feel like this should be down pat right now.  But, kids are tired too, and they’re also excited about holidays.  In many schools, this time of year also causes them tremendous anxiety because home is not their haven.  They get really anxious about leaving the stability (and, sadly, meals) that school provides and that manifests itself as acting out.  
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An orderly classroom is an efficient and effective classroom brings a sense of calm to everyone.  Which, of course, lowers our anxiety.  

So, yes, while it seems like there’s never an end to being so tired, there are definite steps you can put into place to regain your energy.  What’s one tip you might try?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments!


Could you use some help finding ways to regain your energy to teach? Contact me to set up a coaching call, so we can think it through together!   And,  join my private FB group for immediate support from like-minded educators!  


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