11. Dealing with stress: It is real

11. Dealing with stress: It is real

Spring break just ended. I was surprised to realize how much I needed some "down time." By "down time," I mean time to play, socialize, stay up late, cook out, spend time with family, paint, walk on the beach, visit with my sister. As teachers, we spend a lot of time planning, a lot of time reflecting, and during school days, are solving problems, helping students, intervening, calling parents, diffusing behaviors, creating experiences, challenging our students academically, and communicating with multiple colleagues and staff. It is no wonder that when we finally get to spring break, we are surprised how tired we are. However, we are not the only ones who are dealing with stress.

On the first day back from spring break, half of our students went on an eighth-grade field trip to Atlanta. Those left behind participated in a local field trip, a movie, and an afternoon at our local Greenway for fishing and a time to enjoy our community. The latter events were planned by the teachers who stayed behind. All students were back by Thursday. Those who had attended the Atlanta trip were happy, but very tired. 

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There are eight weeks left in this school year. It is hard to believe. In the last eight weeks of school, there are field trips, assemblies, testing, sports seasons ending, and celebrations. I hear that the weeks will fly. I am concerned about how to close out the year emotionally with my students. We are gearing up for the end of grade/end of course testing, benchmark testing, and final nine-weeks of grading. Students have signed up for high school classes. It is spring; and with spring there is the possibility of a lack of focus with some students. I will let you know how we do. (:

Tuckman (1965) identified stages of group development. The last stage is "adjourning." At this stage there can be a sense of loss, a sense of 'what could we have done differently?' My hope for our students is that it will be a time of reflection towards their future. My hope for all of us is that we recognize the stress associated with closing out a school year, and looking to the future with hope and anticipation, and direction. And in the meantime, my hope is that we take care of one another and ourselves.

Advice

1) Your students experience stress. Their stressors are different than ours; however, the impact of stress is real. We must be aware of this, talk about it, and plan strategies for helping our students recognize and deal with stress. 

2) Your students' parents experience stress. I have watched our students grow taller, and I am hearing conversations that suggest they are more "aware" of who they are, who others are, and are listening to and participating in social media much more than they were in August. We must work with our PTA organizations to support parents as they navigate their role in helping their children be successful consumers of information.

3) Your colleagues and administrators experience stress. Trying to maintain "calm seas" in a middle school is always at the forefront of administrators. Now, more than ever, our administrators need to see we support them. 

4) Finally, each of us needs to take a look within our own spirits, seek ways to connect with our own inner-peace, and seek ways to support those we are working with. We must balance our commitment to our job, to our families, to our students, and to ourselves.