10. The Fatigue Factor

10. The Fatigue Factor

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

* Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships. Organizational Structures

There are four weeks of school left, 1/9 of a school year, .1111111. This week seemed particularly long. (Haha- repeating.) I noticed a few students slipping. By slipping, I mean they were less attentive, more restless. I have bumped up the structure and routine of class, using the “bell-to-bell” philosophy. (Bell-to-bell is a philosophy that there is no down time.)  I wonder if we as teachers are slipping to. At the same time, I am trying to be intentional about listening to my students and enjoying them. This week they have been telling knock-knock jokes. They laugh at corny jokes. I enjoy their interest in humor. It makes me smile.

“Two guys go to a counter. One asks for H20, the other says, I’ll have that 2. He dies” (shared by a student). I have now heard that joke five times from my students. Every time they tell it, I smile. “Okay, back to work,” I say.

This morning, while listening to the birds of spring, appreciating the cool, quiet morning, I reflected on the notion of fatigue and weariness. I believe there are four kinds of fatigue. The first is physical fatigue. At this point in the school year, it appears that people, including me, are not as intentional about taking care of themselves. I have been surprised at the physical demands of teaching.  And I hear my students talk about a video game they play at night. Colleagues with young children and with high school students are running, running, running from early morning to late at night. It is as if we are on auto-pilot with no maintenance, and sometimes no meaningful fuel.

The second fatigue is emotional. In every class there are up to thirty students, with thirty different parents, thirty different needs, thirty emotional concerns of their own. People don’t always make the best decisions, and the consequences play out in how they treat one another. We, as teachers, are on the frontline of the emotions of students, parents, and colleagues. Very often throughout the school year, when a student reacts, responds, or displays behaviors that are of a concern, I often wonder, ‘what is going on in their world.’ The same can be said for colleagues. Our children are hurting. But it is not just children; teachers, administrators, staff, and parents are also navigating emotional stress.

A third fatigue, I will call is cumulative. There is this sense that we are all running toward the June 10 fence, trying to give our students enough academic support prior to the assessment week. Parents have watched their babies grow up. These young people look like adults; they sometimes act like adults, and too often they must become adults before they are ready to finish being a child. Ending the school year, going to a new school, can be stressful for children and their families.

The final fatigue, I call media fatigue. I do not own a television, and am more likely to listen to jazz or spiritual music on the radio. I have eleven Facebook friends, and am trying to improve my own social networking skills. But the impact of social media, sensational media, campaign slamming, distrust, and anger that flood our airways is stressful. Our students talk about the upcoming election, candidates, and what is surrounding them on the airways. Our children have so much information at their fingertips, and have so much access to dangerous material, and so many opportunities to interact inappropriately, that we must help them be aware of dangers and we must help them be responsible digital citizens. I worry about our children. 

Advice

1)   Eating right, exercising, getting enough rest are simple tools for healthy living. It would be a good idea to check in with yourself on how you are doing. Remember that you must take care of yourself first.

2)   The art and science of mindfulness is a philosophy of taking time to stop, to take in and accept our world, to consider others and to seek peace within our own world. I highly recommend you consider researching mindfulness.

3)   Realize the end of the year not only has academic stress, but there are lots of other things that could be going on in your students’ and in your colleagues’ lives. Try to be more patient, especially with your students.

4)   Be mindful that there are events going on around the child, the home, the school, the community, the state and the world that influence how we interact and react to one another. Be intentional about sharing the importance of taking care of one another.

5)   As you create lessons and prepare students for testing, always be mindful of the need to maintain a positive, caring community. Remember to take a deep breath and help your students do the same.

6)   Finally, there is a sense that ‘I could have done more,’ that causes our own stress. It is the best time, as a teacher, to reflect on what could be done differently, better, deeper…. (Stay tuned!! J).