Teachers, Strategize Your Work from Home!

Teachers: Are you burning yourself out?

 Are you stressing out more than you actually need to do? During these unprecedented times of pandemic, going through lockdown, when the school buildings are closed but the schools are still functioning though in an  altogether different form, it is the teachers who are one among the most impacted lots the world over. We as teachers are so used to working in close connection with other humans that it is simply overwhelming for many of us not being able to connect with our students and not seeing our colleagues. To add to the stress, digital teaching that we are learning on the go and never ending days, the lines between work and family are almost blurred. Many of us are finding ourselves lost, stressed and burned out. Can we do something to keep us stress free and to keep us safe from burn out?

Here are few strategies to stay safe from stress and burning out:

1.     Make A Team With Family Members At Home:

                                   

        

·   Communicate your expectations and working hours to the family members. Since we are available at all times at home doesn’t mean that we are not working. All those routine chores that they were doing prior to pandemic must still be done by them.

·   Distribute few jobs at home among family members as per their capacity and interest since all household help that we used to get from outside is now no longer available. This helps you claim yourself and reduces the stress.

2.     Set Boundaries that Separate Work Time from Family Time:

·   Try dividing your day in two frames - Work Time and Family Time. The hours of the day further can be fit into these two frames.

·   After online classes in the pre-lunch session, we can have 2-3 hours of Family time when we attend to our family needs, cooking, cleaning, playing together etc. and then again have a slot of Work Time when we prepare lessons and assignments for the next day, record audios and prepare videos.

·   One more round of Work Time can be planned later in the evening when we check and grade the work done by the students and reply to the mails or other communications by the parents.

·   Fix your place at home from where you work. It has two advantages, one it is an automatic signal to others at home that you are working when you are sitting there. And the second when you leave that place, your mind gets a signal that the work is over.

3.     Make Team With Parents of your Students:

       

·   State your expectations and communicate them to the parents in very simple and understandable language.

·   Convey them the time you will be readily available to take their queries or answer to their massages rather than getting stressed over this overwhelming expectation of being available 24 x 7.

·   Also communicate the days and timings when you will be providing feedback on the work of their children.

Trust me my own experience of working in this domain for more than two decades, first as an educator and later on as the Founder Principal tells me that when we engage parents with a positive attitude, they readily co-operate.

4.     Work Smart:

·   Work smart. Rather than spending so much time everyday preparing your material and assignments, spend some time to research to locate the portals where the content is already available. It may sound a little work initially but later on it will save you a lot of time and stress. You will just need customization of the content as per your objectives and needs. You can refer to the blog https://growinupwithlife.blogspot.com/2020/05/digital-teaching-tools.html where in I have shared such portals.

·   Network online/offline with teachers. you simply can exchange a lot of content and assignments. Remember, the concepts that we teach to the children remain the same across the globe. Rather you have all the possibility of coming across the same content delivered in a better way.

5.     Prioritize Your Health and Set a Routine:

The times are tough, sailing through is even tougher but remember tough times do not last, only the tough people do. Your physical, mental and social health is only your responsibility.

·   Set aside 20-25 minutes of physical exercise for yourself in the morning and evening. Do whatever you love doing- running, walking, jogging, stretching, gardening etc.

·   While working so long on the screens, take full care of your eyes health. Follow the recommendations of American Academy of Ophthalmology – Keep the screen at about an arm’s length (almost 25 inches), blink eyes, take a break every 20 minutes, keep the brightness of the screen matching with that of the room etc.

·   For your mental health, to stay stress free and calm, to be effective- try including regular yoga and meditation into your daily health schedule. If you are a beginner for meditation – take help of the Apps like – Calm, Insight, Unplug, The Mindfulness App, Relax Now etc. Practice mindfulness and choose to respond in any situation.

·   And for your social health, keep connected to your family and friends, make sure to be in touch with all those who matter in your life. A video call, a voice message, a fun game online with one’s friends or siblings keeps one happy and connected. Just don’t overdo it, lest it start creating stress.

To stay balanced and stable through such uncertainties is definitely a difficult task but not impossible. So, log into your own inner space. For you, only you can make a difference. Choose to reclaim you!

Happy Reclaiming Yourself !!

Anju Arora