In this repost, John Piazza describes a largely ignored aspect of our job, but one we make a priority here on the PLC. Here is John’s article on mental health:
Recently, I was speaking with a friend, who described a marathon job interview she just went through. She sat before 4 panels of critical professionals who were grilling her, trying to catch her off guard, and asking her to demonstrate her knowledge and insight on relevant topics. She had to stay on top of every question, and inject some humor to lighten the mood when possible. For almost the entire day, she was taken from person to person or panel, without a break for lunch or even the bathroom. She had been kept up by her baby the night before, so she was stressed out, sleep deprived, and had a very difficult day, even though the interview went well, and she is optimistic about being offered the job.
After listening to my friend recount her “day from hell,” it occurred to me that for me, and for many teachers, this describes a typical day. Every day at work, to some degree, I feel like I’m experiencing anything from a job interview to stage-fright. I’ve been afraid to get my blood pressure checked, because I’m sure it’s off the charts EVERY DAY, and I don’t think there is anything I can do about it.
This ultimately raises the question: is this kind of work physically sustainable long-term, and what can we do to make it sustainable? Ben’s posts on self-care seem particularly relevant, especially this late in the year, when things seem to oddly be ramping up rather than winding down.
John