"They're so lazy!  They want something for nothing!  They have no ambition!"  Sound familiar?  We teachers spend an enormous amount of time telling ourselves stories about our students.  Why do we do this?  What is our payoff?  And most importantly, how does it leave us feeling?  When we put people in a "one size fits all" category, we step onto the road to burnout.  How do we deal with our frustrations in a way that motivates us to become more effective teachers?   

Do you often feel like a failure as a teacher because you could be doing more?  Or, on the flip side, do you become incensed when administrators pressure you to reject your own standards in order to get a student to pass?   If you feel like you will never be good enough, or you can't believe that no one is putting proper responsibility on the students, how do you reckon with these feelings to stay in the job?   We can learn how to rise above the gaslighting that everyone in the field of education experiences.

Do you get bogged down with grading?  Do you get frustrated because you take the time to write helpful comments that the students simply ignore?  Let's think about alternative ways to grade that don't take loads of time to complete.

Do you sometimes feel like your lesson plans aren't great because you are doing them last minute?  Or rather, do you try to "be good" and work on planning ahead of time but don't feel the spark when you do?  We all have different comfort zones when it comes to how far ahead we like to plan.  One size does not fit all when it comes to writing effective plans.  Honor your own way of doing your best work.

Do you dread making phone calls home because you never really know quite what to say, or you worry that they won't receive your feedback well?  Do you find yourself saying things to your colleagues like, "Well, if their parents were more involved or disciplined them more, they would be a better student"?   Getting parents on our side is a key component of helping our students.  Sometimes the best approach isn't intuitive.  

Do you feel like you spend too much time doling out detentions or referrals for tardies, bad behavior, etc?  Do you spend too much time calling home for just one or two assignments missed but for many, many students?  Do you get frustrated when a school rule is set by administration or your district, but other teachers in your building won't enforce that rule?  Maybe it is time to take a look at your priorities and stop fighting every battle.

Do you avoid taking time off because you dread not only writing a sub plan, but also grading "the stack" when you return?  Do you struggle to write a sub plan that has enough work to keep the students busy?   Sub plans can be both engaging for the students, easy to follow, and easy to grade, believe it or not.

Do you decide not to take time off work because "it's just easier if I'm there than if I'm absent" ?  Do you feel incredible guilt at the thought of taking a couple of personal days just for yourself?  Do you feel pressured by your colleagues and bosses to ALWAYS be at work unless you are sick?  If so, it might be time to get some perspective on the matter.

Do you feel obligated to get "the boring stuff" out of the way on the first day of school?  Going over rules?  Procedures?  Room organization?  Well, maybe it's time to rethink that strategy in order to reel them in and set yourself up for positive interactions for the rest of the year!