Fierce over Frantic

As a teacher, I remember excitement of the first day of school and the planning the planning that happened the few weeks before. Fresh faces, fresh ideas and fresh supplies as well as connecting with colleagues back from summer break fueled the excitement. I could hardly wait to get the students in my room, get to know them and start trying out some of the new ways I’d thought of doing things in my classroom. It was always such an energizing time!

I also remember the collective chaos that fell over the building on about day 3. The first two days were a blur of exhaustive rituals, rules and routine building. Teacher’s voices would be hoarse from all of the talking they’d do in those first 2 days filled with explanations and directions. But about day three, things began to change. Teaching and learning was beginning, but the pace was not yet set. Teachers found themselves with too much planned or not enough ready. They didn’t know the capabilities of their students, so sometimes what was planned flopped - too easy and it went too quickly, too challenging and a complete redo was needed. The world inside the building became frantic. Frantic races to the copy machine. Frantic friends commiserating over mountains of forms that have to be passed out and then collected and accounted for per each student. Frantic teaching teams trying to coordinate activities. Frantic minutes at the end of the day trying to get students on buses on time. Frenzied front office staff trying to field unending questions and keep staff caught up with paperwork. Frenzied cafeteria workers, aides and custodial staff trying to keep things moving. Frantic turned to frazzled teachers who feel like they Can’t. Keep. Up. The frantic morphs to overwhelmed and lasts for about the first 3 weeks. It is palpable.

I remember talking colleagues down from the ceiling and reminding them that this feeling happens every year. And it passes, too. I was always so amazed at how surprised we all were that the cycle of chaos showed up each year. As teachers, these pressures and demands were predictable. Over time, you’d think we could shake it off better. That it somehow wouldn’t overwhelm us in the same way.

I realized that while the frenzy came each year, we never changed our focus. We kept it on the frantic. We embraced the stress like an old blanket, even though we felt smothered by it. What if we took on the same things with the same intensity, just one that was a fierce commitment and devotion to our students, ourselves and our time?

Start with yourself. Remind yourself that you are enough. Our Pinterest perfect world makes us question the validity of our efforts. Kids don’t require the perfect. They require our presence and that can be given in things that don’t take days and weeks to create.

Examine the current situation. Ask, “ What can I actually do”? “What will my mental and physical self be comfortable with”? Overloading yourself or not allowing yourself to pull back to what is doable stacks on the pressure.

Take a break. The beginning of the year can be overwhelming for kids, too. Kids need downtime. We know that as teachers and know when to stop and give them a chance to refuel. Be sure to build it into your day and class periods as well as in your prep time and at the work day’s end. Caring for yourself models rest and renewal. Be vigilant and fierce about protecting your relationships and your health. NO JOB is worth compromising time with those closest to you or working against your own good health. A discussion at the copier with a colleague revealed the reality that she hadn’t been on a walk with her husband in months because she was feeling overwhelmed. This was a routine in her life that she loved and looked forward to. Have you experienced that? We push everything else in our lives underneath the thing that brings you the most stress and you didn’t allow yourself the time (even 30 minutes) to enjoy the things that bring you the most joy or peace! . Work/Life balance is a thing! For real! It is not a cliché that we hear and ignore, but something to embrace because it makes the stress thing better!

As another school year begins, step into it fiercely, not frantically. Seek joy, serve yourself as well as others and delight in the little things. Remember you bring skill to your craft, over the top isn’t necessarily better and balance is key. PRIORITIZE, be PRESENT and PROTECT that what is important to you both in the classroom and in your real life. Change the world one moment at a time. That is the perfection kids need.

So, yes, this is written to encourage my former colleagues and teachers all over the world, but the basics fit any life. Can you take a fierce look at your circumstances and see the places where the frantic tries to take over? Can you brainstorm activities or foundations to PRIORITIZE, be PRESENT and PROTECT with a clear and realistic eye? The gifts we have been given whether skill in teaching or whatever it is we have been called to do are intended to bring us joy. How tragic when we allow stress to snuff out that joy. Let’s find ways to seek joy and balance and not let our “you have to do it all” society pressure us into a false perfection. Identify your frantic and dedicate yourself to a fierce devotion to what and who you were CREATED TO BE, because that, my friends, is where perfection lies.