Reframing the Back-to-School Dread
Whether you’ve already started back at school or if you’ll start in the coming weeks, you’re likely feeling a variety of feelings about the new school year. If you’re not feeling excited about heading back to the classroom, you’re not alone. If the back-to-school dread has hit you, or you feel stuck in these feelings, try to uncover how you could take action to move forward.
Back-to-school dread can hit for a variety of reasons. Maybe you’re wishing you could leave the classroom and find a flexible job in education. Maybe you’re moving to a new grade level, subject or school and feeling some extra anxiety or stress. Maybe you’re experiencing teacher burnout and know the new school year will bring new challenges.
No matter why you’re experiencing back-to-school anxiety, taking action is the best way to get unstuck, but it also can be hard to figure out exactly what to do. Don’t rush it! The most important thing is that you’re tuning into what you want and making a plan for getting it.
3 Ways to Reframe Back-to-School Dread
Ready to transform back-to-school dread into motivation to help you reach your goals? Don’t wait until next summer to get things done! Instead, try to carve out tiny bits of time to propel you closer to your dreams. Even if you just make tiny bits of progress towards your goals, that’s still progress worth celebrating.
Follow these three steps to get started and reframe any back-to-school teacher anxiety or stress you might be feeling.
Get Clear on Your Feelings of Back-to-School Dread
Whatever you’re feeling, don’t ignore it. Instead, get curious about why you might be feeling that way. Try to uncover what your feelings are trying to tell you. First, write down or say aloud all the feelings you’re experiencing when you think about your back-to-school dread.
Take your time as you try to get clarity on exactly what you’re experiencing. This can be easier said than done, so allow yourself to really investigate so that you can find ways to feel better.
For example, maybe you’re feeling rundown, exhausted, and burnt out from teaching. Consider which feelings might go away with time and which feelings keep coming up. For example, maybe it’s inevitable that you feel run down and exhausted at the start of the school year. You’re working long hours and putting in extra work to make sure the beginning of the year kicks off well. But if these exhausted feelings persist throughout the year, then it’s time to think about action steps you could take to feel better.
Lingering emotions, or emotions that keep coming back over and over again, often give us clues into what we need to change.
Make a Plan
Maybe you were hoping to leave the classroom, but find yourself teaching another year. Or maybe you were looking forward to the new year, but ended up having a rough start. If you’re feeling discouraged, the best approach is— you guessed it!— to take action.
After getting clear on your feelings and what they’re telling you, make a plan for changing your circumstances. Maybe you decide that you don’t want to teach next year. Think about how much money you’ll need to have saved so that you can confidently take the leap beyond the classroom.
Then make a plan for making that money. Consider picking up contract jobs or other small jobs that will help you build experience and a cushion for when you leave teaching.
Or maybe you’re feeling like you need to be more creative and decide that you want to learn more about curriculum development. Put aside a little time each week to work towards your goals. Block out time on your calendar and hold yourself accountable for sticking to the “appointments” you schedule with yourself.
By taking control of your professional learning, you’ll likely find yourself feeling invigorated and inspired - and feeling a lot less back-to-school dread.
Adopt a Summer Mindset
Even if your plan involves working towards big moves in the future, there are things you can simultaneously do right now to feel better. Think about adopting a summer vacation mindset year-round.
No matter how busy you might be, try to build in time for joy and relaxation. The work of a teacher is truly never going to be done, so make sure you’re prioritizing what you need. Spend time outside, with loved ones, and build empty space into your schedule so you have time to rest and relax.
Practicing self-care for teachers might not do away with end-of-summer anxiety entirely. Let’s face it, the first day back to school for teachers (and sometimes the first few weeks back) can be tough! But if you prioritize time for the things that light you up, you’ll be able to find joy among the stress.
Ready to End Back-to-School Dread for Good?
What if your back-to-school stress sticks around all year? If you’re feeling perpetually down about teaching, it’s important to realize you have other options.
You don’t need to stay in a position that consistently brings you down. There are many other ways you can make an impact in education while building a more sustainable and joyful professional life. Whether you dream of working as a curriculum developer or education writer, or want to start your own education business, the possibilities are truly endless when it comes to alternative careers for teachers.
Ready to discover how? Join the Beyond the Classroom course and learn how to get clear on what you want and land flexible jobs in education.