Finding an emotional outlet you can get into

If you don't take care of yourself and respect your own needs, you can't meet your students' needs, either.

By Kristi Johnson Smith

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The First Year

Essays on the author's experiences in her first year of teaching: the mistakes she made, what she learned from them, and how she used them to become a better teacher — and how other first-year teachers can, too.

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There were a few faculty bathrooms in the building, but only one that was close to my classroom. It was tiny, containing only one toilet, one sink, one garbage can and one full-length mirror. The only distinctive feature was a broken light that strobed every time it was turned on. And it annoyed me day after day after day.

Then another first year colleague confessed that sometimes — after using the restroom and washing his hands — he would pause before unlocking and exiting the bathroom. And in front of that mirror, in the midst of that strobe light, he would dance.

Not a long dance. There was no time for that during the busy school day. Just a quick “John Travolta-Saturday Night Fever-Staying Alive-who put the toilet next to the disco light” type move, and then he was out the door and back into his day.

And after hearing his confession, I began to like that broken light a little better. In addition to enjoying my own little dance (I mean, who could resist after the idea had been planted?) I enjoyed the irony of its message. The worst electrical outlet in the school — the only one that couldn’t adequately support even one little bulb — had become an emotional outlet for a few new teachers.

I share the story simply to encourage you to find your own emotional outlet within the school building. Find something that supports your emotional health as you support the students in your class. It could be as small as allowing yourself five minutes to relax at the beginning of your planning period or as large as working to transform a colleague into a friend.

I have known teachers who played quiet classical music while they worked in empty classrooms during their planning periods. I have known others who ordered take-out every Sunday night from a favorite restaurant just so they could bring that delicious meal in for lunch on Monday, their most difficult day at school.

Our job is demanding, and we must find ways to take care of ourselves as we meet its daily challenge. Please know that it is appropriate, even important, to ask yourself when and where you can find a moment of respite in the midst of a crazy, busy, overwhelming school-day. Take good care of your students. They are important. But so are you, so never forget to take good care of yourself.