I thought I knew busy... then I became a teacher ! ! !

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I loved teaching. I was so excited to being teaching after studying for 4 years full time. I spent most of January in the classroom preparing the classroom before I started my job officially. I spent half of every school holidays preparing the classroom for the term ahead. I planned all my lessons in the holidays, to reduce my crazy long days during the term. I arrived at school between 7-7.30am each day and usually left 5-5.30pm. My breaks were eating on the run with marking, setting up for afternoon lessons, running art club, doing a duty or coaching the junior softball team. I spent Saturdays with my sport and Sundays was prep day... for school, lunches and dinners plus house chores. I tutored 2-3 nights per week and never sat down most days until after dinner.

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I loved every minute of it... until my body got so sick I couldn't get out of bed from a virus, during year 3 of my teaching career. My "busy" had affected my body so much that it took a severe virus (viral meningitis) that knocked me off my feet literally for 6 months... to force me to stop and evaluate how I was looking after myself.

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It was my love of teaching, eagerness to please my executive peers by taking on lots, spending hours upon hours each week planning for 5 levels in my class (I felt that was suitable) in literacy lessons to meet their needs and differentiate the learning. I was so focussed on supporting my students with no understanding of what expectations I should be focussed on (just the curriculum I must have the students at) PLUS no mentor to guide me through finding effective resources, teach lessons effectively, provide me with real life expectations to prevent burnout, show me tricks and tips to assess on the go, give me a heads up for what data I would need mid year etc.... MY PASSION AND ENTHUSIASM WITH NO THINKING ABOUT BURNOUT.... LED ME STRAIGHT INTO HUGE HEALTH ISSUES THAT TOOK OVER 5 YRS TO RESOLVE... IF ONLY I HAD BEEN TOLD TO TAKE A PREVENTATIVE APPROACH TO BURNOUT FOR MY CAREER ! ! !

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I still love teaching. I am just as passionate about teaching as I was when I started 20+ years but many educators can not say the same. Suffering burnout and stress from the job, through lack of mentoring, accessing effective resources, understanding they must have a preventative approach to burnout for this career + learn how to stop over thinking about your learners.

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I show you everything that helped me along my journey so you can begin yours with the tools and come from a "prevention" strategy which will help you have a long happy career teaching!