tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post6617785365261686890..comments2024-01-06T06:09:29.140-05:00Comments on An Urban Teacher's Education: Burnoutjames boutinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-31566534143739933162009-09-08T23:38:59.058-04:002009-09-08T23:38:59.058-04:00I would say that this will teach you to leave plac...I would say that this will teach you to leave places like RHS, but...I won't. =) It sounds like it's time for a day of exploring DC, or at least a day of sleeping and possibly mindless tv. Do you even have days off at this school? I am sorry, it is a little early for burnout. There is a line between motivating teachers to work harder and burning them out on week 3. <br><br>Good luck. Homecoming is in October, come visit us.Christy (Columbia Lily)http://www.blogger.com/profile/05468422056345875269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-63630696057278029072009-09-08T23:40:01.630-04:002009-09-08T23:40:01.630-04:00ok, part of that sounded wrong. I am sorry about h...ok, part of that sounded wrong. I am sorry about how burned out you are feeling. It sucks to feel useless as a teacher and it's really early in the year for that to be hitting. That's what I meant.Christy (Columbia Lily)http://www.blogger.com/profile/05468422056345875269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-80364229285702331482009-09-09T22:47:47.979-04:002009-09-09T22:47:47.979-04:00Hot damn. You are most eloquent when you are feel...Hot damn. You are most eloquent when you are feeling deeply, James. Here are four guidelines that help me get through each teaching year<br><br>* You're allowed to skip one meeting a year, and for entirely selfish reasons - guilt-free. Don't even tell people you won't be showing up. Just don't.<br><br>* Ask for forgiveness, not permission. (Not a rule I would live or love by, but definitely one to teach by.)<br><br>* If you're having a stressful month, make a neat stack of pending paperwork on your desk. Let it build. A few weeks later, revisit it. If there are certain people who need their special forms at particular times, they will contact you again, and you will do those forms for them, and they won't say thank you. Because you don't deserve it. That's okay. The rest of the pile will expire. Or stay pending. And you can do the pending stuff when you're less stressed.<br><br>* Student work: Collect all of it; read most of it; grade some it. Recycle the rest. Seriously. You can put whole stacks of student work in the recycling bin and they will NEVER ask about it. It feels like drowning kittens at first, but you get used to it.<br><br>I don't know if these will work in your highly managed environment, but you could try. ;)<br><br>Miss you!<br><br>Dereksmithdlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02644548003066138620noreply@blogger.com