Speaker: 00:00:00

So we all know what it feels like

to feel overwhelmed or tired.

00:00:05,422 --> 00:00:08,216

Okay. So that's not burnout necessarily.

00:00:08,216 --> 00:00:13,680

Burnout is like an emotional exhaustion

where sleeping doesn't take care of it.

00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,600

Even the hobbies that you do

to, you know, re-energize yourself.

00:00:18,143 --> 00:00:20,395

You might not even want to do hobbies.

00:00:20,395 --> 00:00:23,732

You feel like you have nothing to offer

anyone.

00:00:23,815 --> 00:00:26,651

Students, parents, community.

00:00:26,651 --> 00:00:31,656

Maybe you even actually find yourself

avoiding parents or students.

00:00:31,656 --> 00:00:34,409

Kind of like,

I don't want to talk to anyone.

00:00:34,409 --> 00:00:39,789

Just let me go to bed forever and pull

the covers over my head and never emerge.

00:01:27,128 --> 00:01:27,712

Ruth Anna.

00:01:27,712 --> 00:01:30,799

So you've worked in education

for a while, right?

00:01:31,007 --> 00:01:34,552

And, you know, you

we've been talking on the phone before.

00:01:34,552 --> 00:01:35,011

Kind of.

00:01:35,011 --> 00:01:38,264

Okay, what should what should we have

on the podcast and what topics?

00:01:38,264 --> 00:01:41,434

And you mentioned you went through

a period of prolonged burnout

00:01:41,434 --> 00:01:44,437

because, you know, as a teacher

and you know how to take a break.

00:01:44,854 --> 00:01:47,690

And that made me really start

thinking about, well, obviously,

00:01:47,690 --> 00:01:51,861

what your story might be with that, but

also issues around teacher sustainability.

00:01:51,861 --> 00:01:54,030

Like,

it seems like there's a lot of turnover.

00:01:54,030 --> 00:01:55,573

And this is something that,

00:01:55,573 --> 00:01:58,660

you know, I've heard from a lot of places

that this is a thing.

00:01:59,035 --> 00:02:02,497

And so I'd like to,

yeah, maybe start with that and,

00:02:02,580 --> 00:02:05,583

see if there's some lessons here

for our audience.

00:02:05,583 --> 00:02:06,084

Right.

00:02:06,084 --> 00:02:07,919

So if, if it's all right,

00:02:07,919 --> 00:02:10,922

let's just start with your experience

with burnout as a teacher.

00:02:11,172 --> 00:02:13,716

Just kind of the rundown

what happened and what what was that like?

00:02:13,716 --> 00:02:18,972

So there's there's, multiple layers

to the question of burnout.

00:02:19,347 --> 00:02:22,559

And I will talk about my experience.

00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:25,603

I know that my experience

isn't necessarily everyone's

00:02:25,603 --> 00:02:28,648

experience, but I think there are

definitely themes throughout.

00:02:29,023 --> 00:02:32,652

So as I reflect on my experience

as an educator.

00:02:32,652 --> 00:02:36,990

So I taught for five years

and then I really wanted a broader,

00:02:37,282 --> 00:02:39,576

base to pull from.

00:02:39,576 --> 00:02:42,287

I was realizing

some of the needs that are out there.

00:02:42,287 --> 00:02:44,789

And so I went to Faith builders

for two years

00:02:44,789 --> 00:02:47,792

and did their teacher apprenticeship

program, which was very helpful.

00:02:48,042 --> 00:02:51,629

After graduation, I came back and,

00:02:52,005 --> 00:02:54,674

taught for a period of another nine years

00:02:54,674 --> 00:02:58,052

and had a lot of good experiences there.

00:02:58,052 --> 00:03:03,558

But during the last year that

I was working there as a homeroom teacher,

00:03:05,059 --> 00:03:05,852

that's when the

00:03:05,852 --> 00:03:09,689

that's when, as I look back, that's really

when the the burnout piece kicked in.

00:03:10,064 --> 00:03:14,819

And one piece of it

for me was unresolved trauma.

00:03:15,236 --> 00:03:18,907

I come from a really dark past with,

00:03:18,948 --> 00:03:23,870

Yeah, lots of abuse and neglect and

00:03:25,538 --> 00:03:28,249

I hadn't really had a safe place

to process that.

00:03:28,249 --> 00:03:30,668

And so

00:03:30,668 --> 00:03:34,756

as it as it started, you know, as

I started having flashbacks and nightmares

00:03:34,756 --> 00:03:38,384

and all of this, and I just was like,

not sure what was going on.

00:03:38,801 --> 00:03:42,347

And so toward the end of that year,

my principal

00:03:42,931 --> 00:03:46,809

said to me, well, Ruth Anna,

would you consider taking a year off?

00:03:47,310 --> 00:03:51,564

And that was a completely new question

for me.

00:03:52,065 --> 00:03:56,277

I it shows you how much I was surviving

because I did not even have

00:03:56,486 --> 00:04:00,657

the mental space to think, well,

is there another option here?

00:04:01,074 --> 00:04:04,244

So that one year turned

into four years off.

00:04:04,661 --> 00:04:09,415

And there were a lot of good things

that happened during those four years.

00:04:09,707 --> 00:04:13,544

It was also really hard

because, I didn't feel like

00:04:13,544 --> 00:04:16,798

I had the emotional energy

to continue teaching

00:04:17,215 --> 00:04:21,219

and doing, the work of trauma therapy.

00:04:21,469 --> 00:04:25,473

And so I did some really intense trauma

therapy for a few years.

00:04:25,974 --> 00:04:31,312

And that helped to, helped

to resolve, that piece of trauma.

00:04:31,688 --> 00:04:33,481

I still deal with PTSD.

00:04:33,481 --> 00:04:36,526

PTSD stands

for post-traumatic stress disorder.

00:04:36,651 --> 00:04:41,364

I still deal with flashbacks

and nightmares, but,

00:04:41,698 --> 00:04:44,534

I've learned how to cope with it,

00:04:44,534 --> 00:04:47,662

and so there's a really redemptive

ending to that story.

00:04:47,870 --> 00:04:51,624

So that's that's like

one piece of my story with burnout.

00:04:52,125 --> 00:04:54,627

the other piece is,

00:04:54,627 --> 00:04:59,716

as I look back and reflect,

is everything that was on my plate

00:04:59,716 --> 00:05:03,177

as a teacher when I start,

when I started listing,

00:05:03,803 --> 00:05:06,306

all the things that I was involved

00:05:06,306 --> 00:05:09,309

in, I kind of went,

00:05:09,434 --> 00:05:12,437

wait, this is making me tired

just listing it all.

00:05:12,895 --> 00:05:15,106

Oh, that's not a good sign.

00:05:15,106 --> 00:05:16,691

Exactly.

00:05:16,691 --> 00:05:19,569

And I think in the moment,

00:05:19,569 --> 00:05:22,697

I don't think I knew that it was okay

to ask for help.

00:05:22,697 --> 00:05:25,950

I was thinking, okay, well, yeah,

I am a teacher.

00:05:25,950 --> 00:05:27,827

This is just what teachers do.

00:05:27,827 --> 00:05:31,539

They just,

you know, do the next thing, and,

00:05:32,123 --> 00:05:34,751

you know, teach classes

that they don't enjoy.

00:05:34,751 --> 00:05:38,921

But you do it

because, well you're the one that can.

00:05:41,924 --> 00:05:42,342

Yeah.

00:05:42,342 --> 00:05:45,928

So I would say just like,

like a really heavy workload

00:05:46,220 --> 00:05:48,931

also led to finally my body saying

00:05:48,931 --> 00:05:51,934

I can't do this anymore.

00:05:52,310 --> 00:05:55,313

And so that was really devastating

because you know I'm

00:05:55,313 --> 00:05:58,858

that kid who was like decided in

first grade that I wanted to be a teacher.

00:05:59,525 --> 00:06:02,528

And so this is like my lifelong dream.

00:06:02,612 --> 00:06:06,407

And suddenly

at the end of that school year,

00:06:06,407 --> 00:06:10,661

I thankfully the school board released me

from my, commitment

00:06:10,661 --> 00:06:11,788

for the for the next year.

00:06:11,788 --> 00:06:13,998

I had already committed

to teaching for next year.

00:06:13,998 --> 00:06:16,876

They released me from my contract,

if that could help with

00:06:16,876 --> 00:06:19,420

with my healing process.

00:06:19,420 --> 00:06:22,965

so that's some of the pieces

from your own story

00:06:22,965 --> 00:06:25,093

and it, let's broaden it out a bit.

100

00:06:25,093 --> 00:06:28,429

What are some of the things

that lead to burnout in teachers.

101

00:06:28,429 --> 00:06:29,222

Just in general.

102

00:06:29,222 --> 00:06:32,141

Like I'm sure you've noticed

some common threads here right.

103

00:06:32,141 --> 00:06:34,811

Over the years. Yeah. List some of those.

104

00:06:34,811 --> 00:06:37,188

That is a great question.

105

00:06:37,188 --> 00:06:39,690

Okay, so I think to help us understand,

106

00:06:41,442 --> 00:06:41,818

to help us

107

00:06:41,818 --> 00:06:46,906

understand this, let's think a little bit

about a teacher who is in your,

108

00:06:47,073 --> 00:06:51,702

you know, typical school, small school,

maybe 60 to 70 students.

109

00:06:52,745 --> 00:06:55,373

Or it could be smaller schools, 20 to 30

110

00:06:55,373 --> 00:07:00,461

and let's think about some of the things

that they might be involved in.

111

00:07:00,670 --> 00:07:01,337

Okay.

112

00:07:01,337 --> 00:07:06,092

So it's very possible that they're

teaching multiple grades All right.

113

00:07:06,092 --> 00:07:09,095

So let's say if you

if you're teaching three grades

114

00:07:09,303 --> 00:07:11,889

and only

you might have nine students okay.

115

00:07:11,889 --> 00:07:16,227

But that's still three math lessons

to prep for, three language lessons.

116

00:07:17,228 --> 00:07:19,272

You know

and if you're if you're not combining

117

00:07:19,272 --> 00:07:22,275

classes,

maybe three science, three history.

118

00:07:22,525 --> 00:07:25,736

Like it just gets to be a lot of prep.

119

00:07:26,195 --> 00:07:29,740

It's possible that they're teaching

all of their classes.

120

00:07:29,740 --> 00:07:32,994

So even music, art, Bible,

121

00:07:33,369 --> 00:07:37,623

they might be doing all of the recess

study with their students.

122

00:07:37,623 --> 00:07:40,001

They might not have a lot of downtime

during the day.

123

00:07:40,001 --> 00:07:43,212

I know for me, sometimes

I just need ten minutes to breathe

124

00:07:43,421 --> 00:07:47,133

so I can actually be present

with my students.

125

00:07:47,508 --> 00:07:52,680

And on top of that,

let's say the school day ends at three.

126

00:07:53,931 --> 00:07:56,934

They might have 2 to 3 hours of grading.

127

00:07:57,143 --> 00:08:00,188

After that,

I know I talked to one of my friends,

128

00:08:00,188 --> 00:08:03,191

who said, I sat down at 3:00 and I said,

129

00:08:04,066 --> 00:08:08,488

now my second day starts and,

you know, three hours of grading.

130

00:08:08,654 --> 00:08:11,073

Well, when do you have time for prep?

131

00:08:11,073 --> 00:08:13,534

Oh, no, I'm not done yet.

132

00:08:13,534 --> 00:08:14,702

This is only just.

133

00:08:14,702 --> 00:08:17,413

This is just the beginning.

134

00:08:17,413 --> 00:08:19,665

They may be planning

all the all of the field

135

00:08:19,665 --> 00:08:22,668

trips for, their classes.

136

00:08:23,044 --> 00:08:25,463

They may be planning

all the class parties.

137

00:08:25,463 --> 00:08:27,131

They might be prepping programs.

138

00:08:27,131 --> 00:08:29,258

Both fall and spring.

139

00:08:29,258 --> 00:08:32,303

Perhaps they're even working

some in administration.

140

00:08:32,303 --> 00:08:35,264

So you have your own homeroom,

but then you're.

141

00:08:35,264 --> 00:08:38,601

You're like the elementary education

principal.

142

00:08:38,768 --> 00:08:39,852

Yet as well.

143

00:08:39,852 --> 00:08:44,607

So then you're expected to be the expert,

in any learning disability.

144

00:08:45,024 --> 00:08:45,525

Okay.

145

00:08:45,525 --> 00:08:48,778

So again,

that's a whole subject on its own.

146

00:08:49,278 --> 00:08:52,907

They might be arranging chapel

speakers, answering

147

00:08:52,907 --> 00:08:57,995

phones, communicating about transportation

differences, car rides, bus rides.

148

00:08:58,287 --> 00:09:01,249

They're teaching children

to read somewhere.

149

00:09:01,249 --> 00:09:03,209

They're supposed to do lesson prep.

150

00:09:03,209 --> 00:09:04,752

And again,

151

00:09:04,752 --> 00:09:08,214

if they have a couple years of experience,

they might be training in new teachers

152

00:09:08,714 --> 00:09:12,677

and then you're supposed to have energy

to come up

153

00:09:12,677 --> 00:09:16,138

with, like amazing ideas

for like Community week or Missions Week.

154

00:09:17,014 --> 00:09:21,936

Do you get the feeling it's

just a lot going on?

155

00:09:22,186 --> 00:09:24,647

Fragmentation is the word

that comes to mind.

156

00:09:24,647 --> 00:09:25,773

Absolutely.

157

00:09:27,149 --> 00:09:28,526

can we just back up a bit?

158

00:09:28,526 --> 00:09:29,360

Define that.

159

00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,779

Like, what do we mean

when we're, you know, we have burnout.

160

00:09:31,779 --> 00:09:35,491

But then again, I'm thinking specifically

for the teachers themselves, right.

161

00:09:35,491 --> 00:09:36,659

Right. Okay.

162

00:09:36,659 --> 00:09:39,120

So, yeah, let me define that a little bit.

163

00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:44,458

So we all know what it feels like

to feel overwhelmed or tired.

164

00:09:44,542 --> 00:09:47,336

Okay. So that's not burnout necessarily.

165

00:09:47,336 --> 00:09:52,800

Burnout is like an emotional exhaustion

where sleeping doesn't take care of it.

166

00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:56,721

Even the hobbies that you do

to, you know, re-energize yourself.

167

00:09:57,263 --> 00:09:59,265

You might not even want to do hobbies.

168

00:09:59,265 --> 00:10:01,309

Okay. That's that's one example.

169

00:10:01,309 --> 00:10:05,521

You feel like you have nothing to offer

anyone.

170

00:10:05,605 --> 00:10:08,357

Students, parents, community.

171

00:10:08,357 --> 00:10:13,946

Maybe you even actually find yourself

avoiding parents or students.

172

00:10:13,946 --> 00:10:16,699

Kind of like,

I don't want to talk to anyone.

173

00:10:16,699 --> 00:10:22,079

Just let me go to bed forever and pull

the covers over my head and never emerge.

174

00:10:22,079 --> 00:10:23,080

Okay.

175

00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:28,002

You may have felt like you just kind of

lost your vision for teaching.

176

00:10:28,002 --> 00:10:30,796

Like the spark is gone.

177

00:10:30,796 --> 00:10:34,383

There's, like,

the joy factor is just is is gone.

178

00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:40,931

And when you encounter a problem, it can

feel like, almost like you're paralyzed.

179

00:10:40,931 --> 00:10:43,309

Like, I can't even troubleshoot this.

180

00:10:43,309 --> 00:10:45,144

I don't know.

181

00:10:45,144 --> 00:10:48,230

I don't know how to think creatively

about how to solve this.

182

00:10:48,522 --> 00:10:52,777

You see how that is different from from

just being tired?

183

00:10:52,943 --> 00:10:54,278

Yeah. Yeah.

184

00:10:54,278 --> 00:10:57,531

So yeah, some of these thoughts I am,

185

00:10:57,907 --> 00:11:01,077

I am drawing from a presentation

that I listened to.

186

00:11:01,369 --> 00:11:05,331

Arlin Nisly was presenting

to experienced teachers,

187

00:11:05,623 --> 00:11:09,168

and, he talked about burnout

and defined some of these things.

188

00:11:09,168 --> 00:11:13,839

And it really connected with me

because burnout is real.

189

00:11:14,298 --> 00:11:17,843

And I think I think the key

190

00:11:18,094 --> 00:11:21,055

to burnout is rest.

191

00:11:22,223 --> 00:11:25,184

That doesn't mean that you're inactive.

192

00:11:25,434 --> 00:11:26,435

But it is.

193

00:11:26,435 --> 00:11:29,438

It is a creation principle in Scripture.

194

00:11:30,398 --> 00:11:34,026

You know,

and so if you're working seven days

195

00:11:34,026 --> 00:11:37,530

a week, like,

that's not what we've been created to do.

196

00:11:37,822 --> 00:11:42,493

So I think we've got to be

really intentional about taking time,

197

00:11:42,493 --> 00:11:47,456

taking time off and, you know, doing,

doing self-care types of things.

198

00:11:48,207 --> 00:11:50,418

One of the ways that I think about

199

00:11:50,418 --> 00:11:53,212

avoiding burnout

sometimes is at the end of the week,

200

00:11:53,212 --> 00:11:57,049

I will think, okay, what did I do

this week

201

00:11:57,049 --> 00:12:00,219

that was not absolutely necessary

for survival?

202

00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:02,722

I like that.

203

00:12:02,722 --> 00:12:05,683

That's good. Yeah.

204

00:12:05,683 --> 00:12:07,435

So there are,

205

00:12:07,435 --> 00:12:10,271

I think, different layers to burnout.

206

00:12:10,271 --> 00:12:13,941

I describe

I just described the workload of

207

00:12:13,941 --> 00:12:16,944

perhaps your typical teacher

in a typical school.

208

00:12:16,986 --> 00:12:19,488

So I think workload can lead to burnout.

209

00:12:19,488 --> 00:12:22,491

Sometimes it's lack of support.

210

00:12:22,491 --> 00:12:25,035

I know it can. As a homeroom teacher.

211

00:12:25,035 --> 00:12:28,456

It can feel difficult

to get the support that you need.

212

00:12:28,456 --> 00:12:33,169

If your principal is also a homeroom

teacher or the administration.

213

00:12:33,711 --> 00:12:34,962

They also have a homeroom.

214

00:12:34,962 --> 00:12:37,882

And so if you have an issue,

let's say during the day.

215

00:12:37,882 --> 00:12:39,091

You know,

216

00:12:39,091 --> 00:12:42,553

and you go to them for help, Will,

then you're disrupting their classroom.

217

00:12:42,928 --> 00:12:47,558

And so, like, there's just

when when there's not enough of adults

218

00:12:47,558 --> 00:12:51,854

to take care of the children, that

that lack of support can be pretty key.

219

00:12:52,271 --> 00:12:54,648

And I think also lack of self-care.

220

00:12:56,108 --> 00:12:58,068

Not taking time to

221

00:12:58,068 --> 00:13:01,906

do my hobbies, you know,

hunting or hunting is not my hobby.

222

00:13:01,906 --> 00:13:06,702

But, you know, I'm thinking,

like hunting, fishing, going on hikes

223

00:13:06,702 --> 00:13:10,456

or trips, travel, volleyball, like,

those things are important.

224

00:13:10,581 --> 00:13:13,167

That helps. Sustainability.

225

00:13:13,167 --> 00:13:18,172

And I think another piece to burnout

is when we constantly exceed our limits.

226

00:13:19,882 --> 00:13:25,763

And so those are a few factors, as I was

thinking about the whole issue of burnout.

227

00:13:25,763 --> 00:13:30,226

I think those are some factors

that, that cause burnout.

228

00:13:31,977 --> 00:13:35,606

So I don't work in the education

space at all, so, you know.

229

00:13:35,689 --> 00:13:38,776

But just looking from the outside

in, it seems like there's

230

00:13:38,776 --> 00:13:42,947

a lot of teacher turnover

and some issues with sustainability.

231

00:13:42,947 --> 00:13:43,489

Right?

232

00:13:43,489 --> 00:13:45,074

Constant staff turnover.

233

00:13:45,074 --> 00:13:47,117

You know, something's happening there.

234

00:13:47,117 --> 00:13:50,788

So how can our communities

235

00:13:51,288 --> 00:13:55,251

help make this whole situation

more sustainable?

236

00:13:55,292 --> 00:13:58,295

And when I say that, I'm thinking

specifically for the teachers themselves.

237

00:13:58,504 --> 00:13:59,922

Maybe there's other elements to consider.

238

00:13:59,922 --> 00:14:02,174

But let's let's stay focused on that.

239

00:14:02,174 --> 00:14:04,844

How can our communities get involved? Yes.

240

00:14:04,844 --> 00:14:05,219

Okay.

241

00:14:05,219 --> 00:14:08,097

So one thing I would say initially is

242

00:14:09,306 --> 00:14:09,932

make sure your

243

00:14:09,932 --> 00:14:13,936

teachers have enough help and immediately

that's going to

244

00:14:13,978 --> 00:14:18,941

what some of you are thinking is

well we don't have the budget for that.

245

00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:24,154

All right folks,

we have got to get past the budget.

246

00:14:24,613 --> 00:14:26,407

but okay. Why why is it.

247

00:14:26,407 --> 00:14:29,952

I mean, this is just to the point

where it's just pop culture, almost that,

248

00:14:29,952 --> 00:14:34,248

like underpaid, overworked defines

the teachers, like anywhere.

249

00:14:34,248 --> 00:14:34,999

And I'm not just saying

250

00:14:34,999 --> 00:14:38,002

in our Anabaptist schools,

that just feels like a universal thing.

251

00:14:38,669 --> 00:14:40,087

I don't really understand that.

252

00:14:40,087 --> 00:14:42,965

I've never understood that,

but it becomes just almost assumed.

253

00:14:42,965 --> 00:14:46,176

Yes. Yeah.

But anyways. Right. Yeah. Right.

254

00:14:46,427 --> 00:14:48,971

So, you know,

make sure they have enough of help.

255

00:14:48,971 --> 00:14:50,639

And I think what I'm going to do here

256

00:14:50,639 --> 00:14:54,518

is I'm going to describe

my current school situation.

257

00:14:54,894 --> 00:14:57,730

I feel like at my current school

258

00:14:57,730 --> 00:15:01,483

I've been able to, have lots of spaces

259

00:15:01,483 --> 00:15:04,486

for healing because of some of the things

that I've experienced.

260

00:15:04,528 --> 00:15:06,572

So a couple things that

261

00:15:07,615 --> 00:15:09,700

are key for me at,

262

00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:14,622

my current school is

I have lots of support from admin.

263

00:15:14,747 --> 00:15:17,917

So we do have a principal,

we have a secretary.

264

00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:21,086

We also have an elementary

director of education.

265

00:15:21,337 --> 00:15:23,797

And so I'm not in homeroom.

266

00:15:23,797 --> 00:15:25,674

But you know I'm in learning support.

267

00:15:25,674 --> 00:15:28,886

But I know there are people

that I can go to talk to

268

00:15:29,011 --> 00:15:32,264

throughout the school day,

who aren't in homeroom.

269

00:15:32,264 --> 00:15:33,641

And, you know,

if I need to just troubleshoot

270

00:15:33,641 --> 00:15:37,519

for ten minutes,

there's someone there to talk to.

271

00:15:38,687 --> 00:15:42,441

At my school,

they also have we have a person

272

00:15:42,441 --> 00:15:46,654

who does all the art, teaches all the art,

a person who teaches all the music.

273

00:15:46,946 --> 00:15:49,990

And so that gives homeroom teachers

274

00:15:50,407 --> 00:15:54,078

some pockets of time throughout their day

where they can just regroup a little bit.

275

00:15:55,079 --> 00:15:57,581

There are teachers aides

276

00:15:57,581 --> 00:16:03,045

that we have, and that can, they can help

with, with the grading piece.

277

00:16:03,045 --> 00:16:07,257

I think I mentioned that, you know,

grading can take hours for some teachers.

278

00:16:07,633 --> 00:16:11,637

So, you know,

why aren't we hiring teachers aides

279

00:16:11,637 --> 00:16:13,222

to help out with the grading

280

00:16:13,222 --> 00:16:15,557

And even if you're, you know,

if you're in a small school,

281

00:16:15,557 --> 00:16:18,560

I think we can still think creatively

about these things.

282

00:16:18,811 --> 00:16:22,690

You know, who can we who can we ask to

283

00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,443

to help us out?

284

00:16:27,027 --> 00:16:30,114

Bringing more tangible pieces

of support onto the scene.

285

00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:32,366

Is that a way of saying it.

286

00:16:32,366 --> 00:16:35,369

Yes, absolutely, absolutely.

287

00:16:36,203 --> 00:16:39,123

And there's also the financial piece.

288

00:16:39,123 --> 00:16:41,041

Let's face it, you know. Okay.

289

00:16:41,041 --> 00:16:44,044

So I'm obviously going to be advocating

for single women.

290

00:16:44,169 --> 00:16:47,756

But, you know, let's say

you have a 25 year old single lady

291

00:16:48,048 --> 00:16:52,094

and you say, well, we're paying her.

292

00:16:52,094 --> 00:16:55,097

Well, she's making 20 grand a year.

293

00:16:55,514 --> 00:16:58,225

Okay.

294

00:16:58,225 --> 00:17:02,813

Well, is she going to be able

to buy a house on that salary?

295

00:17:03,272 --> 00:17:05,524

I mean,

would you want to live on that salary?

296

00:17:06,483 --> 00:17:09,153

You know, as a, like, like thinking

about some of those things,

297

00:17:09,153 --> 00:17:12,865

like, is this is this sustainable for her

to do financially?

298

00:17:12,906 --> 00:17:16,410

I mean, it's really a shame when she says,

you know, what, if I went to Sheetz,

299

00:17:16,410 --> 00:17:19,413

I could make double what I make here.

300

00:17:19,621 --> 00:17:22,833

Like, do

we care about investing in our teachers?

301

00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,003

And if we don't care, it's

no wonder that we we're going

302

00:17:26,003 --> 00:17:27,296

through teachers like water.

303

00:17:27,296 --> 00:17:29,673

You know, with that amount of workload.

304

00:17:29,673 --> 00:17:32,885

We burn them right out. Yeah.

305

00:17:33,177 --> 00:17:35,012

You used a word there

I think that was important.

306

00:17:35,012 --> 00:17:36,472

Invest in the teachers.

307

00:17:36,472 --> 00:17:37,347

Right.

308

00:17:37,347 --> 00:17:40,350

Thinking of it as an investment I guess.

309

00:17:40,350 --> 00:17:42,811

I like that way of framing it.

310

00:17:42,811 --> 00:17:43,979

Right.

311

00:17:43,979 --> 00:17:47,566

So we were talking about okay, how can

how can we make things more sustainable

312

00:17:47,566 --> 00:17:50,569

and avoid some of these things

with teacher turnover, for example,

313

00:17:51,278 --> 00:17:55,657

as people are listening to this,

what is one thing they can do practically

314

00:17:56,450 --> 00:17:58,994

to help support teachers, to help

315

00:17:58,994 --> 00:18:02,081

with this situation,

to get involved, and to contribute?

316

00:18:03,290 --> 00:18:05,667

That is such a good question.

317

00:18:05,667 --> 00:18:08,670

So yeah let's just talk about

some really practical things.

318

00:18:08,921 --> 00:18:12,925

And I know from an educator perspective

these things mean so much to me.

319

00:18:13,092 --> 00:18:17,763

So this morning I walked into my classroom

and there was an iced

320

00:18:17,763 --> 00:18:21,809

coffee cold brew caramel on my desk

ready to go.

321

00:18:21,809 --> 00:18:26,188

And I thought, this is the perfect way

to begin my Friday.

322

00:18:27,022 --> 00:18:29,983

And it was our director of elementary

education

323

00:18:29,983 --> 00:18:32,152

just, you know, treating the teachers

okay.

324

00:18:32,152 --> 00:18:34,863

That can seem like a really small thing,

a coffee.

325

00:18:34,863 --> 00:18:37,741

It means so much like

I've had in the past.

326

00:18:37,741 --> 00:18:41,620

I've had parents, you know, stop in and,

you know, maybe they'll give me a coffee

327

00:18:41,620 --> 00:18:43,080

or a hot chocolate or something.

328

00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:44,540

It means so much.

329

00:18:44,540 --> 00:18:47,209

It means that we are we're seen.

330

00:18:47,209 --> 00:18:49,920

And, that's that's huge.

331

00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,881

So that's a really practical thing. Yeah.

332

00:18:52,881 --> 00:18:58,053

I think, you know, if your school has,

an opportunity for moms, like,

333

00:18:58,053 --> 00:19:01,974

where a couple moms can get together

and let's say they will plan

334

00:19:01,974 --> 00:19:05,602

class parties or be responsible for,

you know, planning field trips.

335

00:19:05,978 --> 00:19:08,981

That's a huge load off

the homeroom teacher.

336

00:19:09,523 --> 00:19:12,901

You can ask, you know,

your homeroom teachers

337

00:19:12,901 --> 00:19:16,488

like what their favorite food is and,

you know, pack their lunch occasionally.

338

00:19:16,613 --> 00:19:20,576

It's these small acts of service

that just go such a long way.

339

00:19:20,576 --> 00:19:25,122

And, you know, maybe you're

one of those people who says, okay,

340

00:19:25,581 --> 00:19:26,540

what would it mean for me

341

00:19:26,540 --> 00:19:28,500

to show up at school,

you know, once a week

342

00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:30,961

and have the teachers

train me on recess duty,

343

00:19:30,961 --> 00:19:35,048

and then I'll be out, you know,

supervising, supervising the children.

344

00:19:35,048 --> 00:19:38,635

And, you know, it's always a perk when,

you know,

345

00:19:38,635 --> 00:19:40,262

especially in the younger grades,

you know,

346

00:19:40,262 --> 00:19:43,390

their mom shows up and it's just,

you know, that connection as well.

347

00:19:43,682 --> 00:19:47,269

And you, they might not realize, like that

15 minutes

348

00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:50,397

gave me as a teacher, like,

time to regroup.

349

00:19:50,397 --> 00:19:52,024

I can had some time to breathe.

350

00:19:52,024 --> 00:19:55,694

I had some time to, you know,

if I was dealing with a difficult student

351

00:19:55,694 --> 00:19:59,948

in the morning,

sometime to just, like, focus again on.

352

00:19:59,948 --> 00:20:02,034

Okay, you know, what am I working with?

353

00:20:02,034 --> 00:20:05,204

And, you know, just kind of refocus,

regroup, rethink.

354

00:20:05,579 --> 00:20:10,667

Because as educators, we really do want

to be our best selves for our students.

355

00:20:12,211 --> 00:20:13,295

That's that's really neat.

356

00:20:13,295 --> 00:20:16,381

That's like,

you know, little tangible ways of

357

00:20:16,632 --> 00:20:21,929

and telling the teachers in your life

that, hey we see you, we appreciate you.

358

00:20:22,262 --> 00:20:25,224

We like otherwise

359

00:20:25,891 --> 00:20:29,519

I wonder could it be

this sense of I'm here teaching these kids

360

00:20:29,519 --> 00:20:32,814

and I feel really alone and nobody notices

and nobody sees me.

361

00:20:32,814 --> 00:20:33,899

Is there some of that?

362

00:20:33,899 --> 00:20:38,153

It could That can be

a very real struggle in teaching.

363

00:20:38,403 --> 00:20:41,698

And that really saddens me as well,

because, like,

364

00:20:42,115 --> 00:20:45,452

there's really something that gets lost,

like in the school culture,

365

00:20:45,619 --> 00:20:49,831

if we are just in our own classrooms,

we're just little kingdoms unto ourselves

366

00:20:49,831 --> 00:20:51,458

doing our own thing.

367

00:20:51,458 --> 00:20:53,001

That, that that hurts the school culture.

368

00:20:53,001 --> 00:20:58,548

But for but as a teacher, that can feel

really, really lonely as well.

369

00:20:59,883 --> 00:21:00,300

And so we

370

00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:06,056

need, we need community, we need support,

we need parents, we need school boards,

371

00:21:06,348 --> 00:21:10,644

and we need school

boards and, administrators

372

00:21:10,852 --> 00:21:14,606

who are passionate

about paying their teachers well so that

373

00:21:14,606 --> 00:21:18,360

they can actually live on what they make.

374

00:21:20,779 --> 00:21:25,200

So as we look back over the material

that we've covered in this,

375

00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,495

kind of bringing it all together,

is there anything else you would like

376

00:21:28,495 --> 00:21:31,623

to leave the audience

with as we wrap this episode up.

377

00:21:31,999 --> 00:21:36,003

So I've given some, some tangible,

things there as well.

378

00:21:36,003 --> 00:21:41,258

But never underestimate the power

of praying for your teachers.

379

00:21:42,009 --> 00:21:44,886

Principal secretary, administrators.

380

00:21:44,886 --> 00:21:50,183

That means so much

to have a group of people who are really,

381

00:21:50,517 --> 00:21:55,564

bringing us before the Lord in prayer,

because it is education and,

382

00:21:55,897 --> 00:21:57,065

working with students,

383

00:21:57,065 --> 00:22:00,235

it's a big responsibility and it's not

something that I take lightly.

384

00:22:00,235 --> 00:22:03,447

And so we do need we need you.

385

00:22:03,780 --> 00:22:07,993

We need everyone to,

Yeah, help make this successful.

386

00:22:09,369 --> 00:22:09,786

Thanks so

387

00:22:09,786 --> 00:22:13,665

much for coming on and sharing

and bringing your own personal experience.

388

00:22:13,665 --> 00:22:16,251

And, yeah,

giving us some pieces to work with here.

389

00:22:16,251 --> 00:22:21,048

I think there's gonna be a lot here for

listeners to, they should take note of.

390

00:22:21,048 --> 00:22:25,218

And and maybe this will, cause

some changes in ways people can better.

391

00:22:25,260 --> 00:22:28,847

Well, communities can come around

and support schools and teachers better.

392

00:22:28,847 --> 00:22:31,725

So yeah, I really appreciate this.

Thank you for inviting me.

393

00:22:31,725 --> 00:22:35,562

I always love when I'm invited to speak

about things that I'm passionate about.

394

00:22:36,605 --> 00:22:38,482

yeah. Well,

thank you so much for sharing today.

395

00:22:38,482 --> 00:22:39,149

Thank you.

396

00:22:40,067 --> 00:22:42,402

Thanks for listening to this episode

with Ruth.

397

00:22:42,402 --> 00:22:45,822

Anna, we did a two part, series with Joel

398

00:22:45,822 --> 00:22:48,867

Yoder on the topic of burnout,

which I think you'll find interesting.

399

00:22:48,867 --> 00:22:51,870

You can find that linked down

in the description below.

400

00:22:51,953 --> 00:22:56,124

We also publish regular monthly essays

as well as a monthly email newsletter,

401

00:22:56,124 --> 00:22:57,167

and you can subscribe

402

00:22:57,167 --> 00:23:00,921

to both of those on our website

at Anabaptistperspectives.org.

403

00:23:01,296 --> 00:23:03,799

Thanks again

and we'll see you in the next episode.