Teacher

Finally, I get to wake up and look forward to work. I look forward to being a teacher. That hasn’t always been the case. Prior to the implemented changes to the school, it was tough going to work everyday- I know that was the case for many of my colleagues too. The kids were usually poorly behaved, the students felt little purpose in their education and the mental health of everyone has headed on a downwards slope. Getting up for work used to be dreadful. It was getting to the point where I was considering leaving the education field entirely. Many teachers were leaving the teaching field and were unhappy with their careers until these changes. But now… it’s like we’ve gotten more interest in the field than we’ve ever had before. We’re no longer running on a shortage of teachers, which helps the students immensely, as well as the mental health of essentially everyone has improved.

Anyway, today my day started with getting to sleep in for an extra hour, which makes a significant difference in my ability to be an effective and present teacher for my students. I got that extra hour because the workshops are running this morning. Therefore, having guests speakers come in and take over for the morning gives us teachers a little break from exact same routine every day. That extra hour of sleep helps refresh me and allows me to show up for my students and my colleagues with a positive mindset and attitude. This is a little luxury we never had before, but now I can’t imagine having it any other way. These workshops are incredible! My students love telling me about the practical life skills they learned- in fact, I have learned so much from them just from them telling me about what they have learned. It’s amazing! The life skill workshops have significantly helped the students to genuinely enjoy their education and coming to school. We have also noticed huge changed in the kids behaviour and maturity levels. The students are a joy to be around and my career has brought me so much more meaning than it ever has. Seeing the kids be so much more engaged int heir education and seeing the positive effects it has had on them has helped to being purpose to my career. Happy and fulfilled students means happy and fulfilled teachers. For that reason, the staff turnover numbers have significantly decreased and we have more interest in the education field than we’ve ever really had before. Additionally, we have more permanence when it comes to teachers and educators. Higher permanence and higher interest means that we no longer have the burden of teaching courses we are unqualified for and unknowledgeable in and we are no longer overwhelmed with multiple classes we need to teach, creating a very uneven work life balance. It means we now have time to breathe and relax, and our mental health is thriving because of it! Another added bonus of the staff permanence is that I have been able to grow close to my colleagues and build meaningful friendships and relationships with them. Before, I would meet new staff, and they’d be gone as soon as I would just barely start to get to know them.

I have made friendships that have lasted years and will continue to grow, and that is because now I can actually take the tie to build these relationships. This has also significantly helped my mental health improve.

Speaking of mental health… wow. The addition of holistic and outdoor learning has been a turning point. Why did we not implement this sooner? The mental and physical; health differences we’ve seen in students and teachers, is absolutely insane! As previously mentioned, the kids behaviour has taken a huge turn for the better and I believe the outdoor learning plays a massive role in that. Especially in our school, the lack of windows beforehand, compared to the abundance we have now has been a complete game changer. If just having windows has made this much of a difference, you can image the difference that outdoor learning has had- getting to spend time in nature has done wonders for the students mental health and has also improved their physical health! I have a student, Jesmyra, and I’ve taught her for years. She has always had mental health problems. She has always been an anxious person and she is known to cry often due to stress. Since these implementations, I have seen her cry a grand total of zero times and she is an evidently much happier and less anxious person. Her parents have told me that nothing else in her routine or lifestyle has changed, besides the outdoor time she gets at school. Her mothers eyes welled up with tears at the joy she felt because they had no idea how to help their daughter, but spending time outdoors essentially healed her. She’s not the only one! I’ve had parents rave about the new implementations in our school and the wonders it has done for their kids- the workshops and the outdoor leaning! All of it has had significant positive effects on our students, and as a teacher, there is no greater joy than to see my kiddos thrive! I tear up just thinking about it, this is what the career of a teacher is all about- making real differences in the lives of our students.

As a teacher, my mental health has significantly healed from, one, spending time outdoors, of course. Two, from that bit of extra prep and personal time I get while my students are the workshops, and three, from seeing the the massive difference in my students lives. They are evidently thriving due to this incredible new system in place and that, in turn, helps me to find more meaning in my career and more joy in my days. I look forward to seeing even greater methods that schools will implement in order to maximize the potential for education

Written by Joy