Good Teachers Have Scary Thoughts
It was my first (and only) year teaching. Though my background was in mental health, I thought I would try my hand at education. Sure, it was an incredible learning curve to be a teacher, but, all things considered, I did pretty well. My classroom was one of clear and high expectations, kindness, creativity, mutual respect, and learning. I had great reviews from administration, fantastic results on evaluations, and my supervisors were encouraging me to continue the teaching path.
But good teachers can have scary thoughts.
What I would never let anyone know was that, while on the outside I seemed to have a pretty well-put together classroom, on the inside, it was a different story. In truth, I felt like I was falling apart. Not only had I moved to a new area where I had no family, friends, or social supports, I was also in the middle of a divorce, and of course just trying to keep my head above water learning how to teach.
And you can bet, I would never let anyone know it.
Teacher Turnover
I left the field of education that year. Another teacher lost, and from what I’m told, another good teacher lost, to add to the growing attrition rate. The interesting thing about my story is that I wasn’t alone. In 2017, a full 60% of teachers said that their jobs were always or almost always highly stressful, and that they had poor mental health due to their stress. And let’s take notice that this was all before the pandemic, after which time teacher stress levels and burnout rates skyrocketed. Good teacher after good teacher has found that sometimes they can have scary thoughts.
If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance that you either are a teacher, or you can at least empathize with their situation. However, on the slim chance that this is not the case, and that your only concern is purely student outcomes and academic achievement, it’s worth reading on. Study after study has shown that when teachers are highly stressed, their lesson planning suffers, and their students show lower levels of social adjustment and academic performance. There’s no doubt that teacher stress matters.
How Administrators Can Help
Our sobering reality today is that six out of every ten teachers are struggling with their mental health, yet mostly keeping it to themselves. The fears around this make sense–if my administrators know that I’m having a hard time keeping it together, what will they think?
This does put a certain amount of pressure on administrators to recognize that, while the statistics may not be there, they are probably in the same boat when it comes to stress. The more that administrators can hold themselves to a high accountability for self-care, and the more open they can be about addressing mental health issues, the more teachers will feel the freedom to the same. The more teachers share their stories about their own journey with each other, their struggles, their efforts to compassionately care for themselves, their willingness to seek therapy if necessary and actually tell others about it, the more the negative stigma around mental health begins to break up.
Teachers Supporting Teachers
In fact, a study in internal medicine showed that when patients shared their stories with others, listeners experienced a decrease in blood pressure, just as potent as if they had taken high blood pressure medication.
Can you imagine the impact of one teacher saying to another, “I am super stressed out, but I decided that I’m going to make sure I get at least 7 hours of sleep every night from now on, and treat my sleep like it’s sacred”. Or if another teacher said to a faculty member, “Sometimes I feel like I’m having a complete breakdown, so I started going to therapy and it’s really helping me get some perspective.”
Creating a Supportive Work Culture
What if teachers and administrators began to create a culture in which caring for yourself is encouraged and expected (“Hey, I’ve noticed that you stay after school for hours almost every day–do you feel like you’re getting enough time for yourself and your family?”); and where tending to your mental health had no stigma around it (“You’re not crazy, and there’s nothing wrong with you. Sometimes we have bad days. Do you want to talk about it?”). What if teachers believed that their value and worth lay outside of their career and family roles, and felt the freedom to say yes to the things they love and want to enjoy, and no to the things that only serve to drain their energy–and then shared that experience with others?
Having scary thoughts doesn’t make you a bad teacher, or mean that your classroom is about to fall apart. In fact, openly and compassionately sharing our “scary” thoughts with others can be a catalyst for peace in our own lives, connection with others in the same boat, and change for a system that may need some extra attention if it means a reduction in scary thoughts for all.
About the Author
Lauren Callahan provides individual and couples therapy to adults and teens. She utilizes a holistic perspective in helping individuals through the struggles they face. If you are struggling with knowing how to help your teen navigate overwhelming emotions or struggle yourself, request an appointment with Lauren today: https://beinspiredcc.clientsecure.me/.
Other Services Offered at Be Inspired
Individual therapy isn’t the only service provided at our Alexandria, LA and Natchitoches, LA locations. We also offer online therapy, trauma therapy, grief counseling, and anxiety treatment. In addition, we also offer child counseling and teen counseling. Feel free to visit our consulting services, FAQ, or blog pages for helpful info!
