I'm AJ Bianco from Podcast PD, part of the Education
Podcast Network, just like the show you're listening
to now. Shows in the network are individually
owned and opinions expressed may not reflect
others. Find other interesting education podcasts
at edupodcastnetwork .com. We explore all things
teacher. And I like to reach out to private schools,
home schools, Sunday schools, public school,
teachers, anybody that is teaching, I am here
for you. I want to help you today. But I need
to be completely transparent. I missed last week.
And so if you're joining me this week, thank
you. And I'm so sorry to have left you, but I
was really ill last week. And one of the things
that I want to do is, I'm the learning curve
here, but I would like to record a few podcasts
ahead to... So in case this happens again, I
have something to just upload. But yeah, I got
really sick. I wasn't feeling well. And I was
down all weekend, even took a day off of school.
And you know what? that guilty teacher feeling
started creeping in. We are in May, and as a
teacher, you know if you're in the classroom,
May is big, big testing time. We do our spring
testing in May. We started Monday, and I was
so sick I could not come in, and no one can give
that test. I think... Of course, our data coach
and all those could give it, but it was the first
day. So I had to put in the subplans, didn't
feel like doing subplans, but I had to do subplans
and make sure to put in there that no one is
to do any kind of testing because I needed to
be there to administer it. Now, had I been sick
longer, I would have probably reached out to
get some help in giving that test, but I was
able to pull it together and go back Tuesday.
Very, very exhausted, very tired, but the thing
I want to address today is when you're sick,
it's okay to rest. When you are sick, it is okay
to take time off. That's easier said than done.
One of the things that has helped me realize
that I need to take the days that I have because
If I don't I'm not going to get better and I
got I you got to realize I got to realize I'm
a mom I do have an adult son with special needs.
I have another adult child that, you know, I'm
still a mama too. She doesn't need me as far
as physical as much, but I do have to be there
for my children. And even as a mom, you know,
you're a mama no matter how... How old they get
they still need their mama and so by the way
happy Mother's Day today to you And I want to
give a shout out to those of you that didn't
birth Children happy Mother's Day to you too
because I know you are a caregiver Somewhere
in your life, and you're taking care of people
in your life, and you are taking care of your
parents You might be taking care of your neighbors
kids your nieces and your nephews You still give
and you deserve that shout out just like a mother
that may have given birth so If you've lost your
mother today, I want to Give you prayers and
hugs to you it everybody misses their mama your
mama means so much to you and my mama means so
much to me too and maybe one day I'll tell my
story but I have I have what I call village mamas
I have several mamas that have raised me so it's
it's just happy Mother's Day to you but I want
to talk to you today about the power of rest
the power of rest there's an unspoken weight
that many teachers carry including me when I
first started teaching It didn't matter if I
was sick. I couldn't hardly raise my head I was
at work because it felt to me harder to Get the
sub plans together, but now I'm like I'm going
to do the sub plans and I'm going to Push through
the subplains even if it takes me an hour or
two because that I'm gonna rest the rest of the
day But if you go in you really are working that
full six seven hour day And you're not your best
and so you're not give you're not able to give
your best and it's okay No judgment here because
listen. I did it. I've done it before and I'm
not saying I won't do it again because I Probably
maybe should have also taken Tuesday off this
week, but that guilt just pushed me into going.
But we have that pressure to keep going no matter
what. We do that as mamas too. We have to show
up. We have to push through. We smile for the
kids. We get those plans ready. We stay late
if needed. We say yes when we're already running
on empty. Does that sound familiar to you? Because
it's my life. It's what I do. I have a hard time
shutting down. I have a hard time saying no.
I have a hard time saying I'm gonna rest. And
the older I get, I have decided, and you probably
hear it in my voice a little bit tonight, just
that I've been ill. But I've decided I've got
to, because if I don't, I'm not gonna be able
to come back and Do my best I was listening to
a podcast this morning as you know you've listened
to me anytime at all I am a podcast Junkie I
just love to listen a podcast and I was listening
to one Jay Shetty and he was talking about I
guess if you take a rest you Have 40 % Productivity
increase if you actually rest when you need to
um instead of pushing through But he was talking
about that guilt as well and I had this typed
up last week so and then it came on and I thought
you know that's Providence the Lord is speaking
to me and validating what I'm feeling because
I had already decided last week when I couldn't
do my I actually was going to try to do it sick
and I actually got it all typed up and ready
to go and I just couldn't bring myself to come
into my podcast room and turn on the mics and
get going I went to sleep instead. But what happens
when your body or your mind quietly begins to
wave the white flag? In this episode of the Education
Connection, we're going to slow down. We're pressing
pause and we're talking honestly about the struggle
teachers and mamas face when we need to rest.
And I don't want to leave you daddies out either.
You daddies do it too. But we feel like we can't.
We feel like the world's not going to go on.
I had a dear principle a few years ago, because
when I first started teaching, guys, I'm not
kidding, I was not playing around. I would stay
till 9, 10 o 'clock at night getting my things
ready to go for the next day. And everything
had to be in place. The crayons had to be in
place. I had to have my lesson plans for every
single subject ready to go. And I still like
to have all that done. I've gotten more organized
to be able to do that. But when I first started,
I wasn't organized enough to understand and how
to get it all together. So I just stayed and
got it all together. So one evening, I was talking
to my principal, and he said, you know what?
He said, you need to go home at night. Because
what we had to do was Tag in with our little
our teacher tag You know I'm talking about the
little fob that you do and it would log when
you would come in and log And they would get
a copy of that and so he had seen that he said
were you here at ten o 'clock last night? I said
yes I said I had to get everything together for
today, and he said you need to go home earlier.
He said your family needs you and I kind of paused
and just stared at him a little bit and he said
I'm he said if something were to happen to you
he said the school is gonna go on and he said
I'm not saying that to hurt your feelings he
said but it's literally if something happened
to you the school your job is gonna go on they're
gonna replace you he say that he said I say that
as a principal because it's the same for me if
I don't come back if something happens to me
They they'll go on they're gonna hire somebody
else and he said it's the same for you They're
gonna go on and that kind of stung a little bit
because we feel like we're irreplaceable We feel
like we're the best we feel like no one can do
it better than us We feel like no one can do
it besides us. Like there's no one gonna be able
to step in and do what we do and I just kind
of staring at him. He said but if something happens
to you Your family will not go on their world
will stop. He said, and if you continue to push
like this, you're gonna become ill, and you're
not gonna be as effective as what you were in
the classroom, but then your family, they need
you. He said, go home. And I... kind of feel
like crying. I didn't cry in his face but boy
that really touched my heart and that has resonated
with me over the years many times when I'm start
pushing the six to seven o 'clock time or now
even back to five six o 'clock time I think about
what he said and wherever I'm at whatever I'm
doing if I don't have it done I'm going to stack
it up I call it crisscross applesauce it's what
I have the kids say when they sit down crisscross
applesauce but I crisscross applesauce my work
on my desk so that I can find it in the morning
crisscross applesauce my papers shuffle them
to a nice little corner and wipe my desk down
and I walk out for the day and so I've learned
over the years to do that you need to rest And
you think they need me, I'm just gonna push through.
I can do it, I can go, I can keep going. And
that internal dialogue is so common, is so heavy.
The truth is, many of us were trained to believe
that needing rest is a weakness. Go back to your
childhood. How did you grow up? How did your
parents feel about rest, where they were. workaholics,
that they work hard. We all come from a stock
of hard -working families, and so we feel like
if we rest, it's laziness. We're not measuring
up. We gotta push through the pain. We're not
allowed to rest, but in fact, you need to. Especially
if you get sick, you've just gotta stop. And
you've got to give yourself that permission,
that inner dialogue. You've got to say it's OK
to rest. Resting is not giving up. It's investing
in your longevity and your students and your
family's long -term success. When we deny ourselves
recovery, we don't just delay healing. we risk
long -term consequences, physical exhaustion,
emotional burnout, resentment, and even sometimes
serious health setbacks. So that doesn't help
anyone, not your students, not your coworkers
or your family. And listen, I've been guilty
of playing the game of I stay at work and so
therefore I am doing a good job. I do not want
to judge anybody else ever again for not staying.
When it's time to go, now I know it's hard to
just up and run the minute, because I can't walk
out the door right at the 3 .30 is when we can
leave. I can't do that every day. But there are
days I do. And there are days you should too.
There are days you need to just. get it and get
it go. If you need to take something home, but
I really try not to even do that anymore. If
it cannot be done at school before four o 'clock,
I really try to leave. Four o 'clock is kind
of like my time to go. Like I got to go. And
yes, I do push at four o 'clock. I'm looking
up. I'm going to go down and get one more copy
or whatever. So it's not a hard and fast walk
out for me, but I really do try to start thinking
about it and wrapping it up around four. 430
at the latest. So I want to tell you, I want
to encourage you if you're home today, if you're
sick, oh, one time I broke my foot, you guys,
and I was down and I went to work. I did have
to miss a couple of days, but man, that guilt.
If you're down, it's okay. Curl up on the couch.
If you're wondering whether you're doing the
right thing by taking a sick day, Yes, you are.
Here's your truth. You have permission to rest.
You're still a good teacher, a good mom. Even
when you take time off, your classroom is gonna
survive. Guess what? They will go on. Even if
you get sick and you can't go back, it's gonna
go on. It's gonna be okay, but you need to take
care of you, because you may not go on if you
don't take care of you. You don't need to explain
or justify why you're taking care of yourself
of course to your administrator You might want
to let them know that you are sick and that you
might need some doctor care But let's normalize
teacher wellness Let's break this cycle that
glorifies burnout and praises over work. Like
I said, I've been that teacher like, oh, like
I work, you know, five, six, seven o 'clock and
glorified that and even felt a little, I don't
know, I can't think of the word, but just a little
bit like satisfied that I had worked a little
bit longer. It's create a culture where educators
can model self -care without guilt. You're not
just a teacher, you are a human. being with needs
that God has created and you need to take care
of what God has created. He has put that in you
and He's given you what you need. Take advantage
of it. Quote your scriptures, say your self affirmations,
take care of your mental health. That whole person
deserves care. It deserves compassion and recovery.
So take the time. Drink the tea or coffee. I
love coffee. Cancel what can wait and heal fully.
And listen, I'm preaching to myself. I'm preaching
to myself tonight. Your school, your class is
going to be there when you're ready. they're
going to be better for it. I'm not saying take
a month off because you've got a cold for a week.
I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying if you
have a cold for a week, take the few days off
that you need until you feel like you can get
up and go again. And don't feel bad about it.
Don't push through. Don't blow your nose through.
Go take care of yourself. Take the medicine you
need. Take the rest you need. Go to bed that
you need. So I just want to encourage you tonight.
God is for you. He is not against you lean into
him Rest into him Quote the scriptures Take the
time you need Soak up his love Do your morning
devotions that help you set off on your way and
have a very blessed week God bless