Welcome to Energizing Educators, a site for tidbits and tips in making the most of your life in and out of the classroom.
I’m Alisha Zare, a 4th-grade teacher in the bustling Bay Area who has learned the hard way that you must take care of yourself first, in order to take care of others. As a recovering perfectionist, I’d love to say that after 9 years in the classroom (2 schools, 3 grade levels, and 3 classrooms later) that I’ve “got it” together, but that’d be a lie. This site is coming from a place of survival, from a place of building confidence in times of anxiety, and a place where learning to stand up for myself as an educator had to come from me first recognizing that I simply can’t do it all.
Remember back to last summer, when you were on that flight for a much needed vacation. You settled into the chair, buckled your seatbelt, and looked out the plane window anticipating all that was to come. The stewardess began reciting the safety protocols you’ve heard time and time before. Like the impatient student in the back of the classroom, you started to zone out, “Blah blah blah… blah blah blah.”
And then something caught your attention.
The oxygen mask.
Perking up in your seat, you heard the stewardess say, “Parents, please place the oxygen mask on yourself before helping small children or others who may need your assistance.”
That’s it. That’s what’s been wrong this whole time. How can we expect to take care of a classroom of children when we ourselves are running on empty?
So put your mask on first.
Recharge. Relax. Rejuvenate. And don’t forget to check here for tips to gain your life back by minimizing work stress and maximizing productivity both in and out of the classroom. You have to start looking out for you first, in order to be the amazing educator you know you can be.