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Thursday, February 14, 2013

How Can Teachers Overcome Depression and Strife? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

How Can Teachers Overcome Depression and Strife? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:


How Can Teachers Overcome Depression and Strife?

A message sent via Twitter tells the tale.
"My fellow teacher residents and I are going through deep strife and depression right now and I'm holding a healing session tomorrow evening. Any meditative or healing resources you can share? Anything will do!"
The pressures we are subjecting teachers to are taking a toll. When our leaders hold schools responsible for overcoming poverty, teachers sometimes feel as if their work is never enough. And in addition to meeting all the needs of their students, teachers are also expected to constantly monitor data, communicate with parents, and even act as security guards when violence invades the school. Many teachers have families of their own, and find themselves in a losing race to meet the competing demands for their time and energy.

But it's not just the every day pressures that are getting to our teachers. Teaching is a highly interpersonal