Teaching through Emotions: Teacher Mental Health

We’ve all been there: middle school. It’s both a wonderful and horrible time, condensed and distilled when you put a bunch of young teenagers together in a small classroom for 45 minutes. Especially when they’re primarily boys, and classroom management starts to feel out of control.It’s a special teacher who can maintain their mental health in such potential chaos!In this episode, Siobhan, Elizabeth, Ann, Jane, and I talk with Kim about the wacky posse of boys in her art class, setting boundaries with students, and protecting teacher mental health.We discuss* Basic Grace, Low Access: A principle that protects teacher mental health by centering deliberate establishment of healthy boundaries* Social Contracts: How to create with your students agreements about classroom behaviors and plans for dealing with breaches of the agreements* Discipline: Ideas for various tiers of intervention that keep the teacher-student relationship strong and effective* Teaching Triangles: How to turn destabilizing relational triangles into healthy classroom routinesAs always, healthy practices for teachers work for others as well, whether you’re a parent or any other type of caregiver.External linksTeaching through EmotionsWhat type of teacher are you? Take the quiz!Connect & ShareGot a story to share? What crazy middle school behavior have you had to deal with? How did you deal with it (or not)? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode!Or send me an email! [email protected] the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribeCreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVisionAudience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVisionPodcast Editor: Jasper ChuaTheme Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutInterstitial Music: Brad WellsChapters:00:00 Introduction03:05 Teacher check-ins06:42 Kim's out-of-control middle school class10:09 Siobhan's story: moving one student out13:31 The group digs in: a class they didn't choose20:44 What's really behind the behavior24:40 Joining with students who don't want to be there35:39 Kim's plan: a co-created social contract43:03 The follow-up: what happened next50:28 Takeaways for your classroom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

When I first worked as a therapist in a local public mental health agency, I tended to wake up around 4 a.m. every workday. With the jitters. Or, more generally, with inescapable anxiety about the coming day. What would come at me? Could I handle it? Did I actually know what I was doing?It is of course normal to feel this way about jobs that involve humans, who are so unpredictable! First-day jitters (and teacher anxiety in general) are no exception. But so are second-day jitters, and third-day, and eightieth-day jitters. Stuff can happen in a classroom (and therapy office) that suddenly throws you off your game, spikes your stress and shakes your confidence as a teacher. What do you do when teacher anxiety hits on any day of the school year?That's what today's episode on teacher mental health is about.We discuss- Going Out-of-Body: What causes us to decenter and how to get -back in control of ourselves and our classroom management- The Emotional Rollercoaster: How easy it is to get on and how hard it can be to get off, and what that means for teacher stress- Chasing Popularity: Student evaluations of faculty and how they affect teacher mental health- Mirroring: How and when to respond to incorrect answers and inappropriate student commentsGreat stuff for every teacher to think about, from first-year teachers to college faculty!Connect & Share: stays as currently published.Support the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps others find us.External linksDonald A. Schön, The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in ActionTeaching through EmotionsWhat type of teacher are you? Take the quiz!Connect & ShareGot a story to share? What shockingly rude behaviors have you encountered in your classroom? I'd love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode!Or send me an email! [email protected] the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribeCreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision (https://pod.vision/)Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision (https://pod.vision/)Podcast Editor: Jasper ChuaTheme Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutInterstitial Music: Brad WellsChapters:00:00 Featured in Apple Podcasts01:18 Nerves the Night Before Teaching03:48 Check-In: Week Two of the Semester07:27 A 25-Minute Meeting in the Wrong Room12:48 Enrollment Pressure and FactTrack18:04 Teaching as a Popularity Contest20:38 What Pulls You Out of Your Body22:59 Whispering Students and a Sea of Faces25:40 Bluffing Through an AI Policy29:57 Getting Back by Leveling With Students32:34 Correct It in Front of Everyone?35:04 Reflecting in Action and Mirroring38:01 Takeaways: Slow Down, Just Notice41:20 Sasha a Month Later: Body Snatching44:38 Recap and Next Episode: Disruptive Boys This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

Ah, rudeness. Most college professors do not expect it from their students (or from anybody). The hierarchy in colleges and universities is pretty clear, and the stakes of messing with it are generally high for students. So what do you do when a student tells you to wait while they finish typing their text?In other words, how does student rudeness affect teacher mental health? Even if you handle the student effectively in the moment, what if you feel bad about it afterwards? Teacher mental health (everyone's mental health) includes surviving boundary hangover, or the regret that can follow doing the right interpersonal thing.In this episode, we hear some college professors in a Teacher Support Group wrestle with this very thing: setting an appropriate boundary and feeling bad about it afterwards.We discuss- Who's in Charge: What to do when the authority structure gets flipped upside down- The Class Placeholder: The possible ramifications when students scramble to change their course schedule- Student Distractions: Do students need help fitting into your classroom reality?- The Teacher Ego: Why it's crucial to teacher mental health- Objectification: What the antidote is to the common experience of being turned into an object for someone else's useYou don't have to be a college professor to relate to this story! High school teachers, elementary and pre-school teachers, even parents: everyone who interacts with other people, especially members of Gen Z, can benefit from hearing how these teachers work through their reactions to student rudeness. Teacher mental health is crucial. Check it out!External linksTeaching through Emotions: https://www.teachingthroughemotions.com/What type of teacher are you? Take the quiz! https://tally.so/r/WOx5vRConnect & ShareGot a story to share? What shockingly rude behaviors have you encountered in your classroom? I'd love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode!Or send me an email! [email protected] the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribeCreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision (https://pod.vision/)Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision (https://pod.vision/)Podcast Editor: Jasper ChuaTheme Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutInterstitial Music: Brad Wells This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

Welcome to Season 4 of Teaching through Emotions, a podcast about teacher mental health! We are excited to drop the first episode just a few days before World Teachers Day (https://www.unesco.org/en/days/teachers). October 5th is the day devoted every year to honoring educators the world over, specifically to draw attention to:- Teachers' rights and responsibilities- Standards for teacher education- Expectations for teacher recruitment and employment- Requirements for teaching and learning conditionsConsider Teaching through Emotions our paean to teachers and our regular commemoration of World Teachers Day!In this episode, you will meet some of the members of TTE's High School TSG: Ann, Kim, Elizabeth, and Jane. Just one week into the school year, they talk about- Catastrophizing: What it is, why teachers spiral into worst-case thinking, and what to do about anxious thoughts and negative self-talk- Body Snatching: Noticing and fighting against other people's unwelcome emotions like stress, frustration, and impatience- Self-Regulating: Sharing ways to calm down even in the heat of the moment, with practical emotional regulation and stress management strategies for teacher mental health- Stop Over-optimizing!: Or, to put it positively, Under-optimize! Let go of perfectionism to lower the pressure and prevent early-year teacher burnout- First Week of School: How the first week back can be difficult even for veteran teachersThese are experienced teachers who are being honest about the tough emotions and experiences they had in the first week of school and share ways to combat them and protect their teacher mental health. With care and humor.I think you'll relate.Connect & ShareGot a story to share? How was your first week (or month) of school this year? How do you deal with overwhelm and panic? I'd love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode!Or send me an email! [email protected] the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribeCreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision (https://pod.vision/)Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision (https://pod.vision/)Podcast Editor: Jasper ChuaTheme Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutInterstitial Music: Brad Wells This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

Season 4 of Teaching through Emotions is about to drop (on October 1st)! And it’s different. Really different.In past seasons, I’ve shared teacher stories, many with my wonderful co-host, Joe Johnson. Here’s the most popular one from Season 3, btw: Handling Teacher Guilt: Are you being too judgmental of yourself?All of these teacher stories came from Teacher Support Groups or work I did with individual teachers. All of them were told by me.This season, we’re taking you right to the heart of TTE’s work. We’re cutting me out as the storyteller. Instead, we’re letting actual teachers tell their stories! That is, we’re recording TSGs and bringing teachers’ experiences to you fresh from their TSG meetings.Speaking of which, looking to join a TSG? Contact me. I’ll put together a group of teachers from all over the world (if need be) to meet regularly online to talk about — and change — the realities of teaching.Listen to the trailer and share it with your colleagues! your teacher friends! your other friends! The stuff we talk about is specific to teaching but valuable to anyone who’s in a relationship. Stuff like* Becoming overwhelmed even at the very beginning of the school year* Handling Gen Z device-enhanced rudeness* Dealing with AI* Setting crucial boundaries with students, colleagues, and parents — and surviving “boundary hangover”and so much more.CreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVisionAudience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVisionPodcast Editor: Jasper Chua of PodVisionMusic: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

Listeners! Ande Lyons, a wonderful, sparkling woman, recently interviewed me on her podcast Don’t Be Caged by Your Age. Ande asked me some great questions about how I got where I am, what advice I have for people over 65 (might be relevant to you even if you aren’t lucky enough to have yet reached 65), and why I care so danged much about my work. It’s a fun interview with lots of laughter!Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.We discuss* Learning from Pain: How some awful professional experiences forced me to reckon with the role emotions play in teaching* Negative Emotions: Why I love and embrace them in myself and others* Psychic Health: How to, as Ande puts it, “reframe our wounds as our brilliance”It’s nice to be on the receiving end of the questions! And Ande is a thoughtful and lively host. I hope you check it out!Connect & ShareGot a story to share? How friendly are you with your negative emotions? How friendly are you willing to get? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode!Or send me an email! [email protected] the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe External linksDon’t Be Caged by Your AgeYouTube clip from the interviewInstagram clip from the interviewCreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisCo-Host: Joe JohnsonProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVisionAudience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVisionMusic: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutTeaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

My friend Sarah is a bad ass. She is an incredibly good teacher and is assiduously responsible. In our initial episode about the difficulties of having a Teaching Assistant (TA), she promised to follow up with me about her take-aways from her conversation with me and Joe.Which she did.And this is the conversation she and I just had about that follow-up.Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Here’s the thing about TAs: They are supposed to be helpful. Just like paraprofessionals and parent volunteers and co-teachers are supposed to be helpful. Very often they are! And very often they are not. Why? Because they are sentient adults. And most sentient adults have their own ways of doing things. They are used to being in charge. And, sometimes, they think their undermining or self-aggrandizing behaviors are good for you. When they’re not. They’re good for them.So you might think the topic of working with TAs is boring or irrelevant. But Sarah and I (and, in the first episode, Joe) are actually talking about collaborating with anyone who is not you. Not necessarily easy.Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.For example, we discuss* The Impact of Stress: Sarah owns her busy-ness (“My poor TAs!”) and thinks about how to lower her standards to a range that is more easily reachable.* Cultural Differences: Sarah’s TAs are from many different countries and cultures. But every adult has their culture. How to bridge the differences?* Sorting Expectations: Sarah comes up with an approach to determining her TAs’ strengths and weaknesses and assigning them to the proper teaching tier.Thanks for tuning in! We at TTE hope you’ve had a restful summer and are rarin’ to head back into school!Connect & ShareGot a story to share? What’s the worst experience you’ve ever had with another adult in your classroom? What’s the best? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and I’ll get in touch. Maybe we can feature your story in a future episode!Or send me an email: [email protected] the Show: If anything about the Teaching through Emotions podcast resonates, please leave a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribeCreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisCo-Host: Joe JohnsonProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVisionAudience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVisionMusic: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutTeaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

I tend to ask of my clients the question “Where’s the anxiety?” It’s a useful question because anxiety can be at the root of all kinds of bad experiences that need to be unpacked. But “Where’s your joy?” is super important and useful, too. In the Joy Lab podcast, co-hosts Henry Emmons and Aimee Prasek talk about all aspects of joy and wellness in short, 30ish-minute episodes that are calm, friendly, informative, and often themed.Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The episode I’m sharing while my team and I are on hiatus is from the podcast’s “month of gratitude.” It’s called “The Power of Good-Enough Parenting and Calling Out Our Moms.” I chose this episode because, well, they had me at “good-enough parenting.” It’s a term that my main man D.W. Winnicott coined and a concept I love. If you don’t already know what it means, the co-hosts define it beautifully. Take a listen!Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.You’ll hear* Passing It On: how important parental mental health is* Fear of Women: Where it comes from* Fear of Domination: How it actually leads to authoritarianism* The Power of Gratitude: How it affects the futureA couple bonuses in case this topic really interests you: a blog post I wrote 11 years ago called Invisible Work that is right up this topic’s alley.And a delicious quote from Winnicott (mentioned in the Joy Lab episode): “Every happy person is in infinite debt to a woman.”Connect & ShareGot a story to share? Where do you find joy? How do you cultivate it in the classroom? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode!Or send me an email! [email protected] the Show: If anything about the Teaching through Emotions podcast resonates, please leave a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribeCreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisCo-Host: Joe JohnsonProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVisionAudience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVisionMusic: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutTeaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

My producer, Jullian Androkae, did something unusual and remarkable when he was 19 years old: He opened a library in Bekitro, his ancestral village in southern Madagascar.Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.That was in 2018. The library is alive and well today. Which you’ll hear about, because this episode is all about Jullian’s Vahombey Project, which built the library, furnished it, stocked it with books, and hired (and still pays) two prodigious librarians, Mme Raissa and Mme Hary, who not only serve hundreds of children a day but have turned the library into a community center.I call the librarians prodigious because these women are anchors in a somewhat chaotic educational sea. The educational context they work in is quite different from that of the U.S. But the individual situations they deal with are similar — and damn! Raissa and Hary are ON IT! Their voices, which you’ll hear in the episode, inspire me from 10,000 miles away.Jullian and I discuss* Giving Back: How he came up with the idea for the project* Eating Crow: How the village school handled the parents of a disruptive student* Living on Air: Some pretty incomprehensible differences between teaching in the US and in Madagascar* Holding the Line: The value of being a “harsh” librarianListen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Call to ActionI love this special bonus episode, and I love the Vahombey project. So I hope you listen and enjoy.But I also hope you click on this link to make a donation to the library. Much is needed there. More books. Dictionaries (you’ll hear that I’m obsessed with this for some reason). A TV to play English- and French-language shows so students can learn these two languages (in addition to Malagasy). Salaries. Support for wildly popular spelling bees!The smallest donation can make a huge difference in the lives of the kids, teachers, and librarians associated with Vahombey. Check out the list of urgent needs here.Click here to see pictures of the library, some of the kids it serves, and Jullian!Please share this episode far and wide! The more people we reach, the better the chances that the library gets the funding it needs.Thank you. So much.External linksVahombey projectChuffed campaignConnect & ShareGot a story to share? Have you taught outside the US? Wanna compare and contrast? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode!Or send me an email! [email protected] the Show: If anything about the Teaching through Emotions podcast resonates, please leave a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe CreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisCo-Host: Joe JohnsonProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVisionAudience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVisionMusic: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutTeaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

It is so frustrating to me — and I think to a lot of educators — that the practices schools adopt that are meant to solve all their problems end up fading away. Like Restorative Practices. A really great program aimed at strengthening relationships through honesty, support, and community connection.Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Of course, no program can be a silver bullet. Change takes humans who exert discipline and consistency and commitment. But, as my readers know, anything that strengthens relationships in schools is good because it increases the chances of effective teaching and learning. Not to mention growth and development. So sticking with programs that foster connection makes sense.Marisol Quevedo Rerucha, author of Beyond the Surface of Restorative Practices: Building a Culture of Equity, Connection, and Healing and CEO of Heartset Consulting Group, argues for restorative practices in schools. In this episode from Truth for Teachers, Marisol discusses* School Culture: Who are restorative practices for?* Living Our Values: How does our humanity get in the way of our work?* Making Mistakes: How do we hold each other accountable with love and dignity?* Being Human: How to blend personal and professional development* The Role of Faith: What is the Way of the Buffalo? What is a Cow Moment?Marisol is wise and offers lots of great perspective and advice. If you leave this episode thinking, “YEAH!! Let’s do this thing! But how?” here are a couple of suggestions (beyond using restorative practices in your school):* Read Loretta Ross’s Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel* Contact TTEListen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Connect & ShareGot a story to share? What’s your experience with restorative practices? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode!Or send me an email! [email protected] the Show: If anything about the Teaching through Emotions podcast resonates, please leave a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us.Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe CreditsFounder and Host: Betsy BurrisCo-Host: Joe JohnsonProducer: Jullian Androkae of PodVisionAudience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVisionMusic: Tom Burris/Jabbering TroutTeaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe