This is the second year since the overhauling of the educational system in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The 2020-2021 session saw a switch to online learning and while that was a bit challenging, 2021-2022 is proving to be more stressful.
Within the school environment, teachers are faced with the responsibility of dealing with parents who are also having a hard time with transitions like choosing from a variety of online learning tools, and platforms.
A lot is expected of teachers in this period, and although we are certain that they are trying their best to handle the situation with the utmost professionalism, we have put together some tips to improve their mental health and help them work smarter in this age of COVID-19.
Pick your battles
In this period, it is advisable that teachers do not focus their energy on things that are infinitesimal. It is better to look at the big picture and try to eliminate the most important tasks rather than the easy ones.
Checking easy tasks off your list might have you feeling productive, but the truth is they wear you out before the more challenging tasks come along. So, pick your battles and prioritize in order to avoid feeling burned out.
Join or form a self-care group
One of the major challenges that the COVID-19 age has brought is restriction.
This restriction from interaction has led to people overthinking and not necessarily having anyone to talk to or share their feelings with so we advise that you join a selfcare group or collective where you can talk about your feelings.
These groups help you share your thoughts could be about other things of interest and not just about work.
Set boundaries
Beyond the pandemic, there’s always pressure on teachers to extend work hours at home.
While there is no judgment with in working from home, it is best to set boundaries between work and home.
If you are going to work from home, we advise that you have a workspace and not drag your work all around your home as it might wrong signal to your brain interesting your work as a mishmash and it might also give the wrong impression to loved ones who are looking to spend sometime with you.
Bring fun to the classroom
This is one sure way teachers can ease off stress and improve classroom experience. Bringing fun to the classroom doesn’t have to be extreme, easy and exciting ideas like old school day, superhero costume day, crazy hair day or a simple show of kindness service could work.
Make use of available resources
New technologies and learning applications can sometimes feel overwhelming, this makes teachers resort to trying to invent their own methods in the practise.
It is easy to forget that there are other available resources at your disposal even within the school environment. Don’t forget, the library, guidance office and even the nurse’s office are yours too, make use of them.
Hope you find these mental health tips helpful as you implement them.
Don’t miss important articles during the week. Subscribe to techbuild.africa weekly digest for updates.
