By | Elizabeth Pappas | www.weareteachers.com
Dear WeAreTeachers:
It feels like my brain broke last year and hasn’t recovered. I’m having a hard time motivating myself to give my all. When my kids are in the room, I’m doing better. But planning? Grading? Material creation? That’s where I drag. I spend prep time working so slowly, sometimes having a break for a snack or just for a break. I can’t mentally force myself to go faster. I’m just big-time tired. How can I get through this slog? —Channeling My Inner Sloth
Dear C.M.I.S.,
You shared that you feel like you have a broken brain and feel the slog, and you aren’t the only one feeling this way, right? There’s even a term people use called “teacher tired,” which means, as you can guess, really, really tired. And there is no doubt that the prolonged pandemic is weighing heavily on teachers. Inequities have been exacerbated, and the nature of the work is complex, to say the least. Teaching, in general, requires an extraordinary amount of decision-making.
