How’s your teacher mental health doing?

Happy belated May the fourth be with you day! (Yesterday was May 4, 2024.)

May is Mental Health Awareness month.

Yes, we talk about student mental health in our social-emotional learning curriculum. And, this is important.

But what about teacher mental health?

After all, in that classic airplane pre-flight info session, when the oxygen mask drops from the ceiling panel, you’re supposed to put it on yourself first, before helping others around you.

And yet, so many teachers burn out because we care too much and we don’t stop to take care of ourselves.

When teachers struggle with anxiety, depression, imposter syndrome or other mental health obstacles, what do we do? (Well, most of us don’t talk about it in the staffroom. So it’s hard to know we’re not alone.)

• If this resonates with you, can you email me [email protected] and let me know what colour you are right now.

• Right now, I’d say I’m a very light shade of yellow. A little bit of sunshine in the early morning. I’ve started to make a few decisions about what to do and what to leave off my plate for now.

• How about you? How are you doing?