Episode 8b: Being an Educator in Uncharted Times
By Jessica Garrison
Last week, The F.E.E.L podcast featured three educators who openly discussed their experiences during the pandemic. They shared their doubts, their hardships, and how they are still overcoming the uncertainty of this time in their lives. This week the podcast hosts educators Kayli Blankenship, Morgan Bell, and Nicole DiNardo-Gray as they share their stories. Similar to last week’s guests, these amazing women discuss their journey with prioritizing self care, setting boundaries, and taking care of their physical and emotional health.
Self care is a core topic of the podcast, and it’s always interesting to hear what it sounds like to others versus what it sounds like to me. We’ve said before that self care is actually a selfless thing because when you take care of yourself, you’re able to give the best version of yourself to others. This is even more true when it comes to teachers; they’re expected to give so much of themselves to their students, and it can be quite draining. The women in this week’s episode agreed that you have a right to rest, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about needing to take that time for yourself.
It’s important for everyone to remember that self care doesn’t look the exact same across the board. My favorite quote from this episode comes from Morgan who says, “[self care] is about finding things that feed your soul.” Self care isn’t always the stereotypical bubble bath and face mask, but it could be. It could be going for walks, painting, yoga, reading, or anything that makes your body feel whole and nourished. The point is that it looks different for everyone, and no matter what your self care love language is, don’t be afraid to express it.
Not only is self care about treating yourself, but it’s also about setting boundaries. Everyone had something to say about this topic because setting boundaries is something we learn for ourselves, rather than being taught. Kayli shares how she began resenting how much time she was dedicating outside of work because she wasn’t setting proper boundaries for herself. I thought that word was perfect for the scenario because she doesn’t necessarily dislike her job or dislike the work she’s doing, but there’s this disdain for how much time it’s taking up that should be spent doing other things. You have to figure out what you are willing to do for your work and what you are willing to sacrifice to get the job done. Some people are willing to do and sacrifice things that others won’t, and that’s okay. It’s all about you and what you can live with at the end of the day.
After setting the boundaries, sticking to them is essential. Nicole says that she works to live, not lives to work. Her words really resonated with me because I’ve grown up with the idea that your job is the most important thing and you should be willing to do whatever it takes for your job. I’ve been trying to change this mindset in my life when it comes to work. It’s easier said than done, but knowing that other people struggle with saying “no” brings a sense of comfort; we’re all in this together, and the past two episodes have definitely shown that.
There was a lot of self doubt that existed before the pandemic, but it was magnified during the lockdown. Everyone questioned whether or not what they were doing was enough for their students, while also trying to take care of themselves and keep their energy up for them. Not only did teachers have to adjust to students going completely online during the pandemic, but then they had to readjust to students coming back into the classroom. They had to reteach students how to be students and had a very small transition period. I graduated from college before it came time to experience the transition period back into the classroom, but I was kind of glad I didn’t have to. After two years of working a certain way during the pandemic and accepting this was the new way of life, I can’t imagine having to be expected to ignore what happened in the past and go back to the way things were before. Teachers are never going to get out of this loop, and they are expected to produce results when it comes to testing and students’ success. They constantly have to change how they approach their job, while also considering the impact it’s going to make on the community.
These challenges have been existing for the past two years, but I personally never thought of them from the perspective of my educators. I’m grateful for the opportunity to listen to these three women speak on what they’ve been going through with the pandemic, and I hope their words of wisdom help listeners gain new insight, as they have helped me.