Self-Care For Teachers: Sustainability, Systems, and Support

Self-Care for Teachers interview with Brittany Blackwell, M.Ed of the Resilient Teacher Podcast.

Self-care for teachers is more than just doing yoga and eating right. Today's guest Brittany Blackwell, M.Ed. is sharing the 3 S’s for self-care - sustainability, systems, and support.

Sustainability

Self-care is about the whole person. It’s not just needing to go do yoga but it is an individualized thing. Self-care is not a cookie cutter approach but should be unique for each teacher, or individual. As a special educator at heart, Brittany Blackwell is always thinking about the whole person.

The PD’s teachers received after COVID for self-care just weren’t hitting the mark so Brittany decided she might as well be the person that does something about it.

Brittany Blackwell is the host of the 3rd Annual Self-Care Summer Conference. It’s entirely free and a great way to connect with other supportive educators with actionable sessions.

Creating self-care for teachers that is sustainable is not just about exercising or eating well. The way education is running currently is not sustainable for teachers. However, you can make teaching a sustainable career when you are focused on systems and support.

Systems

Creating systems can help you take care of yourself. With the right systems in place, self-care becomes easier and it is possible to leave at (or close to) your contract time.

When you have a system in place, you can add what you’ve learned from a conference without letting it be forgotten.

My Classroom Library Organization - A System That Works

Automation

Something else Brittany likes to talk about is automation. When you automate you’re talking about using a specific task at a specific time either triggered by an action or by technology. Brittany’s favorite way to automate is with technology but it requires no “tech knowledge” to get started.

As a teacher that has used a plug and play or an app such as Kahoot, they have used automation. Brittany, a busy mom of five, uses automation at home to streamline her systems. For example, she has an app that will automatically lock her home so she doesn’t forget to lock the door. Brittany also uses an app programmed to turn off the lights at night to signal to her children that it’s time for bed.

Support

Brittany Blackwell has heard many teachers say they just don’t have a teacher bestie. This is something I’ve talked about before as well. Teaching can be lonely when we don’t have the right support.

The Self-Care Summer Conference provides a way to marry sustainability, systems, and support so more teachers don’t get burned out this school year. The conference will provide actionable ways to set yourself up for success in the coming year.

As teachers we don’t always have the skills to say no. Then we find ourselves upset and resentful towards our jobs. When someone asked us to do something, we felt that we were going to be a “bad teacher” if we said no.

We do not have to go above and beyond at all times. You can just do enough and that’s okay.