Don't Be a Hermit

Teachers are busy people. It's hard to find a minute between our many professional responsibilities and scheduled classes. Lesson planning, grading, opening our classrooms during lunches, and that really only scratches the surface. Among the many tasks we complete throughout a week as a teacher, who has the brain space to talk to adults at school. We often focus on all the work we need to complete, put our heads down and run to first base. After years of working with outstanding teachers and countless conversations, it’s easy to get stuck in our routine and become a hermit during the school day. Doesn’t having a friend or two at school just make the day better?

Hermit Crabs inherently spend time in their shells or in their dark spaces tending to whatever it is they need to do. Gathering food, keeping their housing structures sturdy, cleaning themselves, or sleeping. Hiding in our rooms is what some of us do to complete our progress report comments with our left hand and a half a sandwich in the right.

My advice to teachers at any career stage is don’t be a hermit. Get out into the school building and be a part of your school community. Go into the cafeteria (at your own risk of course) and let students and support staff see your smiling face during the day. Volunteer to chaperone a dance or field trip. Make friends throughout the building and collaborate with your favorite colleagues on cross curricular lesson plans. Plan a dance or assembly. Start a club about yoga or propagating plants. Attend a soccer game for students you have in your classes. Find something you are passionate about and share it with your school. Being a hermit has its place but it is a difficult way to make it through a school year or a career. Let your personality shine throughout the content you love instructing. If you try and it works better than you thought, drop us a line and tell us about your experience. 

Thanks for doing what you do teachers. We know it’s not always easy, but it is important.

Take good care,

Kevin