Teacher Madness: Part I
How to Keep Yourself Motivated

For sports fanatics, college basketball reaches its apex in the spring during this season called, March Madness.

It’s that time of year when the top men’s and women’s college basketball teams compete in a single elimination tournament to see who will become the national champions and the best college basketball program in the United States.

During March Madness people from every walk of life scramble to watch the games and root for their favorite college team enduring the wins, losses, upsets, and victories.

There’s a lot of excitement and suspense that fills the air during March Madness.

However, for teachers, there is another type of madness that can fill the air and hang like a cloud in classrooms everywhere around this last stretch of the year.

This is what I call, Teacher Madness…

Unlike the freshness and newness that March Madness brings in the college basketball world, Teacher Madness brings with it the opposite.

Teacher Madness can be characterized by a lack of excitement for teaching students, state-wide testing, routine, day to day class and school activities, staleness in lesson planning and instruction, and all around frustration…

For many teachers, the restfulness of the December holiday break has been lost.

The days are just long and dark. You wake up before the sun comes up and leave your school building after the sun has set.

Student misbehaviors increase and the energy levels for teachers are low. Really low. Spring break has just passed or for some on the horizon, but not quite there yet…

All of these factors, plus the many unspoken ones, can drive a teacher mad.

So, how do you survive this Teacher Madness?

Let me introduce you to a dose of Spring teacher motivation to ease the madness you may be experiencing.

Here’s some motivational T.L.C. to consider if you find yourself experiencing Spring Teacher Madness.

Motivational Tip #1-T: Take a day off

In the education world, I often hear teachers saying, “I need to take a mental health day, ” or “I won’t be in tomorrow because I’m taking a mental health day.”

The unspoken translation of this is… “These kids are driving me crazy!” “I’m at the end of my rope!” “I need a break, NOW!”

Whatever the reason, there comes a time when taking a sick day or personal day is necessary and wise to refocus, refuel, and get motivated again. Taking a day off at times can be just what you need to stop the madness and gain a fresh perspective of what is ahead for the remainder of the school year.

Here are some words of wisdom to maximize your day off.

First, you don’t owe anyone any explanation on why you are taking a day off. You know what your body and mind needs and honor that. Don’t let anyone talk you out of getting what you need. You have personal and sick days in your contract for a reason. Use them, just don’t abuse them.

Second, be intentional about what you will do on your day off. If the goal is to get refocused and motivated again, then don’t bring home more work to do. That just brings the classroom into your own home.

Separate from the work on your day off and sleep in late or rest, take a walk, go to a bookstore, eat at a diner or coffee shop like the rest of the world does in the middle of the day, take yourself to a movie, watch the morning shows you always miss because you are always in your classroom…

Whatever it is, make it fun, motivational, and involving little to no stress.

Motivational Tip #2-L: Listen to Inspirational and Motivational Audio and Video Clips

Sometimes when we get in those un-motivational ruts, You need to encourage yourself. Connect back to the greater vision of “Why” you teach and the impact you are making every day, even when you don’t feel like it. Often times this is hard because we are too wrapped up in it to see our influence from the outside.

While there are many podcasts and videos that can pour out some life-giving teacher motivation, I will leave you with these 3 popular ones below. These are short, inspirational video clips that can make a big difference for you.

Kid President – Pep Talk to Teachers and Students

Rita Pierson – Every Child Needs a Champion

Taylor Mali – What Teachers Make Poem

Motivational Tip #3-C: Change it up

Often during this season of teacher madness, it can begin to feel like, “groundhog day, every day.”  You know you get up, go to school, teach, grade papers, write, conduct, or attend IEP meetings, go to staff meetings, leave exhausted…And wake up and do it all again the next day.

Sometimes to pull out of this cycle, making small shifts by changing up your daily routine is what you need to do to slay the teacher madness you may be feeling.

So, how do you make that shift?  How can you change it up?

Do something to get out of your comfort zone. There are many ways you can do this.  Switch up your lesson plans.  Add a relevant, age-appropriate motivational quote or clip to the beginning of each day or to discuss at the beginning of each period with your students that bring a positive spin to the day.

Play an educational game related to your subject matter.

Start a project with your students.

Meet new people at work.  As teachers, we often stay and primarily engage with our grade level or subject matter colleagues throughout the day.  Dare to step out of your relational comfort zone and visit another teacher on your prep period or observe another teacher in their classroom to form a new relationship or view your teaching from a different perspective.

How about those staff meetings after school no one wants to attend?  Consider sitting next to that colleague you never quite got to know but is a part of your school community.  You will be surprised at what you can learn and what relationships can form from that simple gesture.

In closing, understand and realize all teachers in some form or fashion experience this teacher madness throughout the school year.  It’s normal and just like any season, this too shall pass.

So, when you find yourself in this season, give yourself some grace and employ a little teacher motivational T.L.C. to get yourself through it.

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Antoine McCoy is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher working with children with mild to moderate disabilities. He has taught children in all grade levels (K-12) in Public and Private Schools and has worked with homeschoolers. He currently is working as a new teacher mentor supporting teachers, especially those working with students with special needs. 

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