The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at IUP chapter.
I am an education major here at IUP. I am in an organization called Student Pennsylvania Education Association (SPSEA), and recently we had a meeting, with a guest speaker Desiree Brown. She talked about teacher mental health, and for all my education majors, this might be worth a read! It is a topic that is not talked about enough, so I thought I would share some of the points that she talked about.
- Self-Care: As a teacher, we are educators, nurses, guides, and protectors. Some students are not behaving and cause incidents in the classroom. It can take a toll on our mental health with all of that on our plates. It is important to have self-care days! Just taking the day off and focusing on yourself can help a lot.
- Therapy: Most people think that you have to be crazy, will be locked up, or put on meds when you go talk to a therapist. However, therapists can just be someone to talk to when you need someone to talk to. Desiree expressed so much how therapy helped her, and how great of a thing it is. Do not be embarrassed, therapy is amazing to be able to get everything off your chest without being judged!
- Make your mental health a priority & put yourself first: Despite what others think of you, you need to make your mental health a priority. If you are not okay your students will not be okay! Care about yourself, as much as you would care about anyone else, and do what is right for you!