Ways for Teachers to Improve Resiliency

 

Dr. Nancy Coogan

Dr. Nancy Coogan has published extensively on the usefulness of mindfulness practice in educational leadership. Dr. Nancy Coogan’s dissertation focused on resiliency as applied to the high school principalship, and much of her work has looked at how educators at all levels can benefit by developing this key skill.

Teachers must cultivate resilience or risk burnout or poor student outcomes. Those in a slump should consider changing the ways in which they approach their jobs in order to become more resilient.

Focusing on perspective and taking control of one’s schedule can both help an educator avoid burning out. Cultivating a positive awareness of the ways in which one makes a difference can help sustain a teacher through difficult classes or dealing with problem students. Likewise, scheduling activities and following through with them, whether in or out of school, can create a stronger appreciation for both work and leisure time.

Seeking support from other educators can also help build resilience. The problems one confronts as a teacher are rarely faced in isolation, and other teachers may have useful advice or emotional support to offer. Support-seeking shouldn’t be simple complaining, however, as that can discourage a person from actually solving the problem.