Back to school, boundaries!

How are we, as educators going to start our successful academic year? By setting boundaries! The beginning of the school year can be a stressful but exciting start. We are setting up classrooms, looking over the new students coming into the class, and also mentally preparing for the school year ahead. Boundaries are an important aspect of making sure educators are not burning themselves out throughout the school year.

What kinds of boundaries should educators make for themselves?

It depends on the person, but after talking to different types of educators, these are the few that have been common.

• Not bringing work home.

• Not staying past contract hours, at least once a week.

• Creating a schedule that works for you, coming early in the morning or staying later in the afternoons for prep work.

• Take time to do something other than think about your students. (It is very easy to think about them all the time)

• Make each day a fresh start.

What are some boundaries that can be incorporated into the classroom?

• Creating rules as a class so everyone feels comfortable.

• Giving parents your contact information and times that they can contact you.

• Making sure there is a hand to self-rule and respecting personal space.

Creating classroom rules, is a fun way to interact with students and feel how comfortable they are. Having boundaries with school and in school is so important to maintain the teachers and students mental health. Setting up boundaries tends to be a learned experience as educators, but by implementing boundaries earlier on in the education career there can be a decrease in teacher burn out.