South Dakota schools are on a holiday break this week and one teacher hopes the students aren’t the only people relaxing and recharging.
Huron elementary school teacher and South Dakota’s Teacher of the Year in 2019 Erica Boomsma says given all of the challenges educators have had to deal with over the past two years, they are tired. She says whether it’s trying to keep their classrooms safe from COVID, or working through lunches because of staff shortages, burnout is a very real concern.
“They have put in more than just time, they’ve put their life into this in order to make things better for our kids.”
Boomsma, a member of the South Dakota Education Association, says taking time for yourself and finding joy paves the way for rejuvenation– making teachers more effective in the long run.
“If we have more joy in our lives – when we do that for ourselves, we start focusing on the joy for our kids in our classroom.”
Recent research out of Lynn University connects self-care strategies with teacher resilience. While that report’s survey focused on approaches for when school is in session, 84% of respondents agreed that practicing daily self-care is important to them.
(The Greater Dakota News Service contributed to this story.)
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