Think back to some of your best days in the classroom. The days when you walked out of school thinking, “Wow, I made a difference today,” or “That was so fun.”
For me, these were the days when I could step back and watch my classroom run on its own. My students knew what they were doing, they were engaged, and the learning felt effortless. Other great moments were when students accomplished something meaningful and their excitement was unmistakable.
Now, contrast those with the really tough days, the ones when you come home and collapse onto the couch or cry in the car. What caused those moments for you? I vividly remember burying my head into a pile of T-shirts I was supposed to pass out for the next day’s pep rally and sobbing. I couldn’t even hand out the top shirt because it was soaked with tears.
Why Teaching Can Feel Unsustainable and What We Can Do About It
No matter how long you’ve been teaching, you’ve likely experienced both the highs and the lows. The joy of watching a struggling student finally grasp a concept, or the sting of a parent criticizing your teaching style. While we hope the joys outweigh the struggles, when challenges begin to overshadow successes, teaching can start to feel unsustainable. The encouraging news is that we can take steps to combat burnout.
A healthy relationship with teaching begins with accepting that some things will always be outside our control. As much as we’d like to, we can’t fix every situation.
That’s why it’s helpful to think about sustainability like an Emotional Bank Account. We make withdrawals on tough days, so we need consistent deposits, positive experiences and intentional choices that restore us. We can’t stop every hard moment from happening, but we can add enough positives to keep our account from running dry.
It’s just as important to understand what energizes you as it is to notice what drains you. Small adjustments can make a meaningful difference in how sustainable teaching feels. For example, maybe grading after school exhausts you, but attending student events fills your cup. Rather than skipping the basketball game to grade, you might choose to attend and return the next day feeling more refreshed.
Or perhaps staying late at school depletes you, while spending time with your family restores you. In that case, choosing one designated day to stay after school (and heading straight home on the others) can help protect your energy.
Tools and Next Steps for Making Teaching More Sustainable
To explore the Emotional Bank Account more deeply, check out our template and/or enroll in Course 5382: Making Teaching Sustainable: Six Shifts That Teachers Want and Students Need. It’s full of practical strategies to help you maintain your passion and spark for teaching.
Remember: sustainability isn’t accidental, it’s something we build, one intentional choice at a time.
About the Author
Amy Szczepanski (she/her) is a Professional Learning Specialist at Teaching Channel. She holds a B.S. in both Biology and Environmental Science, a Master’s in Teaching, and has been teaching since 2014. Amy uses her experience to create highly engaging and effective content for both teachers and students. She loves all things STEM and is passionate about teacher advocacy.
Fun Fact: Amy’s favorite hobby is taking long walks through New York City searching for delicious treats.
