When you're tired from caring and carrying
Dear tired teacher, Sometimes our tiredness is simply physical tiredness, but I find that many times my physical tiredness is part of a nasty tangle of emotional and mental tiredness, too. Untangling them is tough. It's also important work. This post will mainly center on women for two reasons. One, I'm a woman, and two, the majority of teachers are women, so this seems like a good basis for this perspective. Of course, men get tired from caring and carrying too; sadly, no one is implicitly exempt. (Let's go ahead and note here that these are my thoughts, and though they are based on research and experience, they aren't meant to be any kind of licensed help.) Professional women, especially if they have families or social obligations, find themselves juggling multiple roles and responsibilities, and the pressure to perform can be overwhelming. Striving for excellence is admirable but can lead to significant stress and compassion fatigue. Juggling those roles for a long ...