September Is a Lot for Teachers! (Counselling for teachers)

(Counselling for teachers)

If you're a teacher heading into September, there's a good chance your school year started quite a while ago. Maybe you've already spent a few weeks going into your classroom, moving things around, setting up bulletin boards, organizing supplies, planning your first few weeks, and making the inevitable trips to Staples, Dollarama, or wherever else you end up finding things for your classroom. Even when you're technically still on summer break, it can be hard not to start thinking about the year ahead.

You might already be looking at your class list, reading through IEPs, thinking about students who are going to need extra support, or trying to wrap your head around how you're going to meet a whole new set of needs this year.

And then September actually arrives.

Every September Is a Transition

I think sometimes we underestimate how big of a transition September is for teachers.

By the end of June, you knew your class. You knew which kids could sit together and which absolutely could not. You knew who needed a little extra time, who needed you to check in quietly, who struggled with transitions, and who was probably going to need a snack before they could focus on anything you were trying to teach.

There was a rhythm to your classroom.

Then September comes and you start all over again.

You have a new group of kids, new personalities, different learning needs, new IEPs, new family dynamics, and sometimes needs that haven't even been identified yet.

You're trying to learn who these kids are while also teaching them the routines of your classroom and getting started with the actual curriculum.

It's a lot to hold at once. And even if you've been teaching for a long time, that adjustment can still be exhausting. This is why we're so passionate about counselling for teachers.

It Takes Time to Get to Know a New Class

There can be so much pressure at the beginning of the year to get things right.

You want to establish good routines. You want your students to feel comfortable with you. You're trying to figure out classroom dynamics and how to support the kids who are having a harder time settling in. At the same time, you're reading IEPs, talking with support staff, connecting with parents, planning, assessing, answering emails, and probably realizing that at least one of the things you carefully planned in August is just not going to work with this particular group of kids.That's teaching.

A strategy that worked beautifully with last year's class might completely flop with this one.

It takes time to learn a new group of students. It takes time for them to learn you too.

You don't have to have everyone figured out in the first few weeks. It's so important to give yourself compassion for that!

September Can Be Exhausting

The shift back into teaching can also be hard on your body and brain.

You're suddenly "on" for most of the day again. You're answering questions, managing behaviour, watching the room, helping one student while keeping an eye on another, remembering who needs what, and making decisions constantly. Then you get home and someone asks what you want for dinner and you genuinely don't want to make one more decision. Or you realize you've spent the whole drive home thinking about something that happened at school.

Maybe you're worrying about a student. Maybe you're replaying an interaction with a parent. Maybe you're thinking about everything you still need to get done tomorrow.

It can take a while to adjust to that pace again.

I always think about how teaching is one of those jobs that is so unforgiving of people having hard days or tired days, because of the need to be "on."

It's Hard Not to Take Some of It Home

One of the harder parts of teaching is that you care about your students.

You notice things.

You notice the child who isn't quite themselves. You notice who isn't eating much at lunch. You know whose family is going through something difficult. You know which student is trying really hard to hold it together all day.And sometimes you go home still thinking about them.

There's a difference between caring about your students and feeling like you have to carry everything for them, but that line isn't always easy to find when you're in a helping profession. Counselling can be a space to work through some of that.

It can also be somewhere to talk about the parent email you're still thinking about, the classroom situation you're second-guessing, the colleague you're struggling with, or the fact that you feel completely touched out and don't want anyone to need anything from you when you get home.

You Don't Have to Wait Until You're Burnt Out

I think teachers can be especially good at pushing through.

You tell yourself September is always hard. Things will settle down once routines are established. You'll catch up this weekend. October will be easier.

And sometimes things do settle.

But sometimes you realize you're already running on empty and the year has barely started.

Counselling doesn't have to be something you wait to access until you're completely burnt out. It can simply be a place to talk about what's going on and have some space that is actually about you. You spend so much of your day noticing what other people need. Having somewhere that you don't need to manage anyone else, teach anything, solve anything, or have the right response can be really valuable.

As you head into September and get to know a whole new group of kids, it's okay to remember that you're adjusting too.

You've likely already put a lot of work into getting ready for this school year before your students have even walked through the door. And it will take some time to find your rhythm again.

If September feels harder than you expected, or you notice you're already feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or just not quite like yourself, you don't have to wait until things get worse to reach out.

We're happy to connect and see if counselling might be a helpful support for you this school year.

Terisha Weber, CCC and therapist at Talking Helps Heal. Terisha has worked with teachers in many facets for several years and loves supporting those who support others!