5 Tips to Handle your Preschool Teacher Stress from Fellow Educators!

Are you a stressed preschool teacher who’s on the verge of burning out? Do you dread Sunday nights, and the thought of having to go back to work on Monday is harrowing? Being a preschool teacher or early childhood education teacher can be exhausting, but it doesn’t have to be.

Here are some tips from current EarlyDay preschool teachers that can help you manage your teacher stress. 

1. Plan ahead!
   Being a teacher, especially a preschool or early childhood teacher requires a lot of preparation. Students at the preschool age and younger are just learning to be independent, making your workload that much more heavy. To make your school day easier, try planning ahead. Whether it’s cutting out materials for an art activity the day before or writing down read-aloud questions on post-its, planning ahead can save you a major headache. One thing I do is I sit down every Friday during my prep period and plan all of my lessons for the following week. I write down the objectives and materials I need for each lesson in my planner. The reason I do this on Fridays is so that I don't have to think about it all weekend. 

2. Prioritize! 
   Teaching comes with a long list of responsibilities from meetings to lesson planning. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. The best way to combat your to-do’s is to make a list of all your tasks from most important to least important. Remember, making copies can be done tomorrow if you have to plan for a parent meeting today. Make sure your list is visible to you at all times. Write it down on your personal whiteboard, or a post-it note that you can stick on your desk/computer, this way you can cross it off as you go. 

3. Learn to say No
   ‍No one is judging you for saying no to extra tasks. Teachers are some of the most caring people and we want to always say yes, but it is completely okay to say no. Our plates are extremely full, and taking on more responsibilities means less time spent on other more important tasks. If there’s an after school volunteering activity that you simply cannot take on, you have every right to decline. 

4. Ask for help
   If you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t think you can handle your workload alone, ask for help. There is nothing wrong with asking for support. More than likely, your colleague or supervisor is willing to help. If you don’t feel comfortable asking someone in your school, reach out to your friends. One thing that I am extremely grateful for is having a network of teacher friends outside of school. We share ideas, fun activities, or just rant to each other about our days.

5. Take care of yourself!
   Taking care of yourself looks different for everyone. For one preschool teacher it might be setting boundaries and not do any work after 4pm or on weekends. For another teacher, it might look like sitting down, putting a face mask on, and ordering their favorite takeout every Friday night. Whatever it may be, your mental and physical health comes first. If you are mentally drained and tired, your kids can see it too. My favorite decompressing activity is putting sweats on, ordering from my local Chinese takeout restaurant, and turning my phone off. I do this almost religiously on Friday nights. 

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