Category: teacher resources

Linda Markley

The I.N.P.U.T. Affect

Can do's, communication, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Learning Lessons, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Podcasting, Purpose, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher behavior, teacher choices, teacher mental health, teacher resources, teacher self-care, teacher support, teacher well-being, Wholehearted teaching

Before you become too focused on whether or not I misspelled “affect” and that I really meant, “effect”, I will let you know that I fully intended to write “Affect” with an “A”.

The etymology of the word affect is from ad “to” + facere (past participle factus) “to make, do”.(etymonliine.com)

We use the word “effect” more to describe the result of something that affected us and our environment…the result of an action that was taken.

Actions DO have an effect on our affect…or is it the other way around?

The proverbial “chicken or egg first” enigma!

As an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) and a language teacher, I have had many opportunities to study and experience first hand what I call the “INPUT” Affect.

Input is what we take from our outside environment and put into our inside environment.

In language terms, “input” is used to describe the words we take in and how we then interpret them based on our own personal values, meaning, experiences, etc.

This “input” can affect how we see ourselves and how we interact (take action) with the world around us and the world within us.

Just a little more context and information…in language terms, there are three modes of communication. The first, and most important one, is the interpretive mode. It powers up the other two modes of communication (interpersonal – two way exchange with another person, and presentational – one way communication).

Early in my career, I realized how important the interpretive mode was to effective communication and to motivating my students to take risks to use the language in personal and meaningful ways.

Then, I created an acronym for the word INPUT to help explain, retain and guide language teachers on their pedagogical decisions for lesson planning so that they could help their students have a more powerful language learning experience. 

(Of course I did because that is a staple in education and learning, right, to create an acronym! Lol!)

I have made this acronym the picture for this blog post to better explain what I mean by INPUT in terms of our personal, everyday lives.

Let me explain it a little more.

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Linda Markley

Resources and Support

calling to make a difference, creating community, Essential questions, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Teacher Appreciation, teacher resources, teacher struggles, teacher support

More and more funding for resources and support for teachers is being reduced, or worse, eliminated altogether.

Teachers have always had to buy materials and supplies and pay for them out of their own very tight personal budget.

Teachers have always had to write grants and jump through fiery hoops of paperwork and accountability just to get money to fund everyday needs in the classroom.

Why???

And I SHOUT more loudly WHY???

We are a wealthy nation capable of providing for teachers.

So, why are teachers taking their precious time, money, energy and other resources to seek the support they need to teach?

Why do so many reply on social media to The Spirit of Teaching’s post to share their Amazon Wish List for back-to-school?

And, they share with heartfelt pleas and deep gratitude for “anything you can do to help out my kids is greatly appreciated!”

I don’t see any other employees in my community of businesses purchasing their own supplies, resources and begging for support in order to do their jobs.

So, once again, I ask WHY??? 

Do you have an answer or solution?

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Linda Markley

Teacher Mental Health

professional development, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher burnout, teacher mental health, teacher resources, teacher self-care, teacher struggles, teacher support, teacher vulnerability, teacher well-being, Wholehearted teaching

As a long-time attendee of teacher conferences, I can say that the topic of teacher mental health was never a topic for a session of professional development.

This has certainly changed in the past decade, especially after the pandemic!

The number and variety of sessions on teacher mental health and well-being as well as teacher burnout has increased tremendously and, quite frankly, are quite well-attended at conferences.

I,  myself, present often these days on this very topic, and as a result, have gathered quite a bit of research on the topic.

  • 21% of teachers report poor mental health (American Federation of Teachers) 
  • 75% of teachers experience stress (Education Support) 
  • 41% of teachers experience anxiety (American Psychological Association) 
  • 44% of teachers report feeling burnt out (National Center for Education Statistics) 
  • 25-74% of teachers experience clinically significant burnout (ResearchGate) 
  • Teachers are more likely to experience burnout than other professions
  • 68% of teachers feel overwhelmed by their job (NEA) 
  • 48% of teachers are dissatisfied with their job (EdWeek Research Center) 
  • 55% of teachers plan to leave the profession earlier than expected due to burnout (Education WalkThrough) 
  • Teacher mental health has been declining in recent years 
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues among teachers 
  • Younger teachers are more likely to experience mental health problems 

And it is just getting worse by the day.

The mental health of teachers is declining. The Spirit of Teaching is committed and dedicated to helping teachers with the struggles and the challenges that they face every day in the classroom.

Here is how we are helping. (more…)

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