December 4, 2023

As we dig into quarter 2, with the holidays looming and daylight vanishing, I invite you to embrace your inner fat bear. 

Let me explain: At a meeting recently, a colleague shared that they couldn’t find their spark. They were drained. Another shared that it felt like they were in preservation mode—just maintaining. Both shared these honest, real experiences with a tone of regret, even guilt. They were frustrated. Typically highly motivated, productive people, both were struggling with this feeling of…not doing. Not being pulled to action and therefore letting down those around them. Of failing. 

Talk turned to the fat bear contest, the National Park Service’s annual tradition to celebrate the bear who’s done the best job of prepping for the winter. We laughed that right now more than the yogic savasana, we needed “fat bear pose”: the freedom to just eat and then take a long rest. And to be celebrated while doing so. 

It struck me that “in preservation mode” should likewise be celebrated. To preserve something is to ensure it lasts. Much of history is only revealed to us through preservation, past and present. From dinosaurs to pottery to cave art, we have information because it lasted. It was preserved, surviving all the changes and evolutions happening.  

Moreover, the act of preservation is transformative: cucumbers become pickles; tart berries become jelly; raw veggies become instant easy side dishes. Wood is petrified. It is only through heat and pressure that preservation—transformation—is possible.

We have a right—a DUTY—to preserve ourselves. We cannot serve others from a state of exhaustion. Yes, our students deserve the best we have to offer every day. But what “the best of us” means will change day to day. 

Ideas for Teacher Preservation:

1. Use your personal and sick days. Yup, it’s hard to be gone. Those days exist for a reason and you have a right to use them, guilt-free. ADMIN NOTE: Ensure subs. THANK teachers for taking care of themselves. Check-in and ask if there is anything else you can do to support them.
2. Increase Inquiry. Flip the tables and let students drive the learning. Embed one day per week for Joy or Passion Project or Genius Hour that turns your classroom into a self-directed learning lab. This gives you time to reconnect with yourself and your students. ADMIN NOTE: How can you repurpose staff meetings to help staff design flexible learning options?
3. Increase Collaboration. Resist the urge to hibernate and isolate. In times of stress, connecting with others is a proven path to wellness. So: What might you co-teach? How can you divide to conquer and thrive? Can you rotate students so you and a colleague each teach one less lesson? Can you empower students to teach a concept? Can you create one framework that works for all your classes (even though each will use different content)? Can you utilize different instructional techniques (stations, flipped classroom) to maximize teacher time and talent? ADMIN NOTE: How can you foster great collaboration time for staff? When are you available to co-teach?
4. KISS. Keep it simple, silly. It’s ok to do less: depth, not breadth. Let students show you where to go and follow them. ADMIN NOTE: What can you take off teachers’ plates? How can you narrow their focus and remove extra to-dos?
5. Play. Draw. Act. Dance. Move. Connect physically and infuse lessons with joyful play. ADMIN NOTE: How are you ensuring your staff and students smile, laugh, and feel joy each day?

There are seasons and cycles of productivity that shift, each day, week, month, year, and over your career. Lean into them. Make preservation an act of art and love rather than guilt. Relish it (yes, that’s a preservation joke). Life—and teaching—get hard. Messy. Exhausting. You must first survive in order to thrive. Embrace your inner fat bear. (Then we can tackle all the other stuff.)

You may also be interested in reading more articles written by Darcy Baakegard for Intrepid Ed News.