ERIN SPONAUGLE

When the final child leaves your room, when you shut the door for the last time with the last box packed, there's this moment where it feels exciting and happy and as if a weight has lifted, and then within about twenty minutes the air goes right out of your balloon, and you have nothing left. No joke. It's not just the end of the year that catches up with you at that point; it's the entire accumulation of everything since August, and when the adrenaline finally stops, you st

The noise level in schools this time of year is something else entirely. Then there's this one that only a teacher will truly understand, and that's hearing your own name. The sheer volume of times your name gets called in an average day by the end of the year is somewhere between being a minor celebrity and having a recurring nightmare. It just never stops. Half celebrity, half bad dream. That's the end of May. Is it any wonder teachers need help for overstimulation?

Here's my take: What most of us are actually looking for as teachers isn't appreciation. It's validation. And those are not the same thing. Appreciation is someone telling you thank you, bringing you a treat, acknowledging what you do. It's nice to receive, and it's meaningful when it comes from the right person at the right moment, especially a handwritten note, which is honestly my favorite and the thing that sticks with me the longest. But appreciation is external; it'

Using your voice as a teacher is not about being bombastic or dramatic. It's not about starting things, or airing dirty laundry, or being the loudest person in the room. It's not about spilling tea, name-calling, or any of the other things that make administrators nervous and don't actually move anything forward. It's about being the professional voice of reason. Using what you know, from your actual daily experience in an actual classroom, to say the things that need to be s

A non-negotiable is not about daily habits. It's about the things you are simply not willing to accept as part of your life, ever. The things that, if you had to sit with the reality of committing to them for a year or more, your answer would be an absolute and unequivocal no. Where a boundary is something you practice, a non-negotiable is something you protect.A non-negotiable might show up as a grade level or position change you didn't ask for and can't imagine doing.

Spring break is on the calendar. You've been counting down to it since January with the quiet desperation of someone who has been running on adrenaline and vending machine pretzels since February. That particular brand of anticipation builds this time of year because you are tired. But can teachers actually relax during spring break? And if you're a teacher headed towards burnout, spring break feels like a finish line you can't wait to cross.

The idea that teachers are some kind of extraordinary species that runs on dedication and apple-shaped things and can push through anything is a setup for failure. And one of the places it does the most damage is right here, in the moment when you are clearly not okay, and you go in anyway because that's what superheroes do. You are a person. Life does not stop just because the school year starts. You get sick. You have appointments. Your kids have milestones you are not goin

Wanting a change does not mean you failed at teaching. It doesn't mean you're being disloyal, or dramatic, or that you should just push through for a few more years. Teachers are people, and people grow and change, and at different points in life they want and need different things. That's true for everyone except, apparently, for teachers, who often get the subtle message that choosing to stay in one classroom doing one thing forever is the noble path and anything else is ab

Silly season is officially upon us, and your supplies are feeling it. Here's how to get through the rest of the year with your materials and your sanity mostly intact.You know what nobody told you when you decided to become a teacher? That one day you'd watch a kid casually snap a brand new colored pencil in half, stare directly at you, and then shrug. And you'd have to decide in real time whether to address it or just keep teaching because you have fourteen more things to co

First of all, everybody is tired. Your students, their parents, your coworkers, you. The third quarter of the school year tends to be when the heaviest content is taught, and the most work is piled on, which means kids who are already struggling to keep up are hitting a wall right about now. When someone is overloaded and their executive function is running on fumes, things come out of their mouths that probably shouldn't. We're not that different, honestly. We just have

But here we are. We’re getting ready to start a new semester, and today I want to talk about something that always feels bigger than people admit: transitioning back into school after break and setting our students and ourselves up for a stronger second half of the year. If you're feeling a little sad or anxious about going back right now, I want you to hear this first: that feeling doesn't mean something is wrong with you. It actually makes a lot of sense. Over the past

The demands. The constant changes. The workload. The very real concerns for our own safety and the safety of our students. The fact that we carry our personal lives right alongside all of that, because we don't stop being people just because we walked into a school building. When I first decided to become a teacher, people questioned whether it was a wise choice given my history with anxiety and panic attacks. And I get it: on the surface, putting a high-strung person in a h

Setting limits at school is hard enough. Here's how to stay the course when the people around you aren't thrilled about it. Navigating Resistance: Tips for Implementing Change to Prevent Teacher Burnout Let's talk about the part of teacher burnout recovery that nobody really warns you about: the part where you're doing the work, making the changes, choosing better, and the people around you aren't exactly cheering you on. You want to avoid teacher burnout, but the reaction fr

Teacher burnout has many causes — but this is one that rarely gets discussed. I debated whether to include this topic in my book. I left it out, actually, because you're supposed to teach from your scars, not your wounds. But I can't stop thinking about how much this influenced my career, my decisions, and my experience with burnout. So I decided to talk about it here, in this space, and see what kind of response it gets. Because I have a feeling I'm not the only one who has

Cold and flu season hits teachers hard. Learn practical classroom hygiene strategies, wellness tips, and boundaries that help teachers stay healthy, protect their students, and avoid burnout during the school year.

Parent-teacher conferences don't have to cost you extra stress. Read this guide for ideas, checklists, and answers to questions that can keep your parent-teacher conference from being a successful experience.

This is why you lose your love for teaching, and it has nothing to do with student behavior. Read to find out what you can do to prevent teacher burnout and reignite your love for teaching.

If you’re asking yourself, "Should I quit teaching?" it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re paying attention. The truth is, many teachers reach this point—especially in their first few years—but also veterans who’ve been in the classroom for decades. You might be a Teachaholic.

When you’re a teacher, life doesn’t hit pause just because the school year’s in full swing. Here are some gentle ways to keep teaching through a personal or medical crisis — and protect your own well-being along the way.

Let’s talk about the not-so-subtle signs that your teacher boundaries have gone missing—and what to do about it. Even if you love teaching, if your job is consuming every ounce of your time and energy, it’s only a matter of time before resentment creeps in.