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Avoiding an Ulcer and Other Health Problems
Featured Author:
Tom DeRosa
Tom DeRosa, known to his students and colleagues as “Mr. D,” has taught middle school social studies and middle through high school math in public, charter and alternative school settings. In 2008, he published Ten Cheap Lessons: Easy, Engaging Ideas for Every Secondary Classroom, his highly adaptable teacher resource book. He continues to share ideas, inspiration and resources to help teachers on his blog I Want to Teach Forever.
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Tom DeRosa | TheApple.com
There’s an issue we need to talk about before it’s too late, and that is your mental and physical health.
This issue often gets ignored in the rush to worry about lesson plans, classroom management and actually teaching your students, and understandably so: many of us are hard-wired to be dedicated far beyond what we’re asked to do. That is, of course, a good thing, but if you neglect your mental and physical health too much, it’s going to have a negative effect on your classroom.
I speak from experience: in the spring of my first year, I developed a stomach ulcer. I missed several days of school and had to deal with the side effects of the medication I was taking even after I got back to the classroom. The day that my vision went blurry and I didn’t have enough energy to stand up was a nightmare. Even after the ulcer was gone, I had a related battle with severe acid reflux for several years after that.
These were caused by the same things that many new (and yes, even veteran) teachers do when they’re throwing themselves into their work: poor diet, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, and not taking steps to reduce stress.
Preventing your health from taking a downward turn is not that difficult, however. Just a few simple rules can keep you on top of your game:
1. Don’t skip breakfast. Research has proven time and time again that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It gives you energy, and prevents stomach acid from building up (which had lead to some of my problems). You’ll also eat less and healthier the rest of the day. It’s difficult to find the time, but even an on-the-go food like a low-fat, high-fiber breakfast bar is better than nothing.
2. Stop to eat lunch. I’ve known many great teachers who saw lunch time as free work time. It’s okay to get work done, or meet with students, but you have to eat! You also can take at least a few minutes to take a deep breath—you do need some kind of break to keep your stress level down. If you eat a good breakfast and light lunch, you won’t go home and gorge yourself on an unhealthy dinner either.
3. Don’t take too much work home. Stop hauling that box of papers to grade, curriculum guides to read, and lesson plan paperwork back and forth from your house sooner rather than later. We both know that most (or all) of the time, that stuff is just getting a ride with you, remaining untouched except for transport. There’s more effective ways to get your work done.
