Fighting Fatigue

The older I get, the more of a battle it is to have to deal with fatigue because of my age, but when working with high-energy students, it's doubly difficult. It's so important for educators to get enough sleep at night, but there are other ways during the school day to find some relief from fatigue, too.

Look at your tasks throughout the day. If any of them can be done by students, let them. That gives them a sense of responsibility and investment in their education, as well as building a feeling of partnership with you. For a librarian in a library or a teacher in a classroom, students can:

• help decorate or change bulletin boards
• do any monotonous cutting out of anything needed for the classroom or assignments
• collate papers
• keep bookshelves organized
• clean whiteboards
• take roll
• tutor or help other students
• let students who've mastered a concept help teach some of the lessons 
• dust and/or clean furniture, floors, etc. (our school reduced its custodial staff to two during the day for a campus of 900 students, which included prepping and clean-up for three separate lunch periods, so any help we could give them was much appreciated)
• disinfect anything that students handle regularly, including doorknobs and computer equipment
• maintain equipment 
• help you carry things to and from your vehicle or between classes
• stamp books; add genre labels to fiction books
• process books (after training)
• clean book covers or do minor book repairs
• shelve books in the library (after training)
• do themed displays in the library
• help with inventory in the library
• write book reviews

I tended to be very particular with my displays and wanted things done well, so over the years I've really had to fight the urge to do everything myself, and unfortunately, too often I did. I finally learned to pay attention and ask myself if what I was doing could be done by a student, and if it could, I set it in an area designated for tasks students could help with. 

Most students love the opportunity to help educators with tasks they are capable of doing, and they're learning something at the same time. The jobs may not be done as perfectly as we would do it, but for us to do it all and not let them help is denying them the opportunity to learn and improve and be proud of their work. And I was guilty of that on many occasions. 

I know too many teachers who work through their lunch, or use that time for detention or rewarding students. I'm amazed at their commitment. But if mental and physical fatigue is getting the best of you, take back that time for yourself to relax and rejuvenate yourself. I've even gone to my car and shut my eyes for fifteen minutes during really busy or stressful days. Or I'd turn off the light in the library office and shut my eyes for a few minutes, and I'm not ashamed to say I had to hide. If students could see me, they would knock on the library door until I came and answered it. Some teachers would come hide, I mean, work or eat undisturbed in the library office, too, which provided a little respite from their hectic days. The teachers' lounge should be a place of refuge for educators in schools, but sometimes it's more like Grand Central Station. Listening to relaxing music (with no lyrics to contemplate) is also another way to rest the mind.

Fatigue takes its toll mentally and physically, and the job and students suffer when fatigue is in charge. Take the time to slow down and find ways to reduce it during your work day.