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The Well-Balanced Teacher: How to Work Smarter and Stay Sane Inside the Classroom and Out
You've probably heard the advice put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. This is true both in airplanes and in classrooms. You have to take care of yourself before you can help someone else. If teachers are stressed out and exhausted, how can they have the patience, positive energy, and enthusiasm to provide the best instruction for students? Author Mike Anderson asked that question as a teacher himself, and the answers he found form the basis of The Well-Balanced Teacher. He found that teachers need to take care of themselves in five key areas to keep themselves in shape to care for their students.
In addition to paying proper attention to their basic needs for nutrition, hydration, sleep, exercise, and emotional and spiritual refreshment, teachers also need
Belonging: Teachers need to feel positive connections with other people, both in school and outside school.
Significance: Teachers want to know that they make a positive difference through the work they do.
Positive engagement: When teachers enjoy their work, they have great energy and passion for their teaching.
Balance: Healthy teachers set boundaries and create routines so that they can have rich lives both in the classroom and at home.
Anderson devotes a chapter to each of these needs, describing in frank detail his own struggles and offering a multitude of practical tips to help readers find solutions that will work for them. When teachers find ways to take care of their own needs, they will be healthier and happier, and they will have the positive energy and stamina needed to help their students learn and grow into healthy adults.
In addition to paying proper attention to their basic needs for nutrition, hydration, sleep, exercise, and emotional and spiritual refreshment, teachers also need
Belonging: Teachers need to feel positive connections with other people, both in school and outside school.
Significance: Teachers want to know that they make a positive difference through the work they do.
Positive engagement: When teachers enjoy their work, they have great energy and passion for their teaching.
Balance: Healthy teachers set boundaries and create routines so that they can have rich lives both in the classroom and at home.
Anderson devotes a chapter to each of these needs, describing in frank detail his own struggles and offering a multitude of practical tips to help readers find solutions that will work for them. When teachers find ways to take care of their own needs, they will be healthier and happier, and they will have the positive energy and stamina needed to help their students learn and grow into healthy adults.
125 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2010
18 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Mike Anderson
8 books5 followersMike Anderson is an award-winning teacher and the author of many books about great teaching and learning including. A classroom teacher for 15 years and a Responsive Classroom consultant for many years, Mike now serves as an independent consultant working with teachers and schools around the US and beyond. He supports educators on a variety of topics which include blending social-emotional learning with daily academics, implementing choice as a vehicle for differentiation, and using language that supports positive behavior and joyful learning. Mike lives with his wonderful family in Durham, NH and can often be seen running through the trails of College Woods or pulling weeds in his perennial gardens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 26, 2023
3.5
Although many of the ideas were not new to me, it was a good book to remind me of what is important and common sense ways to achieve balance.
Although many of the ideas were not new to me, it was a good book to remind me of what is important and common sense ways to achieve balance.
March 31, 2016
Am I more balanced now that I have read this? Meh, but I have some new ideas to try and it was a good reminder of a few things I have forgotten about taking care of myself, physically and mentally. This is a well written book and well organized book that I would recommend for beginning teachers as well as veteran teachers.
June 20, 2018
Excellent book from a teacher's perspective. Many of Mike Anderson's statements are exact quotes my teammates have said about teaching! Glad to know we weren't the only ones to feel this way. This book gives excellent reminders to remember at the start of each year.
Below is not a review, just important points for me to remember:
*Don't skip breakfast
If you have only healthy snacks at school you will eat healthy snacks at school.
* Find a way to disconnect from school (puzzles, knitting, mindless tv, a walk, spending time in nature, exercising, reading).
*don't skip sleep "The fact that sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture is another clue to the importance of setting good sleep." Page 21
*"We are not being selfish when we take care of ourselves" page 29
*collect artifacts and notes from parents thinking you were telling you that you made a difference. it helps to be reminded after having a hard day.
* Studies have shown that workers who have less control of their work have higher rates of stress-related illnesses (for example high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease). One of the reasons teachers are feeling so much more stress and today's educational climate is that power and control are being stripped away from them via scripted curricula. page 55
*" it seems to me that the best teachers are the ones who are quietly rebellious."
*" psychologist and other stress analyst have discovered that the most trying professions are those that involved high-pressure and serious responsibilities, often beyond the control of the individual's employed." Page 72
*think about teaching as successes and next steps (not failures).
* deep engagement leads to Greater student involvement in this heightened learning. page 90
* it's okay to say no page 104
*Everything in moderation - even moderation! Page 111
*most importantly: TEACHING SHOULD BE FUN. 😁
Below is not a review, just important points for me to remember:
*Don't skip breakfast
If you have only healthy snacks at school you will eat healthy snacks at school.
* Find a way to disconnect from school (puzzles, knitting, mindless tv, a walk, spending time in nature, exercising, reading).
*don't skip sleep "The fact that sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture is another clue to the importance of setting good sleep." Page 21
*"We are not being selfish when we take care of ourselves" page 29
*collect artifacts and notes from parents thinking you were telling you that you made a difference. it helps to be reminded after having a hard day.
* Studies have shown that workers who have less control of their work have higher rates of stress-related illnesses (for example high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease). One of the reasons teachers are feeling so much more stress and today's educational climate is that power and control are being stripped away from them via scripted curricula. page 55
*" it seems to me that the best teachers are the ones who are quietly rebellious."
*" psychologist and other stress analyst have discovered that the most trying professions are those that involved high-pressure and serious responsibilities, often beyond the control of the individual's employed." Page 72
*think about teaching as successes and next steps (not failures).
* deep engagement leads to Greater student involvement in this heightened learning. page 90
* it's okay to say no page 104
*Everything in moderation - even moderation! Page 111
*most importantly: TEACHING SHOULD BE FUN. 😁
July 1, 2022
I had to read this for a class to renew my public school teaching license. I chose this book for three reasons: it’s high reviews for the class, the book reviews online, and the 115 page length of the book.
This book took me two months to read. It was written well and it had some good points but contained nothing I hadn’t already heard. The author was relatable and honest but I felt he was restating what I already believed and had learned from my Masters degree and life self help over the years. There were some good quotes, one I liked: “…we are on dangerous ground when our goal setting involves variables that we cannot control.” And the book praises the profession of teaching and relates the deep engagement of teaching “in the zone” to professional athletes, which was uplifting. The book gives practical ways to take care of yourself and defends why this is important to do professionally. Perhaps a younger teacher would benefit from the book?
There were some parts I couldn’t relate to as a high school teacher. The book was written by an elementary teacher and even though there were scenarios from middle and high school teachers, I felt these were added to try and make the book relevant to all K-12 teachers. When I write up my responses for the class, I will mostly have to state that if you work on a balanced approach to life, you already know the author’s points.
This book took me two months to read. It was written well and it had some good points but contained nothing I hadn’t already heard. The author was relatable and honest but I felt he was restating what I already believed and had learned from my Masters degree and life self help over the years. There were some good quotes, one I liked: “…we are on dangerous ground when our goal setting involves variables that we cannot control.” And the book praises the profession of teaching and relates the deep engagement of teaching “in the zone” to professional athletes, which was uplifting. The book gives practical ways to take care of yourself and defends why this is important to do professionally. Perhaps a younger teacher would benefit from the book?
There were some parts I couldn’t relate to as a high school teacher. The book was written by an elementary teacher and even though there were scenarios from middle and high school teachers, I felt these were added to try and make the book relevant to all K-12 teachers. When I write up my responses for the class, I will mostly have to state that if you work on a balanced approach to life, you already know the author’s points.
December 30, 2021
I had to read this book for a continuing ed class. I hated it so much. Most of the advice was common sense, bordering on stupidity. Bring bottled water instead of soda, for example.
However, I really took issue with the focus on spending more time "making connections" with other teachers, parents, community members, etc. The idea is to spend less time focusing on work and more time focusing on personal life. Telling me that something must be wrong with me because I don't want to spend my time "connecting" just reinforces the stereotype that extroverts are good and introverts have something wrong with them. Connecting with people is draining, both physically and emotionally, and doing it all day at school is enough. I don't need to spend my private time doing something that is unhealthy for me. It certainly doesn't make my life less fulfilled because I don't want to go to happy hour or attend a school concert hours after my work day has ended.
I also didn't appreciate his comment about how wearing a pencil skirt to teach makes a better impression than jeans, as if they are the only two options. I don't need some guy to comment on how women should dress when working with children all day.
However, I really took issue with the focus on spending more time "making connections" with other teachers, parents, community members, etc. The idea is to spend less time focusing on work and more time focusing on personal life. Telling me that something must be wrong with me because I don't want to spend my time "connecting" just reinforces the stereotype that extroverts are good and introverts have something wrong with them. Connecting with people is draining, both physically and emotionally, and doing it all day at school is enough. I don't need to spend my private time doing something that is unhealthy for me. It certainly doesn't make my life less fulfilled because I don't want to go to happy hour or attend a school concert hours after my work day has ended.
I also didn't appreciate his comment about how wearing a pencil skirt to teach makes a better impression than jeans, as if they are the only two options. I don't need some guy to comment on how women should dress when working with children all day.
November 23, 2022
Not his best book - "What we say and how we say it" certainly meant more to me. I think the large amount of low reviews here are because we're hearing more from teachers in the field across social media, and this book was written in 2010. With so much more awareness of systemic issues that are beyond our control, it can be grating to receive self-care tips.
These things can be true at the same time:
1. You can't self-care yourself out of a crisis
2. Some teachers may still find Anderson's writing personable, and a good reminder to put stress in perspective.
3. It was odd to bring up jeans, but Anderson previously also talked about how he didn't like when holidays took time away from school, so he just might be a Type-A sort of guy.
Overall, it's an easy read, and Anderson has a way of being quotable, and keeping with you through the day. I think you lose nothing by reading this book, and I'd recommend it to other teacher friends.
These things can be true at the same time:
1. You can't self-care yourself out of a crisis
2. Some teachers may still find Anderson's writing personable, and a good reminder to put stress in perspective.
3. It was odd to bring up jeans, but Anderson previously also talked about how he didn't like when holidays took time away from school, so he just might be a Type-A sort of guy.
Overall, it's an easy read, and Anderson has a way of being quotable, and keeping with you through the day. I think you lose nothing by reading this book, and I'd recommend it to other teacher friends.
June 26, 2018
This past year, I’ve been thinking a lot about health in its many forms - physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual. This book basically put all of that thinking into words and applied it to the educational setting. So many good reminders even if it wasn’t a lot of new, life-altering wisdom.
November 1, 2019
I read this for a class I'm taking. Nothing earth-shattering if you are a natural "student" of wellness practices, but was a pretty ok read. It brought to light the ridiculous expectations we put on ourselves as teachers and how it literally isn't possible to do all the things...coupled with some strategies for managing the stress of the job...it made for a decent text for encouragement.
November 12, 2019
I needed to read this for a grad class. It was an easy read and I could identify with a lot of what was said about stress and feeling inadequate, but I didn’t feel I took away much about how to fix it. There were some ideas that are worth trying, and others that seemed like they would be more work and more stress.
August 3, 2023
I read this for a continuing education course about refocusing your educational practice. I liked what the book had to say about significance, meaning, and competence, but there was ultimately not much here that I hadn’t heard before: a common thread in these books assigned by the Teaching Channel/Learners Edge.
July 25, 2022
It’s harder being a teacher now than ever. This text gave some helpful tools, strategies and insights to balance your teacher life and personal one. My take-a-way: If we want to show up for our students each day, we must first show up for ourselves!
February 18, 2018
Nothing new in this book but great reminders and opportunities to reflect.
April 10, 2019
Eh. Lots of talk about things people who are working teachers already know.
May 4, 2019
This was an assigned book for a class I am taking. I felt that many of the examples and scenarios fit with what I struggle with as a teacher. It gave some great ideas and some reminders too!
November 14, 2019
Read for a grad class. Not very inspiring or realistic.
January 21, 2020
Pretty basic. Nothing outstanding
February 19, 2020
A great resource for teachers looking to balance their personal, spiritual, and professional lives. Easy to read and implement.
July 1, 2020
Eat well, exercise, have fun, don’t be a perfectionist... Same stuff, different book.
October 23, 2021
Some useful tips but overall not much beyond common sense and generally often repeated advice.
July 21, 2022
Had some good tips on how to be a more balanced teacher. They were based more in personal anecdotes than research, but still I founds some tips I will use. An easy read.
November 4, 2012
This is the book that the Teacher Book Group in SAU #53 is currently reading. It's a short book and a quick read, about 3 hours - I now track my time since teachers get Professional Development hours credit for reading and discussing the book. It was written by a middle school teacher in Portsmouth, NH who also works with the Northeast Foundation and so he also teaches how to teach a responsive classroom. So close to home on both counts.
There is no new advice here, nothing extraordinary, but kudos to him for writing it and getting it published. Good advice of course, but you can get that from reading the chapter headings like managing stress, meeting basic needs, belonging, teaching with purpose (significance) and competence (self-efficacy), having fun/positive engagement, and the importance of balance, i.e. planning time and energy. So there it is, you can imagine the advice in between. He does give one page vignettes of different teachers to highlight his chapters.
This may be good for new teachers but I can't imagine that veteran teachers have not discovered this for themselves. Teaching is a very demanding profession and if you want to stay on top of your game you do need to find that balance. (And as Mike says, staying sane.)
There is no new advice here, nothing extraordinary, but kudos to him for writing it and getting it published. Good advice of course, but you can get that from reading the chapter headings like managing stress, meeting basic needs, belonging, teaching with purpose (significance) and competence (self-efficacy), having fun/positive engagement, and the importance of balance, i.e. planning time and energy. So there it is, you can imagine the advice in between. He does give one page vignettes of different teachers to highlight his chapters.
This may be good for new teachers but I can't imagine that veteran teachers have not discovered this for themselves. Teaching is a very demanding profession and if you want to stay on top of your game you do need to find that balance. (And as Mike says, staying sane.)
September 1, 2015
As a future teacher I worry about all the things I will get wrapped up in before I realize I have no time for myself. This book was so helpful in describing all of our basic needs as humans and how important it is for teachers to meet all of these needs. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover, and even though I'm not a teacher yet, this book helped me recognize the basic needs I'm not fulfilling presently. Anderson has wonderful ideas for a healthy lifestyle and mind. I believe this book should be read by all teachers!
June 22, 2014
I felt the book provided a number of ideas to teachers to:
improve their energy in the classroom
improve their engagement with their students
cope with hectic schedules
develop lesson plans and stay on schedule
It would benefit the person new to the teaching profession, as well as, those established teachers.
I am the narrator/producer of the audiobook version
improve their energy in the classroom
improve their engagement with their students
cope with hectic schedules
develop lesson plans and stay on schedule
It would benefit the person new to the teaching profession, as well as, those established teachers.
I am the narrator/producer of the audiobook version
August 19, 2014
It had some useful ideas, but not as many as I would like. This is a major concern for me as I start my teaching career: I'm well aware of how obsessive I get with my work. Too much of Anderson's suggestions seemed obvious to me, and it didn't feel applicable to a new teacher.
August 30, 2014
A good book with a lot of great insight into what it takes to maintain your mental/emotional sanity while teaching. It was occassionally repetitve and at times did drone on a little bit, but worth it for those nuggets of great advice hidden within each chapter.
November 24, 2015
Helpful reminders for veterans and worth reading for new teachers. Basically, reminds us that teaching is a highly stressful, time consuming job and we need to take care of ourselves to be effective in the classroom. Nothing earth shattering or new, but good to look at from time to time.
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February 10, 2014Explains how to handle the workload of classroom teaching while still taking care of your health and limiting stress.
March 1, 2014
Short, quick read with neatly organized themes and lists of ideas to try. Some new, some old, all relevant. Highly recommend this book!
August 8, 2016
Excellent book that offers many ideas to help teachers keep the balance.
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June 17, 2015I can relate very well to the material and examples in this book. It was very informative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews