It’s ironic, isn’t it? The best teachers are passionate, hard-working, and give everything they have to their students. And those very qualities can lead to their undoing.
When teachers neglect their own basic needs (as they try to meet everyone else’s), the results are predictable. They burn out, get sick, and lose their fire.
It doesn’t have to be this way!
In this much-loved text for teachers, you’ll discover practical strategies for supporting your own health and balance so that you can be the teacher your kids need and deserve. You’ll learn…
- key categories of health and balance specific to the needs of educators
- practical strategies for self-care that fit into the busy lives of teachers
- how to set good goals and follow through on them
- how to balance a busy career and personal life
Announcement: Don’t buy this book!
I know that’s a weird thing to say on a book’s page (especially on the author’s website!)–especially because it’s such a great book.
But my new book, Rekindle Your Professional Fire: Powerful Habits for Becoming a More Well-Balanced Teacher is out and it replaces The Well-Balanced Teacher. This new book has much of what people loved about the original, but it has a lot of new content and many new strategies. So, buy Rekindle Your Professional Fire instead!
This book has some solid advice to strengthen your teaching, classroom relationships/management, and help students develop agency in their own learning process. I didn’t even realize that some of the things I was saying–things I thought were little AND things I’d been taught–were detracting from my effectiveness and my students’ learning processes. I listened to this on audible, which was great to start–but also planned to purchase the hard copy so that I can highlight ways of saying things / not saying things that I really want to develop, practice, and extend. Highly recommend for educators (both home school and public school; principals and teachers and assistants!).
–Angela S. (Amazon book review)
I was so excited to get this book and it didn’t disappoint. It’s carefully laid out with educators in mind, and has so much information while still being user friendly. Mike Anderson is a wealth of knowledge. He not only provides specific, detailed strategies and scenarios, but delivers them in a genuine, realistic way that allows educators to grow rather than feel defeated. I’ve focused on teacher language for years and this is the first book that has taught me something new- and I’m seeing the benefits with my students.
–Jeff Jahn (Amazon book review)
Check out some of these reviews of The Well-Balanced Teacher.
You can view the table of contents and read the first chapter of this book here.
The following posts each explore a small facet of language and will give you a taste of the tone of this book:
A principal once said, “Just buying this book for my staff helped them feel a bit more cared for. They knew that I wanted to help.” Many schools have read this book together to work at improving adult health in their building. Here’s a free study guide that can help you as you plan. You might also want to check out this LiveBinder, chock-full of free resources.
If you’re an administrator looking to do some work with your faculty on this topic, here are two articles that might help:
School Leaders: Take Care of Your Teachers! 17 Ideas for Supporting Staff Health and Balance
Supporting Staff Health and Balance: Ideas for Principals
Schools often request this topic as a keynote talk or as a one-day workshop. This is also available as a workshop for administrators. Contact Mike to set up a time to talk.