Sam Shah recently wrote some good advice for first year teachers.  His advice was primarily geared toward classroom teachers, but I think it is equally valuable for anyone who is helping to educate. Here is a very abbreviated look at his list with some commentary by me:

1)      Take Saturdays off. You can’t go at it every day. Your brain needs a rest every once in a while. This is particularly tough for people who are teaching in their homes, but maybe just pick a day to not touch the computer. Pace yourself to avoid burnout.

2)      Find a good crew of teacher friends. I would encourage all teachers to engineer friendships in different spheres. Having someone local with whom you can grab coffee is great, but there are also online friendships that can be very helpful. If you have friends in both spheres, you can get a nice balance. Having teacher friends helps you not reinvent the wheel and provides an audience who can help you solve problems and vet ideas. Try not to rely on your spouse for this. You need someone who is more objective.

3)      Vent. Teaching can be a very humbling experience. When things go wrong (and at some point, they will), dwelling on them can cause stress. If you talk about the things that are frustrating you, they can become learning experiences and can stop eating you up inside.

Other ideas from the post and from the comments:

4)      Learn how to separate the mountains from the molehills. Not everything is critical. Once you can figure out how to prioritize, you will be in a happy place. Other parents in your VA or other homeschoolers can help with this. Learn from others’ experiences.

5)      Keep on learning and growing. If you have a learning attitude, you are destined for success.

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