Teachers on a daily basis are placed under undue stress and tension. The workload may seem like it is never ending. Just when they think that they have it under control a memo appears in their mailbox giving them another assignment that creates more anxiety. Daily, teachers feel less and less appreciated and often just feel like they want to give up. They leave school exhausted both physically and emotionally, and often when they get home they don’t even have the energy to devote to their families or their personal lives. The pressure from the job creates such stress that they lose their focus on their diet, and begin to eat the wrong foods. They become so lethargic that exercise isn’t even a consideration. Because of exhaustion they stop reading for enjoyment, and conversations with their loved ones become just small talk that has no real substance. They tend to lose sight of the relationships in their lives that mean the most to them and are with their loved ones physically but not emotionally. They tend to live day to day just trying to survive and are not even thinking of what the real big picture of their life purpose really is.

Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People describes seven habits that if incorporated into a person’s life will motivate and inspire him or her to achieve balance. The habits are; Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win-Win, Seek First to Understand then to be Understood, Synergize, and Sharpen the Saw. The seventh habit, Sharpen the Saw, is particularly relevant.

The following is an excerpt from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People:

“Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree. “What are you doing?” you ask. “Can’t you see?” comes the impatient reply. “I’m sawing down this tree.” “You look exhausted!” you exclaim. “How long have you been going at it?” “Over Five hours,” he returns, “and I’m beat! This is hard work.” “Well, why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen the saw?” you inquire. “I’m sure it would go a lot faster.” “I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man says emphatically. I’m too busy sawing.”

Sometimes we are so busy working that we just don’t take the time for ourselves and our family. In his book, Stephen Covey explains that people should spend time in what he calls “renewel.” Renewal is when we preserve and enhance the greatest asset we have, which is ourselves. Unfortunately, sometimes our family may just think that we are taking time away from them when in essence we are trying to we make ourselves stronger. By practicing Covey’s four dimensions that are explained below a person will become stronger and be able to fight the stresses of life and be a better parent, spouse, son, daughter, and yes, even teacher.

The Physical Dimension
The physical dimension involves caring for our physical body including eating right, and getting enough rest and exercise. If we think that we don’t have enough time to exercise, understand that we don’t have the time not to. Often we will think that in order to get the right exercise we have to join a gym and hire a trainer. We can just take a walk or do a few calisthenics, and we will start to get results. Better yet we can take a walk with our children, and enjoy a good conversation along the way.

The Mental Dimension
We don’t read enough for pleasure, or for enrichment. For some reason when we graduate from college we stop doing any serious reading or research. Too often our time is spent watching television and not enough time is spent in our mental development. I know some folks who get cranky and despondent if they don’t see their favorite shows on certain nights. With the advent of TVO, we can record just about anything we want for future viewing. We can get so caught up in television that we lose sight of other things we can do with our minds. Our minds are like muscles and have to be developed and worked on or they will atrophy. We need to find things that we like to read and that inspire and encourage us. Then we should make a commitment to try and read a book a month. Keep in mind that books on tape are in the public library as well.

The Social/Emotional Dimension
If we come home worn out from the day, we may not have the energy to devote to the key people in our lives. Often these key people (husband, wife, son, and daughter) can feel short- changed by the lack of time and attention that we give to them. Too often we come home and want to talk about some snot nosed kid who gave us a hard time that day. That is not the conversation our loved ones want to have with us. Oh, they do want to hear about our day, but they also have a desire for us to have an equal interest in their day. Remember one thing, the school we are working in can run with us or without us. We may believe we are indispensable at work, but that is an absolute fallacy. We can be replaced - and we may mot even be missed. But can our family run without us? You know the answer. Your family needs you and you need them. There isn’t a person alive who on their death bed stated that they wished they had spent more time at work. We must focus on giving the people who love us the time they deserve. Then they will give us their blessing when we go off to work.

The Spiritual Dimension
The Spiritual Dimension is a very private area for most people. Many people have their own method of feeding their soul. Some folks communicate with nature, read inspirational literature, or spend quiet time alone in prayerful meditation. The great reformer Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do today that I will have to spend three hours praying instead of two.” I have come to realize that there is a spiritual connection that all people want, but that many people do not do enough to develop it. The spiritual dimension often gets ignored, and that can leave a large void in a person’s life.

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