In times of crisis, how do wounded teachers recover?
A special gift that every teacher, from new to experienced, should have.

Let's look into your heart as a teacher.
Are you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed right now? Do you want to do nothing and just sit still? Do you feel like your emotions will explode at the slightest reaction from your students? Do you avoid text messages or phone calls from parents? Do you feel like quitting your job as a teacher? If so, you're experiencing burnout or extreme stress.


Is there a way for you, the wounded, to recover? How can a teacher in crisis rise again? Renowned education expert Elena Aguilar's book, "Resilience for Teachers," offers clear answers to these questions.
Based on the author's practical knowledge from over 25 years of experience in the educational field and conducting in-depth educational workshops every year, this book has earned praise as "a must-have for every teacher," and has maintained its position as an unwavering bestseller in the Amazon education category.
Over 1,000 teacher readers have left vivid reviews, attesting to the practical help they have received from this book.
This book, which offers a path toward solid resilience and freedom from depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout, will provide immense comfort and courage to our wounded and weary teachers.

Schools need time, space, and attention to manage stress and build resilience.
If you're a teacher looking to develop your skills in this area, or a leader concerned about teachers leaving their schools, this book will be helpful.
To manage physical and emotional stress, enjoy life more, and fulfill their original purpose as educators, teachers must focus on developing resilience above all else.

---From "Introduction: A Journey to Resilience"

A teacher who has a deep understanding of himself can skillfully navigate the thousands of challenges he faces every day.
Leverage your strengths and innate resources, and use your assets to overcome difficult times.
Even when something upsetting happens, don't always blame yourself.
Because you know who you are, you can distinguish yourself from external events.
In other words, it is resilient.

---From "Chapter 1: Understanding Yourself"

If the principal passed by a teacher on the way to work, you might think, "What did I do wrong? Why is the principal ignoring me?" or "The principal must have a lot on his mind this morning."
This is precisely the moment when the teacher's interpretation is needed.
Depending on what you think and what kind of story you create based on that, your resilience for the day can go up or down a little.
This exercise could be done hundreds of times a day, ultimately giving the teacher the ability to choose the content elements that go into the narrative of life.
---From "Chapter 2: Understanding Emotions"

Teacher H associates everything, especially bad things, with himself.
Anything negative is connected to you and you are convinced that you are responsible for it.
I try to take responsibility for things I can't control.
Whenever something goes wrong, I think, 'It must be my fault.'
If a meeting time is not convenient for you, you might think, 'They must be trying to make me angry.
Or maybe he just wanted to avoid attending the meeting.'
---From "Chapter 3: Telling a Story That Gives You Strength"

This way, I can accept my feelings as they are: the annoyance when the principal tells me to take extra classes, the disappointment at my time suddenly disappearing, and the frustration at the school's inefficient systems.
Then, the principal can also recognize that he is doing the best he can, that in ten years, he will not even remember this, and that right now, he has students he needs to teach with a calm mind.
If you react with this mindset, you will be able to maintain a good relationship with the principal without judging him, deal with the situation well, and avoid stress and high blood pressure.
Even when giving supplementary lessons, you can teach with consideration and care for your students.

---From "Chapter 4 Building a Community"

Not being mindful is like inviting unwanted emotions into your mind and letting them run wild.
We don't realize that by identifying with those feelings, we are only allowing them to sit in a dusty corner of our hearts.
When things get tough, we always assume things will stay the same.
I think this is our true self.
If we forget that we can choose and change our circumstances, we will not be able to endure difficult situations.
It may feel like the negative feelings will last forever.
Our lives don't have to be like that.
Emotional resilience depends on openness, a broad-minded awareness of what happens to people.
We can learn how to weather the storms of life.
---From "Chapter 5: Staying Here Now"

We often neglect our own health because of the vague and evil forces we unconsciously create.
Read the following sentences and think about how often you say these things and how often you hear your fellow teachers say them.

·“No one will know I work this hard.
“Every day, I’m the first to get to school and the last to get home.”
· “I’m so busy taking care of other people’s children that I don’t have time to see my own children.”
· “Do you see these notebooks on the cart? I take them home every day.
I have to look through all 120 notebooks.
“There is no other way to improve your writing skills.”
· “I want to take a day off and rest, but I can’t.
“I feel like the classroom would be a mess without me.”
These are the words that make martyrs.
In most schools, there is at least one person who carries the wounds of a savior and wishes they could acknowledge them.
In fact, there are many teachers in schools who have martyr tendencies.
I was like that too when I was a new teacher.
---From "Chapter 6: Taking Care of Yourself"

At the end of that year's coaching, looking back on what areas she had grown in her first year of teaching, Ms. Latrice said:
“What I learned this year is that it’s okay not to have a teacher anymore.
At first, it was difficult to get through a week without seeing my teacher.
It's different now.
“I still love coaching and want to continue, but I don’t feel like I would die without it like I used to.”

Mr. Latrice continued to teach at this school for another ten years.
When Michael graduated from high school, he invited Mr. Latrice and said this.
“Teacher never gave up on me.
It made me feel like I could really accomplish something.
“I wouldn’t have been able to graduate if you hadn’t been there,” said Ms. Latrice, who also sent me a photo of herself and Michael at graduation.
Tears were streaming down his smiling face.

---From "Chapter 7: Focusing on Strengths"

Here's a surefire way to weaken your resilience.
It's about being merciless in criticizing yourself, not forgiving when you make mistakes, constantly berating yourself for your weaknesses, and not drawing appropriate boundaries when others treat you disrespectfully.
How can we overcome these self-destructive behaviors? We must have compassion for ourselves.
Compassion for others must begin with self-compassion.
If you cannot have compassion for yourself, you cannot have true compassion for others.
Compassion is how we respond to those who are suffering.
If you can't apply that to yourself, you can't love or care enough for others.
How can compassion for others be genuine if we do not believe ourselves worthy of being freed from suffering?
---From "Chapter 8: Developing a Compassionate Heart"

As you read the suggestions in this book, you'll probably recall countless moments when you thought, "I'd love to do that, but I don't have time."
For teachers to become learners, they first need to understand how they use their time to ask questions, read with their peers, write, and discuss what they have read.
… … Now you don’t have to hate Sundays or dread Mondays and go to school unprepared.
You can finish your work and live a fulfilling 24 hours a day with energy.
Let's talk about habits and behaviors that can help you manage your time and energy so you can start your weekend off feeling energized.
---From "Chapter 9: Becoming a Learner"

How did this school become such a success? Javier C., who demonstrated humble yet powerful leadership in innovation,
Thanks to Principal Walter Ross.
He allocated time and resources to teachers' learning and growth, and built teams in an efficient and collaborative manner.
It also provided time for students and teachers to share and reflect on each other's stories to foster creativity.
The principal also participated in this time for his own health.
Over the past few years, Cal Prep has strengthened my conviction that schools can change, and that creativity plays a key role in that transformation.
---From "Chapter 10: Playing and Creating"

We stand at one end of a continuum, with one end defending change and the other leading change.
If we take a defensive stance toward change, we will focus on minimizing the disruption it causes in our lives. If we are willing to lead change, we will embrace this disruption.
Whether you're trying to manage unwanted change or actively lead it, the key to resilience is learning how to bounce back when the powerful waves of change threaten to knock you down, how to ride them, and even how to enjoy the process.

---From "Chapter 11 Riding the Wave of Change"

I realized I was experiencing burnout, and I quickly felt fear and shame.
Since I started teaching, I've heard warnings about burnout.
It was a topic we always discussed in quiet voices.
As if experiencing burnout was something to be ashamed of.
My biggest fear was that if I burned out, my journey as an educator would be over.
I was concerned about the following: 'If I become burned out at one school, will it be permanent?' and 'If I become burned out, will I become hopeless and cynical wherever I go?'
---From "Chapter 12: Celebrating and Giving Thanks"

As transactional leadership sweeps the education sector, public schools face ongoing threats.
We face a constant threat of teachers being coerced into teaching and speaking, undermining their ability to understand students and make decisions based on their needs.
The gap between rich and poor on Earth is wider than ever before.
Securing funding for public schools feels like a daily battle.
But we have no choice but to move forward.
I will wrap my story around my head like a cloak and feel the power of resilience coursing through my veins.

---From "Conclusion: The Door to Freedom"