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With the intrusion of technology in our world be it business, media, or education; the way we perform has changed. Technology has perforated to the level of booking taxis, ordering food, buying clothes, furniture, or even virtually touring the world. No wonder the term ‘global village’ has become so common in our vocabulary.

The ways of education have been transformed from what you had been taught a few years ago in leaps and bound. Technology has changed the way you teach the students and the way they learn it. There is an application for any subject that the student is interested in. Knowledge is becoming redundant in this age of the internet. Everything and anything is available with the click of a mouse. Hence, gone are the days when teachers could postpone a students question until the next class; this requires more preparedness and the expansion of horizon for the teachers. Since your old school beliefs of education are being challenged;  the gap between you and the student has widened. Not only this, there is also the problem of generation gap to add to it.

As teaching is becoming  more challenging for you, keeping a few things in mind can help you stay afloat:

Meaningful conversations:

The technologically wired generation is cut off from the real world and it is very crucial to bring them to terms with what is happening around them, sensitize them about issues that matter to the collective society. Meaningful conversations help students remain grounded.

Avoid Performance pressure:

Avoid negative thoughts. It is normal for a person to not know everything under the sun. The role of a teacher is to impart as much knowledge as they can and as much as they have. Do not become burdened by over expectations from your own self. Apart from being a teacher, you are a human being who is still learning. Avoid feeling powerless and learn from them what they know better.

Make them curious:

Learn what interests your class. Feel the pulse of the students and customize the pedagogy according to their needs. The main idea is to engage them i.e, do workshops, schedule interaction timings, one to one sessions, classes to foster creativity by applying what they learned in real life scenarios, etc.

Apart from these show them positive regard for whatever they have created, added value to. Motivate them intrinsically letting them work on subjects that interest them and show them what they can achieve by doing what they do well. Set goals and show the roadmap to reach there.

Are we making technology smarter and making ourselves more stupid? Children are becoming the primary victim of the addiction to technology. Doctors say that it is as bad as the addiction of any other narcotics. Childhood is that period of an individual’s life when the foundations of later learning are made. They observe, understand, imitate, create and learn. Technology is making this long process short and serving everything on the platter. Children are no longer enjoying the activities that they used to enjoy once like reading books or playing games. They keep waking up till late in the night, wake up early leading to sleep deprivation and other problems to start with.

We cannot do away with technology be it a child or an adult due to our reliance on it for petty things like paying bills, managing accounts, a casual video game in two days, watching nursery rhymes etc. But there is a difference between using it occasionally and getting addicted.

Watch out for the signs of technology addiction:

1)Losing interest in other activities;

If your child no more goes out to play his favourite sport to play a game on his I pad or refuses to socialize with his friends it is time to be alarmed.

2) Distracted;

If no amount of convincing can make you communicate with your child while he is playing a game and has undivided attention towards his game. Even if you manage to get his attention with great difficulty, you find him waiting for his next chance to get back to the screen.

3) Behavioral changes;

If you take away the gadget or switch off the media and he is throwing unmanageable temper tantrums that are unlikely of his real nature it is a matter of concern.

4) Repetitive thoughts;

Even when he is away from his phone, tablet or any technology that he is using, he is always thinking about what he will do next or what he is seeing on the screen. His topics are limited to his games etc.

5) Withdrawal symptoms;

He will be distressed, anxious, confused or angry when he is not given his shot of technology.

Technology addiction can get worse than just spending more time on screen. The child can start developing symptoms like hallucinations, daydreaming, catatonia, delusions, and many other associated disorders. You are the parent and In charge of his life, consult a therapist before it gets later than that.

Let us look into how conflicts arise first. Whatever happens in the environment around us is an event that arouses some kind of emotion inside us. If the event is a threat to us, our minds start generating corresponding emotions. These threats that we encounter are generally perceived i.e., based on our assumption of the threat.

This is what happens:

Event—-Thoughts (Negative thoughts) —-Feelings (Anger) —-Behavior

Whatever is done by a teacher is an event for the student as it is with you. If the perceived threat is on the higher side, both of you will be negating the consequences of your action. You will experience a false sense of power and righteousness.

Understanding this power struggle in a few steps:

Innate nature:

Most kids, I have observed have the tendency to resist power and control. The early life experiences shape the kids in this way, and by the time they come to school, it is an automatic response. Try to understand this process rather than taking it as a personal attack. Since the event is same for both the parties, try to take control of your reaction. Do not take the innate nature of the child as a threat or attack on you.

Emotional control:

Always, Always keep your emotions and attitudes in check. Behave like the bigger person and choose calm in the face of the conflict.

Keep Balance:

There is nothing wrong with rules and regulations but keep a balance between rules and the need for the students to connect with you. Human beings, in general, want to be heard, appreciated, accepted and connected. Take advantage of that!

Accept your faults:

Sometimes just because we are the superiors by age and power, we ignore our own faults. Accept your flaws gracefully and try to make rectifications. Admit to the students about where you went wrong so that they have a model of behavior to mirror.

You are the one always giving a portion of yourself through imparting knowledge. It is a profession for the people excited to share, educate, learn,re-learn and innovate. A profession that required commitment and honesty. That looks like an enormous amount of responsibility. Isn’t it?

Here are some of the tips to manage yourself when you are about to wear out:

Time management:

So, a lot of your daily work goes into managing papers, materials, checking daily work given to students, grading test papers etc. This kind of work requires a lot of attention, precision, patience which would wear you down. Time management becomes essential for this.

Tip:

Basically, There are certain parts of the day when you function better and it is different for different people. Keep the difficult activities for this time. Do not take up the work of assessment and grading when you are tired or in a bad mood. Your assessment means a future for the child.

Inspire Yourself

All of you in the teaching profession love to impart knowledge, But you lose the zeal midway in the daily routine.

Tip:

Keep photos, cards, posters, wallpapers that are inspiring to you, so that you can remind yourself of the noble purpose of teaching. A little reminder here and there will get you back on track.

Steam off :

Thus, as an educator, you are always surrounded by documents, materials, undisciplined students, over demanding parents; resulting in all your emotions getting bottled up; You feel like you are inside a huge pressure cooker.

Tip:

Involve yourself in some leisure activity for some time daily. Cultivate a hobby which you can do without any hassles at the comfort of your home. Dancing, singing, cooking, pottery, art etc are extremely therapeutic to tackle any difficult situation.

Retain your Identity:

Tackling difficult students, disciplining them, providing whatever is best for them; you start losing your identity as an individual.

Tip:

Go out, meet with your friends, have a cup of coffee, relax and do something that reminds you of the person you are outside of being a teacher and provider.

“What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare”

–William Davies

You are always busy, running errands to meet your daily needs and that of your significant others. But do you even think once, how much of yourself and your life you are losing in the process? When did you last sit down to have a hearty conversation with your friend or spouse or children? Can’t think of it? You have high chances of soon experiencing a burnout.

What is a burnout?

Unlike Bipolar disorder or depression, burnout is not mentioned in any diagnostic manual. There are no clear symptoms to find out that you are having a burnout but there are some generally accepted indicators for the same. Many researchers are of the view that prolonged stress, depression, anxiety, fear or any other underlying mental fight could lead to a burnout. Physiological stress can also produce a burnout. As the name suggests, burnout is the complete depletion or exhaustion of mental or physical energy.

Symptoms to  assess a state of burnout:

Physiological signs:  This includes general fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, difficulty breathing, heart-related problems, loss of appetite etc, get yourself assessed by a medical practitioner.

Your immune system will become weak: When your body is already coping with a huge amount of stress, all your resources will be used up and your body will become more prone to infections, allergies, diseases etc.

Anxiety: You may experience a little fear or an edgy feeling in the beginning but later your fear may become so big that you may not continue with your professional life.

The sadness of mood or depression: Again, a burnout is insidious and takes a lot of time to come to the surface. In the beginning, it feels like mild emotional fatigue, but later on getting up from the bed becomes a task. In severe cases, it can also be suicidal(consult a therapist or a doctor at this stage mandatorily)

Loss of enjoyment and pessimism: A feeling like that of a dark-coloured cloud hovering overhead. You do not enjoy things that you earlier used to and have become very critical about everything.

Interpersonal damage: You become angry too soon and that too on trivial things. You do not feel like meeting people or socializing and keep yourself out by closing your door or not going out of the home.

Decline in productivity at work: There has been a significant decline in productivity. You do not enjoy your job either. You are also absent from your work most of the days.

When will you be having a burnout?

If you are one of those high achieving individuals. You will most likely be a victim of burnout. Do you Feel overburdened continuously, keeping a long to-do list and are always under the pressure of time? This could result in a persistent exhaustion. We are all dealing with more commitments that we could manage with our physiological or psychological capacity. It is very important to care for your own needs before you could actually help or support others.  It is hard to ignore conditions like workplace conflict or meeting your deadlines but help is available.

Do an assessment of yourself before it gets late. To win the race of life, not only do you need power but more importantly you need the consistent power supply which can last till the end. It is of no use to start with a high intensity and breakdown halfway.