Well Teachers Teach Well
No matter what field one enters, landing that first job and depositing that first paycheck is like no other feeling in the world. The excitement, anticipation, and demands of any career can be exceptionally challenging, and many people underestimate the toll that work—even meaningful work—can have on one's physical and mental well-being. This underestimation is especially true in the field of education, where many teachers in ever-expanding roles (teacher, mentor, counselor, etc.) work non-stop nine months out of the year only to find themselves physically and perhaps mentally exhausted. This chapter explores the teaching careers of college friends and how they have been able to break the cycle of Work/Exhaust/Repeat by recognizing, modifying, and preventing patterns that are ultimately harmful to their physical and mental well-being and make them less effective as educators.