Stop struggling with teacher burnout and teacher stress by reframing how you view educator resilience. If you feel like that blinking red light on the copier—completely out of capacity—this episode is for you.

Education is an emotionally expensive profession where we carry stories, not just subjects. Host Adam Busch explores why the "one more thing" of self-care often fails and how we can find a sustainable fuel source to stay in the game for the long haul.

• Hunting for the Good: Why moving from "problem detective" to "strength detective" changes your brain chemistry.
• Relational Trust: How a 30-second "spirit check" with a colleague builds a safety net for the whole school.
• Micro-Moments of Awe: Using five-second "wins" to lower physical inflammation and boost creativity.
• Transition Rituals: How to use "boundary grace" to separate your educator role from your human role.

This episode is for teachers, administrators, and support staff who are ready to move from surviving the week to thriving in the work. Share this with a colleague who needs a "green light" today.

Sponsored by:

• Grundmeyer Leader Services – www.grundmeyerleadersearch.com
• AWB Education and Media – www.awbeducation.org
• ForwardEd Network – www.forwardednetwork.com

I found myself staring at the load paper light on the copier yesterday.

You know, that little red blinking one.

And it wasn't.

It wasn't because I don't know how to fix it because that blinking red light felt like that one ask that I just couldn't fill.

It's in those moments where we realize that our own reservoir needs a refill before we can give anything else to our students.

Let's talk about how we turn that light back to green.

This is your Morning Boost from the AWB Studios.

This is your weekly morning Boost brought to you by AWB Education.

We are proud to be featured on the Forward Ed Network, Advancing Voices Shaping Education.

Let's get ready to boost your week.

Good morning and welcome back to your Morning Boost Boosters.

We are very proud to be part of the Forward Ed Network.

If you have not had a chance to check out those shows, I think you should.

If you.

If you've been with us since the first bell of the season, thank you for taking the time to jump back on with us again.

If you're joining us for the very first time today, maybe because a colleague sent this to you or just because you needed a quiet moment of reflection before the day starts, I'm so glad that you're here with us today.

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Take a quick second, hit that Follow or Subscribe button on your favorite podcast app or leave us a review.

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Well, I hope your coffee is exactly the right temperature and your commute gave you at least one green light that felt like a tiny victory today.

Because I do want to pick up where that cold open left off.

You know, that copier moment.

It's a relatable school piece here, right?

I mean, the reason it sticks with us is that education is an emotionally expensive profession.

We don't just teach subjects, we carry stories.

We don't just manage classrooms.

We hold space for human development.

Today we're talking about educator resilience.

But I want to frame this with a lot of hope.

We aren't just talking about how to get through the week.

We're talking about how to thrive within the work.

We're going to look at resilience not as a shield to hide behind, but as a fuel source that allows us to stay curious, stay, stay kind, and stay in the game.

For the long haul.

Leadership exists in every role in this building, from the front office to the cafeteria to the chemistry lab.

And the highest form of leadership that you can practice this week is the stewardship of your own energy.

Because a resilient educator is the greatest gift that all of our students can receive.

This segment of your Morning Boost is sponsored by Grundmeier leader services.

They believe that great schools start with great leaders, and they are here to help you find a perfect fit for your district, transform your school's future with the right leader at Helm.

Visit GrundmeierLeaderSearch.com to learn more.

Grunmire Leader Services transforming education one leader.

At a Time before we dive deep into this topic, I want to give a quick thank you to our segment sponsor, Grundmire Leader Services.

GLS understands that a school's success starts with leaders who are grounded, healthy and ready to support their teams.

If you are looking for that leadership that prioritizes human connection and sustainable growth, Visit them at GrundmeierLeaderSearch.com Again, that is GrunmeierLeaderSearch.com when we hear the word resilience, our brains often jump straight to self care.

And let's be honest, in education, self care has become a bit of a loaded term.

It feels like the one more thing on the to do list.

Go home and relax.

We can all do that.

And sometimes that feels like an impossible directive when life is super busy.

But the research on resilience, specifically the work of Dr. Lucy Hone, suggests that resilience isn't a fixed personality trait.

It's actually a set of behaviors.

And one of those behaviors is what she calls hunting for the good.

In a school setting, it is so easy to become a problem detective.

We are trained to find what's wrong, the student who isn't meeting the benchmark, the broken policy, the leaky ceiling.

But resilience is built when we intentionally become strengthened detectives.

Think about your relatable humor moment for the day.

Maybe it was the third grader who tried to use a big word and missed the mark on the in the funniest way possible.

Maybe it was the way your your teammate rolled their eyes at the staff meeting in that exact way that told you, I'm with you.

When we focus on the impact of burnout, we often focus on the exhaustion.

But the antidote isn't just rest, but its connection and contribution.

If you're a paraprofessional or a support staff member, your resilience often comes from the immediate, tangible wins.

The student who finally tied their shoes in the hallway or the one that stayed there stayed quiet for once.

If you're an administrator, it's seeing the teacher try a new strategy and fail.

But fail forward.

Resilience is the joy that we find in the messy middle.

It's acknowledging that while the system might be tired, our purpose is still vibrant.

We aren't just bouncing back to where we were.

We are springing forward into a more sustainable, positive way of being.

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Let's shift our lens for a moment.

Leadership exists in every seat, and I'm going to preach that until the very last day that I'm able to preach.

If it exists in every seat, then we all have a role in building a resilient ecosystem.

I've been reading a lot about relational trust in schools.

Burke and Schneider's research shows that schools with high levels of trust among staff see significantly higher gains in student achievement.

Why?

Because trust is the safety net that allows for resilience.

If you're a teacher leader or an instructional coach, how are you building that net?

Resilience grows when we feel seen.

It's the leadership from any seat move of checking in on a colleague not about their data, but about their spirit.

I saw that tough interaction you had in the hall earlier.

You handled that with such grace.

How?

How are you feeling now?

A 30 second interaction like that is a deposit into the resilience bank.

And for our administrators that are listening, resilience is also about clarity.

And ambiguity is a massive energy drain.

When people don't know what's expected of them or when the why behind a decision isn't clear, their resilience tank leaks.

And one of the most positive high energy moves a leader can make is to say something like, here's what we are prioritizing this month.

And more importantly, here is what we are not going to worry about right now.

I mean seriously, giving your staff permission to not worry about the secondary stuff is like giving them an oxygen tank.

It allows them to focus their energy on the kids, which is where the joy is.

We also have to look at the role of a concept called perspective taking.

When a student acts out, a resilient staff doesn't ask what's wrong with them?

They ask, what happened to them and how can we help?

This shift from judgment to curiosity is a hallmark of a resilient school culture.

It keeps us from taking the behavior personally and allows us to stay in a posture of help rather than a posture of defense.

So how do we operationalize this tomorrow morning?

How do we take this from a nice thought to a new way?

Well, first, we have to practice boundary grace.

And I love this idea of, like, a transition ritual.

When you turn the key in your car at the end of the day or when you step over the threshold of your front door, find a physical action that signals the end of the educator role and the beginning of the human role.

Maybe it's a specific song, a deep breath, or literally shaking your hands out.

Second, let's talk about peer collaboration.

Now, resilience is a team sport, so I want to challenge you this week to find a resilience partner.

This isn't a venting partner.

We all have those.

And while they do have their place, venting can sometimes just keep us stuck in the mud.

A resilience partner is someone who asks, what's one win you had today?

Or, how can we make this lesson easier on ourselves next time?

Now, third, let's embrace micro moments of awe, and I love this term here.

Research and positive psychology shows that experiencing these awe moments, that feeling of being part of something larger than yourself, when we do this, it actually lowers inflammation in the body, and it helps boost creativity.

In a school, awe is everywhere.

If you look for it, it's the fifth grader helping the kindergartner with their coat.

It's the moment the light bulb actually goes off during a science experiment.

It's the collective silence of a library where the students are actually lost in books.

When you see those moments, stay there, linger in them.

Don't just check it off and move to the next task.

Take five seconds to think to yourself, wow, I just helped create the environment where that just happened.

That's the morning boost that we can give ourselves.

As we wrap up today, I want to leave you with the thought about longevity.

We often talk about education as a marathon, but I honestly think it's more like a garden.

There are seasons of planting, seasons of weeding, and seasons of harvest.

And right now, you might feel like you're doing a lot of weeding, and it's hard, it's repetitive.

Your back might hurt.

But remember, you are the gardener, not the plant.

Your value isn't just in what you produce for the system.

Your value is in the care, the wisdom, and the presence that you bring to the soil every single day.

If you're feeling that blinking red light that we talked about at the start of the hour, please, please hear me.

You are allowed to pause.

You are allowed to ask for help, and you are allowed to be more than just your job title this week.

I want you to look for one moment of knowing humor, one of those shared laughs that only people who work in schools truly understand, and let that laugh be your anchor.

You are doing work that matters in a way that matters, and for people who will remember you long after they've forgotten about the curriculum.

So go out there and be the resilient, thoughtful, incredible leader that your seat requires.

Promise you.

We are all rooting for you.

Thanks for being part of the work and thank you for spending your time with us.

We really appreciate everything that you do for your students and your community.

We will talk with you again next week.

That concludes another episode of youf Morning Boost, an AWB education production.

To find more incredible content, be sure to check out other amazing education shows, shows on the Forward Ed Network where they are truly advancing voices and shaping education.

Join us again next week.

Until then, keep boosting your impact.