Breathe in healing. Breathe out burnout. As the academic year enters its most demanding stretch, Educate and Exhale is proud to announce its upcoming virtual wellness conference, “Spring Revival: Rest and Renew.” Designed specifically for teachers, administrators, and school staff, this online event offers a science-backed sanctuary to help educators shift from “survival mode” back into balance.
The teaching profession is currently facing unprecedented levels of chronic stress. Unlike traditional professional development that focuses on classroom management or curriculum, Spring Revival addresses the root cause of educator fatigue: a dysregulated nervous system. The conference focuses on somatic practices and physiological resets that allow educators to manage the “fight or flight” response triggered by the high-pressure school environment.
“Educators are the backbone of our society, but they are currently working on empty,” says Cassandra Washington, Founder of Educate and Exhale. “We created Spring Revival because a regulated teacher is the most powerful tool in the classroom. By focusing on nervous system health, we aren’t just helping teachers feel better
Join us on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Attendees receive 3 CPDU credits and a wealth of information to support their wellness journey.
Session Descriptions
The “Spring Revival” experience includes:
Expert-Led Workshops: Sessions on the Vagus Nerve, somatic experiencing, and stress-cycle completion.
Restorative Practices: Guided breathwork and mindfulness tailored for the busy school day.
Community Connection: A virtual space for educators to share experiences and build a supportive network.
The Educator Toolkit: Practical, 60-second regulation techniques that can be used mid-lesson to maintain calm.
Registration is now open for the March 28, 2026, event. To make wellness accessible, the conference is fully virtual, allowing participants to join from home. Early bird pricing is available until March 1, 2026.
For more information about Educate and Exhale or to register for Spring Revival: Rest and Renew, please visit https://educateandexhale.com.
Do You Need PD Credits?
Continuous Professional Development Units (CPDUs) are available to participants.
Register Here
To register for the Educate and Exhale wellness conference for educators, click on this link.
About Educate and Exhale
Educate and Exhale is a wellness platform dedicated to educators’ emotional and physical well-being. By merging the science of the nervous system with heart-centered advocacy, Educate and Exhale provides the tools, community, and permission teachers need to prioritize their own health in a demanding profession.
I’m here to talk about stress and burnout and stories from people I know who were or are currently school administrators, including myself. I was once a principal, but what I hear is alarming, and I can speak for something that I did that should have been alarming to me, too. I’m hearing stories about how people do not listen to their bodies.
The Job is Stressful
We know that this job is stressful. School principals, assistant principals, district administrators, and even classroom teachers are feeling the weight of stress these days, and they are walking out the door. We have to take care of ourselves, but our districts will not do it. No one’s going to do it for us. We have to save ourselves.
Teach and Take Time for You was named a Top Education Blog by FeedSpot.
Stories from the Trenches
I will tell two stories about three principals I know who did not listen to their bodies. One person was an elementary principal at the time. He was in his office when he began to hyperventilate and get chest pains. He told the school secretary, “I’ll be back.”
So, he gets his coat, gets in his car, and he drives to the ER because he thinks that he’s having a heart attack. He’s having every symptom of a heart attack, but he drove himself to the ER and found out it was anxiety. Afterward, he left the hospital and drove himself back to the school. When he entered the school office, the clerk asked what was happening. She said, “You know you don’t look that great!” He told the clerk, “I drove myself to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack.” Unbelievable, but true!
No Time to Heal
That’s one story, and now it’s time for another story. The second story that I
I heard another principal discuss something similar in nature. She was sitting at her desk, and she had just finished a meeting, and all of a sudden, she started to have chest pains. Like the first story, this principal leaves the school. However,
she leaves and goes to the doctor, not the ER. She leaves the doctor’s office and returns to work the next day. Fortunately, she did not have a heart attack, but she didn’t take any time to heal either. Most likely, this principal had an anxiety attack. Again, another educator is not following or ignoring their body. Your
body tells you when it is breaking down. Your body is the receptor of the stress. Your body keeps counting or scoring the dings from stress.
Am I Having a Stroke
So, I want you all to start paying attention to your body. I am guilty of not paying attention. One day, I woke up with the worst headache of my life. I mean the worst headache of my life! I was talking on the phone to a friend who was also a principal, and she said you really should go to the ER. I told her I would be okay, and I went to work. During my drive to work, she continued to call and said, “Please get your blood pressure taken.”
I stopped at a walk Walgreens store on the way to work. Meanwhile, on the way to work, I’m getting blurred vision. I’m getting to the point where I can’t even think straight enough to stop in the pharmacy to have my blood pressure taken.
The pharmacist took my blood pressure, and it was 199 over 120! I was possibly having a stroke, but what did I do? I continued on my way to work. Upon arriving at my school, I called my primary care physician. Next, I drove myself to the doctor. However, I should have driven myself to the ER. By the grace of God I was I did not have a stroke, but I was on my to be a victim, a statistic, or a corpse.
Listen to Your Bodies
I did not listen to my body, but I learned some things about life and had to make important career decisions. My dear educators, please start listening to your bodies. They tell you when they’ve had enough and will sit you down. Otherwise, you will end up in the grave. You have to prioritize your health and wellness.
Take it from me; take it from those stories you just read. I learned to recognize the signs of too much stress and its effects on my body. Take the time to recognize what doesn’t feel right. If it persists, make an appointment to see your primary care physician or a specialist. Begin journaling your thoughts and how your body responds to certain situations or tasks. Seek counseling if the burden is too heavy.
Reach out to me and let me know you know your story. Tell us a time you ignored your body. Next, let’s advocate for educator wellness and make our voices heard. Join Exhale and Educate: Educators’ Wellness, a new online community for educators to collaborate, discuss, and problem-solve how to advocate better for teachers, school administrators, and district educators to live healthier lives and improve teacher retention rates.
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First-Year Principal
Did you get the job? Yes! You did it! Congratulations, because you now have your first principal contract. You’re happy, your family is happy, and your checkbook is happier. The new position is everything you worked hard for, but life as you know it is about to change. The intent is not to scare you but to give an honest view. Here are a few life changes for a first-year principal.
Being a school principal is a noble job and comes with significant responsibilities. It comes with successes, but also comes with struggles. The first one or two years are the most difficult because you’re getting the lay of the land. The struggles vary for each person depending on their previous experience.
If your previous experience includes time as an assistant principal, you have a bird’s eye view of the leadership role. You may have leadership experience, but you’re coming from another district where things are done differently or policies are different. Or, you may be a first-year principal coming straight from a classroom environment. All journeys to the principal’s office are not the same.
Personal and Professional Struggles
A first-year principal will experience both professional and personal changes. Early on, I recognized that the school principal’s job was lonely. I had many struggles, and you will, too. It’s normal to begin a new job, but the first few months may be bumpy.
At times, you will question your decision to accept the job. As a first-year principal, I often asked myself two questions, “Why am I here?” and “What just happened?” You’ll question your leadership, decisions, skills, knowledge, and intuition.
Other times, you will recognize how little time you have for your personal life. My social life was almost nonexistent during my first year in the role. Long hours at work and driving home in rush hour traffic exhausted me. Then, there were after-school and extracurricular activities that had to be attended by an administrator—some of the activities ended after 7:00 pm or 8:00 p.m.
Twelve—or 13-hour days are not unusual. Many principals and assistant principals discuss their regret for missing their children’s events. First-year principals, the struggle between work and life balance is a huge life change.
Physical and Emotional Wellness
Sleep is a fantasy
Another life change is you will never sleep like a baby again. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average adult needs at least seven hours of sleep each night. However, the average American gets 5.7 hours per night.
With the stress of the principal role, a whole night of sleep is now a fantasy. The job is now in control of your mind. While everyone else snores in your house, your eyes are wide open. The projects, reports, meetings, emails, and other work-related stuff are on your mind.
Ideas, plans, and changes run through your mind’s eye. The clock keeps ticking: one o’clock, two o’clock, and three o’clock. Finally, you fall asleep, and the alarm goes off at six o’clock in the morning. The first-year principal runs on fumes.
Sleep is evasive for a first-year principal. Photo by Toa Heftiba on Upsplash.
The Freshman Fifteen
Another life change for a first-year principal is the “Freshman 15.” Just like in college, you gain weight during the freshman year. Well, get ready for 15 or more pounds around the middle. The stress of the job will take its toll on your eating habits and exercise routines. Unfortunately, school administrators rarely have time to sit down and eat lunch. Often, they scarf down their meals in five minutes or grab a bag of chips.
Eating the wrong types of food, like unhealthy snacks, fast food, sugary drinks, and too much caffeine, causes your body to break down. When you visit the doctor, don’t be surprised that your blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels are out of whack. Don’t get angry when nothing in your closet fits anymore.
Time Management is Your Friend
The third life change for the first-year principal is that your time is no longer your own. Kiss your personal life goodbye. Work starts early and ends late. Sometimes, work never ends for a first-year principal. You don’t know if you’re coming or going. Meetings and events happen before and after school. Eating breakfast or lunch is a luxury. You’re like the Walking Dead. Between no sleep and no time, life as you know it is over.
You must develop a schedule or routine. Otherwise, you will burn out fast. My school secretary was a godsend because she kept me on track, made meeting appointments, and updated the calendar. Each morning, she reminded me of any scheduled events or meetings. The school secretary is a vital person in your life and your first line of defense.
You’re Always Putting Out Fires
The following life change is you are now a fireman. A first-year principal constantly puts out fires. Throw much of the theory you learned in your leadership courses. Yes, theory matters, but real life hits harder. There’s truth in the trenches.
Now you’re responsible for a school building with hundreds of students, including staff members and much much more. Theory cannot prepare you for all the stuff that happens daily. Stuff happens all day long. Put on your comfortable shoes and gear. Handle the business and learn to delegate!
Delegating tasks is essential; however, building relationships is a priority. You will face organizational challenges during your first year as principal and need help tackling everything. Build relationships and trust among staff members so they feel included in the decision-making process.
Building relationships means getting to know your staff professionally and personally. Learn their skill levels, passions, and what makes them tick. Next, learn to delegate based on what you’ve learned. Keep communication lines open so they feel comfortable discussing their ideas, suggestions, and concerns. Also, share your goals with the staff and be explicit. Remember, you are all in this together.
The Buck Stops with You
One more life change for a first-year principal is that your name is called more than you ever wanted to hear. “Please stop calling my name” is a statement you want to shout to the rooftops. Everyone wants to speak to you about something: the kids, parents, teachers, janitors, school engineers, community members, etc. Your calling card is always full.
Life would be easier if you went to your office and closed the door for peace. However, you can’t hide! Some will even follow you into the bathroom while you do the pee-pee dance. Life as you knew it is over.
Conclusion
Despite the life changes for a first-year principal, it’s an opportunity to learn and change lives. The year is filled with emotions as you acclimate to your new responsibilities. Be sure to take one day at a time. Learning is not an event. It is a process. Your first year as a principal is part of your learning process. It will be overwhelming, and sometimes you may want to quit. Therefore, set goals, adjust as necessary, and stay the course.
Don’t be discouraged because of the many mistakes you are about to make. Find a mentor! Furthermore, many experienced principals can tell stories of their pitfalls, bad decisions, and more. However, they learned from the errors and kept going. As a first-year principal, don’t be afraid to reach out to the ones that came before you. Congratulations on your new gig!
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