The People Who Hold You UP: Why every Teacher needs a support system

Teaching is one of those jobs that will test you in ways you never expected. Some days, it feels like the most rewarding thing in the world. Other days, you question everything—your methods, your patience, your ability to make a difference.

And that’s exactly why you can’t do it alone.

I don’t know where I’d be without the people I get to call my colleagues (and, honestly, my friends). They’re the ones who remind me why I do this. They’re the ones who get it, who see the exhaustion in my eyes before I even say a word, and who show up for me in ways I never knew I needed.

Teaching is Hard. Friends Make it Easier.

It's pretty wild how making friends as an adult can seem nearly impossible. But when you're teaching, it just sort of happens. There's something about the shared chaos, the never-ending to-do lists, and the emotional ups and downs of the job that brings people together in a unique way. Only another teacher really gets how you have to juggle work and home life. And some days, it's tough to leave your personal stuff at the door so your students don't feel it.

The best teachers I know also happen to be the kind of people you want as friends—kind, patient, caring, resilient, and always ready to lift others up. These are the people who:

• Stay a little later with you to figure out why a lesson flopped, or tag team a parent meeting with you.

• Swap resources because “Hey, I made this, and I think it’ll help your class.”

• Bring you coffee and treats when they know you’ve been tired.

• Sit with you after a tough day and remind you that you are making a difference.

Ask for Help. Unload When You Need To.

Teaching can feel isolating if you let it. When students don’t perform the way you expected, when lesson plans don’t go as planned, when your students behave in a way that seems unmanageable, when the workload piles up—it’s easy to think, "Maybe I’m just not good enough".

But here’s the thing: You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to carry it all by yourself.

One of the best things I’ve learned is that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to say, “This isn’t working. What would you do?” It’s okay to admit when you’re struggling because, more often than not, someone else is too. And it’s okay to cry, and oh how I have cried on a shoulder or two.

The Ones Who Keep You Going

There are days when I really wonder if I can keep doing this forever. You know, those days when everything goes wrong, I feel like I'm letting myself down, my students down, and the whole system just seems impossible to deal with.

But every time I’ve felt that way, the people around me have been the reason I keep going. They remind me that one bad day doesn’t erase all the good. They remind me that I’m not alone. And most importantly, they remind me that teaching is bigger than just me—it’s a collective effort.

Find Your People

If you’re a teacher, find your people. The ones who will laugh with you in the staffroom when you desperately need a break. The ones who will push you to be better. The ones who will stand beside you, through every win and every failure. The ones who will message you even after working hours are over, just because they picked up during the day that something about you wasn't the same.

Because teaching is hard—but with the right people by your side, it’s also one of the most beautiful things you’ll ever do.

The Mocha Method:

To my teacher friends who became more: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know I wouldn’t be the same without you creating a safe haven to share my feelings, validating my emotions and experiences with your understanding and compassion, listening without judgment, and encouraging me to explore and express myself. And most importantly, for being my anchors, lifting me up when I falter, and reminding me that I am not alone.

Yours in education,

Tijanna