
You're not failing. The system is.
Every Sunday night, you feel the dread building. Every morning, you force yourself into that parking lot. You've won awards, inspired students, and given everything to your profession—so why do you feel so broken?
If you're a teacher struggling with exhaustion that summer break doesn't fix, cynicism that surprises you, or the haunting question of whether you can do this for one more year, this book will change how you understand what's happening to you.
Teacher trauma isn't about being weak. It's about working in conditions designed to break you.
Drawing on eight years of clinical work with hundreds of traumatized educators, former teacher turned therapist Linda Thompson, MEd, LCSW, exposes the hidden mental health crisis affecting America's 3.2 million teachers—and provides the roadmap for surviving it.
Inside, you'll discover:
Why your brain is literally rewired by teaching stress—and what that means for your symptoms The difference between normal stress and occupational trauma (and why most teachers have crossed that line without knowing it) Boundaries that protect you without making you a "bad teacher" (despite what guilt tells you) How to maintain compassion for students without emotional depletion that leads to numbness When to stay, when to modify your role, and when leaving is the healthiest choice—with practical guidance for each path Why individual coping strategies, while necessary, will never be enough—and how to advocate for the systemic changes that would make teaching sustainableThis isn't another self-care book telling you to try yoga. This is an honest examination of what teaching does to your mental health, why those effects aren't your fault, and what actually helps when your profession is traumatizing you.
You've spent your career caring for everyone else. It's time someone cared for you.
"Finally, a book that doesn't blame teachers for struggling in impossible conditions. Thompson validates what we've been experiencing and provides actual strategies that work."
— Sarah Martinez, 4th Grade Teacher
"I wish I'd had this book ten years ago. It would have saved me years of thinking something was wrong with me instead of recognizing the system was broken."
— Marcus Williams, Former High School Teacher
Your mental health matters. Your career can be sustainable. And you deserve a profession that doesn't destroy you.
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