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Hi, Vanessa,
I just spent a few quiet days this week in West Texas, stargazing under skies that don’t believe in light pollution or hustle culture, and doing fun, silly things during the day like going to check out the art in Marfa and hiking in Fort Davis.
There’s a kind of peace that settles into your bones when you step away from noise—when no one needs anything from you, and the sky just… holds you.
A friend once called it “a place of safety for an overworked nervous system,” and that feels right. It wasn’t an escape. It was a reminder of the importance of time alone without the crush of responsibilities. That stillness is a need, not a luxury. Especially for those of us who’ve been told our value lies in productivity. Who are we kidding here? Teachers have been told our value only lies in our hyper-productivity!
So if you’ve been running on fumes lately, here’s your nudge to find five minutes (or five days) to not be needed. Just to be.
What Captain America Can Teach Burned-Out Teachers
It starts with a shield. But it’s never really about the shield.
In this three-part podcast series, I’ve been drawing unexpected parallels between the journey of Captain America and the lived reality of teachers on the edge of burnout — not because I think any of us are super soliders, but because sometimes, a story gives us language for the ache we haven’t been able to name yet.
Let’s start where most education PDs love to start: with purpose.
Or more specifically — with how “purpose” has been turned into something…else.
🛡 When Purpose Gets Hijacked
(Episode 277: You Didn’t Become a Teacher to Be a Babysitter)
You’ve heard it before: “Know your why.”
And listen — I’ve got no shade for Simon Sinek. The man makes great points. But education has a long, ugly history of turning great ideas into guilt trips.
“Know your why” becomes “Work harder for less because you’re supposed to care about kids.” It becomes “Do it for the kids” when your boundaries are shot, your health is tanking, and your paycheck is an insult.
Episode 277 tackled this head-on — using Captain America: The First Avenger as a frame.
Before the serum, Steve Rogers was small, underestimated, and overlooked — but what made him worthy wasn’t muscle. It was heart. Strategy. Values. He didn’t want glory. He wanted to do what was right.
But once he becomes Captain America, the system hijacks him.
He’s paraded on stages. Turned into a symbol. Cheered but silenced. Powerful, but powerless. What’s painful is that he knows it. You can see it in his eyes. He even draws himself as a monkey on a unicycle after one show.
That’s what happens to so many teachers. You show up with love and skill, and suddenly you’re just a pawn in someone else’s agenda.
You didn’t sign up to be a babysitter or a talking point. You signed up to matter.
And if you feel like the system twisted your purpose into just another performance — you’re not broken. You just woke up.
🛡 When Systems Betray Your Integrity
(Episode 278: The Winter Soldier is a Blueprint for Burned-Out Teachers)
There’s a chilling moment in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when the truth is whispered, not shouted:
“S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised.”
That line lands hard — because it’s not just about spies and secrets. It’s about realizing the mission you gave everything to is no longer what you thought it was.
Steve Rogers doesn’t turn into a rebel overnight. He asks questions. He gets half-truths. He feels the shift before he can name it. And when the elevator doors close and the betrayal tightens around him, he doesn’t lash out. He warns:
“Before we get started… does anyone want to get out?”
Because he still believes in choice even when others have stopped believing in him. So many teachers have lived that moment in slow motion.
You walk into meetings and feel your gut tighten.
You hear policies that contradict your ethics.
You watch colleagues comply out of fear — or worse, become the enforcers of things you once stood against.
And the hardest part?
You remember when this job felt like your calling.
Burnout isn’t just about tired bodies. It’s about betrayed values.
It’s what happens when the thing you loved becomes the thing you can’t trust.
And once you see the rot and once you realize the problem isn’t you, there’s no going back.
But that’s not the end of the story.
🛡 What Comes Next
Next week, I finish the trilogy.
We’ll talk about what happens when your clarity costs you community.
When your moral compass leads you into conflict - not with villains, but with people you once stood beside.
When “right” and “also right” tear good people apart.
It’s not easy.
But it’s real.
And it’s exactly where so many educators are standing right now.
Here’s the good news: there’s a kind of gratitude on the other side of the fracture.
Not the performative, “I’m just happy to be here” kind. The real kind — the kind that says:
“I’m thankful I can still feel. I’m thankful I can still care. I’m thankful I haven’t gone numb.”
Hold onto that.
Because that quiet refusal to go numb and give up?
That’s where your real power lives.
THE LATEST PODCAST EPISODES
🎙️ If you’d like to hear more, check out the podcast for the full story!
Check out the podcast homepage HERE to catch up on these episodes.
UPCOMING RESOURCE
You’ve probably noticed the avalanche of Black Friday emails promising “once-in-a-lifetime” deals every six minutes.
We’re not doing that here.
🎁 Coming in December: The 12 Gifts from Teachers in Transition
Instead of pushing a flash sale, I’m giving you something slower, deeper, and more soul-filling: a season of support.
Throughout December, you’ll receive 12 printable gifts — tools, reflections, and clarity prompts — designed to help you:
- Reflect on where you’ve been
- Reclaim what matters most
- Reimagine what comes next
These aren’t just feel-good freebies. They’re part of your Teacher’s in Transition Toolbox — small, mighty, and meant to guide your next steps.
✨ Think permission slips, mindset resets, and career clarity helpers.
And the best part? No pressure. No pitch-fest. Just useful, soulful support.
Starting next week, each podcast episode will include a few of these “gifts” for download — and by the end of the month, you’ll have the full set to keep, revisit, and build from. I’ll make sure to include the links here in the newsletter too.
Stay tuned. We’re going to make December feel a little less like a hustle — and a lot more like hope.
I'D LOVE TO CONNECT!
📧 Email me at Vanessa@teachersintransition.com
📱 Leave a voicemail or text at 512-640-9099
📅 Schedule a free Discovery Session with me: https://teachersintransition.com/calendar
🌐 Visit the website: https://teachersintransition.com
📸 Follow on Instagram + Threads: @teachers.in.transition
📘 Like the Facebook page: Teachers in Transition
Vanessa
P.S. You don’t need permission to want more.
If your gut’s been whispering that something’s not right — listen to it.
And if you’re not sure what it means yet, that’s okay too.
Hit reply and let me know you'd like to talk. I’d be honored to hold space for that with you.
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