Teachers are only human, and they have “bad” days like everybody else.

How can they best deal with them?

This series will offer some ideas.

Many decades ago, I was lucky enough to have met a man who worked with Gandhi during the struggle for Indian independence. He told me, “The key to Gandhi’s success was that he looked at every problem as an opportunity, not as a pain in the butt!”

Remembering that advice has enhanced my life immeasurably, and I was able to apply it to my “bad” teacher days during my lengthy teaching career.

‘Enjoy a Special Breakfast’

Steve Reifman is a national-board-certified elementary educator, workshop presenter, and the author of several books, including his newest release, The Complete Guide for New Elementary Teachers (Routledge, 2025):

No matter how much we may love our jobs or how committed we are to serving the children in our care, bad days are going to happen. There are some concrete steps we can take to minimize the impact and come back strong the next day.

Keep things in perspective. After a bad day, it’s natural for our minds to focus on the negative and even take a virtual trip down a slippery slope. When this happens, it is important to step back, look at the big picture, and realize that everyone has days like these. Try not to give these experiences undue weight or be too hard on yourself.

Choose a replacement thought. If you find yourself replaying certain negative thoughts or episodes in your mind, quickly replace them with a positive memory from the day. While negative thoughts may pop into our heads, we don’t need to allow them to live there rent-free. If, for example, a child’s behavior was extremely disruptive throughout the day, think instead about the kind gestures, noteworthy efforts, or terrific work of other children.

While choosing a happy thought unrelated to work (e.g., soaking up the ocean breeze in Maui) can also be effective, opting for a school-related replacement thought enables us to keep a positive association with the place where the bad day occurred.

Mine the day for learning opportunities. Sometimes, we can inadvertently plant the seeds of a bad day through our actions and decisions. For example, significant off-task behavior can quickly appear during a science investigation due to an ineffective lesson plan. Or an issue with a colleague might arise because we forgot to contact that person in advance about a special situation or change in our schedule. If we are able to identify our possible role in a given matter, we can take responsibility for our actions and vow to do better the next time we find ourselves in a similar situation.

Treat yourself! Before you go to sleep, plan to do something nice for yourself the next morning. Enjoy a special breakfast, chat over coffee for a few minutes with a colleague, or play your favorite songs as you prep your classroom for the day ahead. That will put a happy thought in your head, perhaps help you sleep better, and give you something to look forward to. You deserve it!

‘Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First’

Alicia Meyers is a 2nd grade teacher in the District of Columbia, with over 16 years experience in Title I schools, and the author of The A-to-Z Teaching Toolkit (Routledge, 2025) and Tic-errific Me (Free Spirit, 2026):

As educators, we’ve all experienced a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day similar to Alexander in that timeless picture book. In a career focused on partnership, relationship, connection, and empathy, days like this will inevitably come—but what matters is how we work through them. Consider these four ways to process and bounce back from a “no good, very bad day.”

Put on your own oxygen mask first. Before every flight, we hear, “Should an emergency occur, please put on your own oxygen mask first before helping those around you.” This is no different in the sphere of education where we carry the weight of every child around us. When experiencing a bad day, first try to pause and put on your own oxygen mask before tending to others around you. You can do this by closing your eyes, taking deep breaths, counting to 10, or taking a quick walk before addressing the situation.

Talk kindly to yourself. The words we say to ourselves decide which way our mind is going to go. Think about how you can flip the script from negative to positive self-talk, acknowledge the difficult situation, and affirm who you truly are in the midst of it. The simple flip of a script can change the way we interact with ourselves and the way we interact with others. For example, if the root of your bad day is because of a mistake, say, “I made a mistake. I’ll try again tomorrow. I am persistent.”

Rebalance and set boundaries. It’s OK to walk away from tasks that aren’t time-sensitive. Do you have a hard stop time to leave school? An environment where you will or won’t take work beyond school walls? Many tasks can be a “tomorrow problem” and done later, after you’ve taken care of your physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Implement self-care strategies. It can be incredibly difficult to manage after-school stress and not take it home with you. But when we carry that stress, the people we love can’t get the best version of us. Just like we teach our students, having a collection of de-escalation or self-care strategies can help us process a bad day. My personal favorites are:

• Calling a friend, family member, or therapist
• Cooking a healthy meal
• Cuddling with a pet
• Decluttering a space
• Doing a creative activity
• Exercising (walking is my go-to!)
• Getting a massage
• Journaling
• Listening to music, a podcast, or an audiobook
• Meditating
• Sitting outside to get fresh air
• Taking a hot bath
• Taking a nap
• Watching a television show or movie

We all have “no good, very bad days.” How will you choose to take care of yourself and be kind to yourself as you work through them?

‘Fresh Starts’

Meghann Seril is a national-board-certified teacher, a 5th grade teacher, a new-teacher mentor, and an educator leader for the California Educator Diversity Action Network. She was selected as a 2022 Los Angeles County teacher of the year:

I’ve had a few “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days” in my teaching career. My principal came in for a surprise observation at a moment that my classroom was chaotic. I received an email from a parent that made me question all my instructional decisions. Or worst of all, I forgot my laptop at home.

The first thing I do is take a deep breath. I practice daily mindfulness with my students, and I must remember to use the strategies we practice myself. If I’m lucky to be on a break, I leave my classroom and go for a quick walk and get some sunshine to reset. I have a wall by my desk where I hang photos, artwork, and letters from my students and families. I keep these as a reminder to myself that one bad moment does not negate years of positive memories.

I use positive self-talk and remind myself that “this too shall pass.” If I need to get it out of my system, I have a quick vent session. I typically go to a trusted colleague and limit myself to no more than five minutes. Oftentimes, my friend will tell me about their own bad experience, offer kind words of encouragement, or even help me solve the problem. It’s always helpful to know that you’re not alone and that even the most seasoned teacher has had their own ups and downs.

When it’s time to face the issue or tackle the problem, I try to do so with a clear head and objective outlook. I accept constructive feedback and I look for opportunities to improve. After the lackluster classroom observation, I had a debrief with my students about how we have the power to make wise choices and that we should support each other so everyone can do their best learning. This resulted in a more cohesive and peaceful classroom community.

Before I answered that parent email, I talked with a colleague for advice and I checked in with my principal, so I knew she had my back and supported my instructional decisions. After opening a dialogue with the parent, I was able to address their concerns while maintaining my integrity. And teaching without my computer … this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was more present with my students, and it was nice to do things “old school” for a change.

At the end of every school day, I meet my students at the door and give them an elbow bump on the way out. As they leave, I compliment them for their hard work, give them reminders about homework and studying, and when they’ve had a bad day, encourage them that tomorrow is a fresh start. We all get to have that fresh start, so don’t let one bad day get you down!

Thanks to Steve, Alicia, and Meghann for contributing their thoughts.

Responses today answered this question:

All teachers sometimes have “bad” days. When those happen, what are your strategies for not making it worse and for recovering from them?

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on X at @Larryferlazzo or on Bluesky at @larryferlazzo.bsky.social

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