Teaching with bipolar

I am studying to be a preschool or Kindergarten teacher and I am really worried about how parents are going to react if it comes out I have Bipolar. I have only read one story in a book my therapist gave me that had a story of a teacher that had bipolar disorder. It never said much about him. Just that Mr.Y was a teacher with Bipolar disorder. I would like to talk to someone of about these fears but I feel no one would understand. If there is any other teachers here please help me. Have you had a problem about your bipolar coming out to parents and if so how did they react and if not how would handle it if it ever did come out.

You absolutely do not tell the school board or parents. Which means, you don't even tell a trusted coworker. People are ignorant and when it comes to "protecting" their children, they're rather stay that way than risk knowledge.

I had a biploar teacher at high school, and she even got really sick and had a meltdown in class one day and didnt come back for a term.

No one minded. She's still teaching there now. She was great. I work in mental health with bipolar,and I've met loads of teachers who I have worked with when they are unwell. There are people everywhere working who have mental illness! They just don't tell.

If your worried you could tell your boss your early warning signs, if you are concerned you'll act weirdly in front of parents.. That way they could give you a heads up, and if a parent did find out who gave a damn they could be reassured the situation is being well managed by you and your boss.

Personally I think a bipolar teacher would be great - Energy, inspiration, enthusiasm, creativity - just what kids need

Oh yeah I forgot, one of my friends is teaching with bipolar now. She even got hospitalised halfway through her training. Ones a nurse, ones a psychologist, I work in health, we all have bipolar. My friend who hears voices all the time is teaching too.

Your not powerless in this . Figure out your early warning signs, monitor your moods, take sick leave if/when you need it and get whatever support you need. You'll be fine - I'm sure you'll be a great teacher.

Bring on a future without stigma . Good luck with your studies

I don't know about this... Meaning, I agree with Cocoa... While there are success stories from those who teach and are bipolar, and they were accepted by others, me myself personally, I would keep it to myself because you do not know how people, more specifically parents, would respond. My daughter is going to the second grade. Now if I had known that her teacher in kindergarten or first grade were bipolar, I honestly don't know how I would respond. I know how I act, and I'm not saying everyone else with bipolar reacts the same. But, I just know that kids that age, they take a lot of patience. I would be worried about the teacher snapping one day or having a meltdown in class. If the teacher was medicated, I wouldn't mind at all. However, there are a lot of ignorant people who may not be as accepting as I am or someone else.

I know you asked for advice from other teachers, but I am a parent. Even though I have my own mental health issues, I do not 100% trust those who are bipolar UNLESS I know they are medicated and are stable. Other parents may not be as lenient...Being bipolar doesn't necessarily mean the person will do bad things, but again, everyone is not as accepting of this.... Look at posts on here from people who come out to their FAMILY and spouses and the reactions they get.... Some are bad. Now if my family or spouse doesn't accept me as I am, what makes me think a stranger will? If my family can be ignorant about bipolar, why not a stranger? You're rolling the dice with this one... It could go either way... If it gets out and people respond negatively, you will have to live with that...

I am a high school teacher and this will be my 27th year of teaching. Honestly, how and why would parents ever know you have bipolar disorder unless your symptoms are not under control or YOU tell them? Even in the event that you have to take a week to go inpatient (which I have done), the only people who have a need to know what is happening are your principal and perhaps a close teacher friend or two who can help the sub while you are away. I've had no problems whatsoever with principals or teachers who are aware of what is going on being anything but helpful and supportive. That doesn't mean you might not run into an idiot out there, so you do have to be careful and selective about who you discuss your condition with. That's just being smart.

I take my meds. I go to therapy. I stay well-behaved and don't take out my moods on my students in any way, shape, or form. I am completely professional at my job, so there really has been absolutely no reason for my bipolar illness to be known to my students or their parents. On the occasions I have taken a week for a hospitalization (has only happened 3 times in 27 years), we simply say I had a family emergency and leave it at that. No one has ever nosed around about it.

IF you are not taking care of your bipolar symptoms, are very unstable and have a tendency to be sporadic in your behaviors which might be an issue IN the classroom, I honestly would encourage you to consider a different profession. That will seem harsh to some, but my students are my priority and they deserve a stable, consistent, and professional teacher. I've been very fortunate that my bipolar illness has not found its way into my classroom; I've made very sure of that. If I was not able to perform in my job because of my illness, I am QUITE sure that my administrators would NOT be tolerant of that. Our students are our priority and good administrators are generally quite quick to nip potential teacher issues in the bud.

Will you be able to manage your bipolar symptoms consistently so that they do not in any way affect your effectiveness in the classroom or in any way detract from the learning and stable environment that your students deserve? If you can answer "yes" to that question, then you will be fine. If not, I STRONGLY urge you to get your bipolar illness under control before you step foot into the classroom. Will you do what it takes to maintain your mental health, including consistently following the instructions from your doctors and therapists? You can't play loose and impulsive with your meds and treatment if you are going to be responsible to all those little bodies in your classroom.

In this profession, the well-being of our students ALWAYS comes first. We have be able to function despite everything going on in our personal life. An inability to do that will be what causes problems with parents, students, and administrators. I've been able to manage my illness well so that it has not caused problems for me professionally, and I've known others to do the same. However, I've seen a few over the years who lost their contracts because of frequent absenteeism, inconsistent performance in the classroom, and behavioral/personality issues that caused problems with students, parents, and fellow employees. It can go either way and only you know your condition well enough to have a feel for how it will go for you.

As a parent dealing with bp and a bp spouse, I'd be concerned. Not for my child but for others school for some are their only form of consistency and caring they get in their life. Do not tell parents please. I've seen parents rip their kids from classes because it's a new teacher, or taught a younger/older class the year before. Imagine something w this much stigma. I'm not saying don't do it but just like any other life long disease you will have to stay on top of it.

I do not 100% trust those who are bipolar UNLESS I know they are medicated and are stable.

Just an fyi, I take offence to that, which is saying something as I'm not the offended type. God I hope I misunderstood...

I would not tell anyone ... why give an employer any reason to let me go.

Just my opinion.

Good luck with what you decide

Sometimes you have to trust people. I've never worried that I'd be "let go" from my job just because of my diagnosis. It takes much more than that to get rid of a teacher. I'm a good teacher, I have close friends that are supportive of me as I am of them at work, and it seemed only fair of me to be honest with them about what was going on. It wasn't something I pronounced to the masses; only a chosen few who I had no fear of telling.

You have to know the people you are working with and dealing with in order to decide what to share and what to keep silent. I have no fear of being "discovered" by my fellow teachers or really even by my students or their parents, though I don't offer that information to them so it really isn't an issue. I'm old enough and experienced enough and have a strong enough reputation and credibility in my profession that I really have no doubt that I would survive a big reveal, but it isn't something that I concern myself with really.

In my building we have a science teacher who has Tourette's Syndrome. He starts each year with explaining his symptoms to his students and their parents so they will understand what they are seeing when they see it. He has received nothing but respect and praise and understanding from his students and their parents. They are able to see that his qualities as an excellent educator are not eclipsed by his condition. I'm not quite that brave and that kind of educating of my students and parents about my condition hasn't been needed as they don't "see" my symptoms right in front of them, but I'd like to think that they would also respect my teaching and dedication to my profession and my students.

Chris ,

Im happy that you work in an enviroment that has allowed you to be honest ....
You have been blessed .

Not everyone is so lucky especially in this job market .
But as I said ... That was just my opinion

I taught for twenty years, elementary and middle schools, and I am taking a break now, but not because of the bipolar, I just need family time so I am looking for part-time positions.
You are not obligated to tell anyone about your diagnosis. I only had one trusted work friend who was also taking medications. Neither of us shared with anyone else.
Bluemountains

Oh me too and I am glad somebody said it first.

What matters is how one acts in the end, not what they put or don't in their body. ANd how would you check the person is medicated? Are you gonna stand there with them in morning to see if they take pills? Force them to take blood tests? *shrugs*

If person can keep their **** together and not take it out on others, then it's what matters.

I am not sure where you are based, but in the UK there is Government guidance surrounding the fitness of teachers. Bipolar is not an obstable to teaching as long as the condition is stable, but I do think you would have a responsibility to tell your employer if your condition is unstable and has the potential to impact on your work, the same as anyone else with a chronic condition (for example epilepsy, type 1 diabetes), particularly when you may have sole responsibilty for a a young age group.

Also in the UK there is the Equality Act which means an employer cannot discriminate against someone because of their health problem. I am not naive to think that smaller organisations do not look for the "healthiest" employee, but I do know larger organisations would be prosecuted if they were in breach of the legislation.

The benefits to sharing a health condition with an employer are that your employer could then be aware of any specific triggers that may impact on a health condition and ensure that there was sufficient support in place.

If a health condition was unstable and this was witheld from an employer, in this country that could lead to dismissal, not because of the health condition, but because the employee failed to be honest with their employer.

I know this is a difficult situation and I myself feel vulnerable within my own employment as no-one knows about my mental health struggles, but I think it is important that we do take responsibility for our ability to undertake our role, particularly if it is essential that we are able to make sound, rational decisions on behalf of others.

Heh, I had a problem with that statement too thought it absolutely out of place but, then I think that poster has bipolar? Maybe some kind of self loathing is how she motivates herself.

Trippen,

This is what I meant below.... I copied and pasted from FarmerGirl... If no one agrees with this, I don't know what to say. But this is how I feel. So we can agree to disagree. I copied and pasted her statement because for the most part it articulates what I meant....

IF you are not taking care of your bipolar symptoms, are very unstable and have a tendency to be sporadic in your behaviors which might be an issue IN the classroom, I honestly would encourage you to consider a different profession. That will seem harsh to some, but my students are my priority and they deserve a stable, consistent, and professional teacher. I've been very fortunate that my bipolar illness has not found its way into my classroom; I've made very sure of that. If I was not able to perform in my job because of my illness, I am QUITE sure that my administrators would NOT be tolerant of that. Our students are our priority and good administrators are generally quite quick to nip potential teacher issues in the bud.

Will you be able to manage your bipolar symptoms consistently so that they do not in any way affect your effectiveness in the classroom or in any way detract from the learning and stable environment that your students deserve? If you can answer "yes" to that question, then you will be fine. If not, I STRONGLY urge you to get your bipolar illness under control before you step foot into the classroom. Will you do what it takes to maintain your mental health, including consistently following the instructions from your doctors and therapists? You can't play loose and impulsive with your meds and treatment if you are going to be responsible to all those little bodies in your classroom.

In this profession, the well-being of our students ALWAYS comes first. We have be able to function despite everything going on in our personal life. An inability to do that will be what causes problems with parents, students, and administrators. I've been able to manage my illness well so that it has not caused problems for me professionally, and I've known others to do the same. However, I've seen a few over the years who lost their contracts because of frequent absenteeism, inconsistent performance in the classroom, and behavioral/personality issues that caused problems with students, parents, and fellow employees. It can go either way and only you know your condition well enough to have a feel for how it will go for you.

See the post above... Again, if nobody agrees, then lets agree to disagree.. My opinion which I stand by 100 %. I'm not saying you have to take meds... I will correct myself there... Meds aren't necessary for some, but for some people they may or may not needs meds. I don't know... It doesn't matter to me what anyone on here does... A Bipolar person needs to be STABLE. Read again: STABLE before I would trust them around my child. They may not necessarily need meds, but I stand by the stable part...

It was the medication part that is offensive.

And exactly what do you mean by stable?

Oh geez, this thread has got really full on.

It's bipolar. Monitor it yourself to retain your professionalism. If you can't, see someone who can. Tell your boss if it impacts on your work. If it doesn't, don't. I think you should go for gold with the teaching. If your a good teacher no one will care if your bipolar or not - its your work that counts not or diagnosis.

:/. Agreed. Most of my work has been unmedicated hypo manic / mixed episode work. Unstable, unmedicated but certainly not untrustable. I am very good at what I do.

Thank you for clarifying