TEACHER BURNOUT AND HOW TO AVOID IT

Burnout. It's something most teachers will face at some point in their careers. While this job is one of the most rewarding out there, it's also one of the most demanding. If you are going to find fulfillment in your career as a teacher, you are going to need to know how to identify and avoid, teacher burnout. Here are some issues that may lead to the dreaded teacher burnout: 

👉An extreme number of responsibilities above and beyond instruction 

👉A lack of administrative support 

👉Evaluation of teachers based on standardized testing scores 

👉Increasingly difficult student behavior with increases in frequency and severity 

👉Home lives of children that teachers cannot control 

👉A lack of personnel/proper staffing 

👉Forcing teachers to teach outside of area of expertise 

👉Inadequate prep time 

👉Extreme amounts of paperwork 

👉A lack of respect for the profession 

👉Challenging interactions with parents 

👉A lack of resources 

👉A lack of training for new initiatives and technology 

The warning signs are that you might find yourself rather irritable and quick to get angry. Feeling exhausted physically and mentally may cause a teacher to be antisocial and just not feel like going out. As well as that, the teacher may suffer from insomnia and a loss of appetite. And last but not least, there is the issue of "Brain Fog" meaning that you just can't pay attention to anything and put work off constantly letting it pile up.

How to overcome it?

When we put our teaching job into perspective, we often find that the profession has taken over lives which leads to burnout. It is paramount to find time for yourself: your family, hobbies, sport etc. Even with my school, my classes, my projects, videos, seminars etc I make sure I visit the gym 3 times a week and have at least a full day away from teaching. It's also a good idea to make sure that after a certain time in the evening, you put your work down even if it's not finished (so that's why some messages aren't answered immediately). Basically, you need to assess your workload and put it into a schedule. Here are some other ideas:

👉Talk to your boss about the workload, lack of resources or whatever. If your boss is half decent, you'll get the advice and support you need. If you do not, get out. Your health isn't worth it. There's always an option B.

👉Try to be more effective with your planning and marking so it takes less time. The first year or so will be heavy but if you find you're spending an hour planning a 90 minute lesson 10 years into the job, you need retraining. 

👉 Learn to say "no!" Yes, we want to save the world. But you can manage only a certain number of classes per day. If your boss gives you or even if you yourself take on responsibilities beyond your control, be confident and say no unless you're able to get large amounts of cash for it. Otherwise, don't bother. We can't be effective teachers if we're in a mental asylum. 

👉 Dealing with parents can be problematic. Many Russians get confrontational when challenged. Learn "Conflict Resolution" to settle a situation to get the parents onto your side. That would be a huge weight off your shoulders. Be confident too: chin up, shoulders back and chest out!

👉 If you find the topic, course etc is getting repetitive, take a step back and add a new twist to the course. That would keep the candle burning then. For me, monotony has been the killer. If your school insists on you following a strict plan, explain that your added ideas will raise student satisfaction, yours too and the results would be higher thus the reputation of you and your school goes up.

Can you think of any other ways to combat teacher burnout?

.... and many of you know who I am and my dedication to this job! And believe me, I have come close to quitting more than once! You are not alone!