Teacher Burnout and How to Conquer it

Teachers are leaving the profession at historically high numbers.  Each year seems to get harder and more demanding.  Teacher Burnout has become a buzzword that describes the current state of overwhelm that teachers are feeling.  So how can we overcome this and stay in the profession we love?  We can't control a lot about our profession, but we can control our own selves and hopefully this post will give you some ideas to help you cope when you hit that wall. 

Teacher burnout is a real thing, and man, it hits hard. I’m in the middle of my 16th year of teaching and still, January and February came and smacked me in the face and I was left wondering why I even teach. Yucky weather, indoor recess, misbehaving and noisy students, grades, assessments, professional duties, new programs and requirements, it all piles up. And every year I seem to be completely destroyed by it. To top it all off, the end of January, I slipped while at our construction site for our new house. This slip totally messed up my knee and my ankle, forcing me to take some days off, which was nice at first. When I came back to school, I was on crutches for a couple of weeks. It’s not easy to teach when you can’t really walk around. It’s been about 5 weeks now and I still have to take breaks and rest my leg during the teaching day. Anyways, after a particularly hard week full of pain, crazy weather, indoor recess, and kids who seemed to have forgotten how to behave in school, I had a total meltdown. My dear husband told me “This happens every year, babe. It will pass. You just need to focus on your “why”.” My “why” at that moment was more like “Why am I a teacher? Its the hardest job ever!” When I settled down and came back to my senses a little, I decided he was right (he usually is…). I made a list of things that I’ve done in the past that have helped me get through the doldrums of winter that I seem to forget every year. I hope that these ideas can help you too.

Teacher Burnout Tip #1- Make a list of what makes YOU happy

    Try to make a list of at least 10 things that bring you joy.  That warm cup of Perk (or coffee)? Put it on the list.  The morning jam session on the way to work? Put it on the list.  Snuggles from your baby (even if you get them as you walk out the door like I do), put it on the list.  It doesn’t have to be about school, but it did help me to put some things like “an organized desk,” and “a clean classroom” on mine.  I’ve started making a list of three things each night on my notebook app on my phone before I go to bed.  

Teacher Burnout Tip #2- Do something just for you

     When I lived in the city, retail therapy was my number one “go-to” stress reliever.  I loved going by myself to Target, TJ-Maxx, really anywhere where I could be away from people I knew, and find something just for me.  I forgot how nice that is!  We’ve been living in a small rural town now for almost 5 years and the nearest major retailer is 90 minutes away.  I usually don’t go without my family, but when the stress really got to me, I hopped in my red truck and took off for the city.  The drive alone with my favorite music blasting was so therapeutic.  During the drive, the sun was setting and I pulled off the road to watch it and just breathe for a minute.  The closest store was a Walmart, but it still worked.  Something about wandering around with no rush and no one needing me was so nice.  I came back home with a much better attitude and a bunch of stuff we probably didn’t need, haha. Retail therapy might not be your thing, and that’s okay! Think back to what helps you relax like a spa day, reconnecting with nature, listening to your favorite music, or anything from that list you made earlier!  Another thing I did just for me is add some plants to my classroom.  They are there just for me and just because I love them.

Teacher Burnout Tip #3- Take a personal day or a mental health day (or two)

     I know writing sub plans is the worst, but hear me out.  When you are at the end of your rope, ie teacher burnout eminent, it is totally worth it.  It was so nice to write up plans and make copies knowing I was giving myself a long weekend. Give yourself permission to not do anything or go anywhere, or tackle some of those projects on your “later” list.  My husband and I used my day off to visit some open houses in the city for some decor ideas and we went to dinner.  So worth it!

Teacher Burnout Tip #4- Teach a lesson or unit you love to teach

We get so bogged down with requirements that sometimes we forget our passion for teaching.  The politics of education can quickly damper that passion.  I love to teach our unit on weather, so I bumped it up a couple of weeks.  It has been a good change for me and for my students!  I try to add in some art or a fun science experiment regularly.  Even if it is a draw-along video online, they still go crazy for it and it gives me a little break.

Teacher Burnout Tip #5- Go all-in at school

     This might not apply to you, but it definitely was something that was affecting my attitude and teaching.  I have adult ADHD and I was allowing my phone, my other email, social media, house plans, you name it to distract me from teaching.  I would try to only do those things when I was at recess or lunch, but my thoughts would spill over into instruction time, leaving me feeling like I had so much else to do and really getting negative about this job.  I’ve since refocused and have forced myself to only do teaching-related things during those breaks.  I’ve organized my desk space, worked on lesson plans, cleaned up areas that were turning into junk piles, and caught up on that long classroom to-do list.  I know that some of my issue was caused by not being able to move around and our learning moved mostly to online programs because I could check the student’s work and progress from my desktop.  Going back to being all-in with spelling, writing, hands-on reading centers has helped a ton.

Teacher Burnout Tip #6- Don't join in with the negative talk

    Teachers have to vent or I think we’d explode.  However, I was allowing so much negative talk to come out of my own mouth whenever someone would ask how things were going.  I’d usually say “I’m here,” or “I’m surviving, or “only one more day until Friday.”  Recently, I decided that attitude was feeding my drudgery.  I have started to say more positive things like “Im great!” or “It’s been a good day!”  You know the saying “fake it until you make it?”  Yeah. It works.  So do deep breaths when you feel like you're about to lose it.  When other teachers start complaining, either walk away, or just listen.  Then try to add some sunshine to the conversation.

Teacher Burnout Tip #7- Unfollow negative teaching accounts.

        Like you, I follow lots of amazing teachers on social media.  I follow some funny accounts that aren’t necessarily run by a specific teacher too.  I had to unfollow some of those accounts because some of the stuff they posted, mostly about teacher expectations, workload, salary, politics, etc, were a little too true and I found them dragging me down.  They started getting in the way of my joy of teaching.  Take time to clean out your social media feeds if you start to feel this happen to you.  I do have two accounts that I just love.  MyClassBloom has great classroom management tips and tricks.  She is great!  Also, if you teach younger grades, Leigh McNasty is hilarious.  Sometimes hits a little too close to home though haha.  

I hope that you can find some of these ideas helpful for you.  Our world needs good teachers who care about kids.  There are so many things pulling us away from the profession we love.  We became teachers for a reason.  We care.  We love.  We make a difference.  We can’t teach from an empty cup.  Please take care of yourself.  Do those things that make you happy.  Reconnect with your Why and your passion for teaching.  We need to keep showing up for those wonderful kids.  They are our future, and how lucky are we that we get to help shape that, class after class, year after year?  That is pretty amazing.  Hang in there, dear friends.  We can do hard things!