Let’s face it, teaching is a stressful, exhausting job, and so, my very first blog post is all about recognising the signs that you are suffering from teacher burnout, and what you can do about it. But first, a little about me…
My name is Emma and I live and teach in the Southwest of Western Australia. I have been teaching for 11 years and teaching is my PASSION. I love children, I love teaching, I love everything to do with little people. With my passion for teaching, comes my love of creating and designing resources for my classroom and I hope to share some of my ideas with you throughout my blogging adventure.
I have four young children who are my be-all and end-all and without them, my life would not be complete. Although my life is complete, it is incredibly busy… but I like busy… The number one question I get asked is, “How do you do it all? How do you teach full-time, look after four children and manage a small business?” The answer… I don’t really know, I just do what I have to do. I am so incredibly lucky to have a career that I love and a beautiful, supportive family. But sometimes I do find I need to Just. Slow. Down.
3 Signs You Are Suffering From Teacher Burnout and What To Do About It
1. Hiding Out
So you have activities to prep before lunch is over, not to mention all the paint pots that need washing and putting away. You have student work to put on display and a pile of work to mark. You haven’t been to the bathroom all day and you haven’t eaten since 6am. You open your lunch, just as the bell goes for students to return to class… Or maybe you are super organised and have done all the above, but you would just rather hang out on your own in your classroom, purely to avoid people… and conversation. Maybe you have started avoiding social gatherings and that once-a-week coffee with your friend just seems like too much work. Does this sound like you? This may be one of the first signs of teacher burnout.
2. Becoming Overwhelmed
You are looking and feeling frazzled, even when you know you shouldn’t be. There are so many things on your to-do list, but just not enough time to do them. Maybe you are losing your patience with your students, when normally you can handle anything. You are short tempered with your students and family and you find yourself getting teary over the smallest things. Or perhaps you have reached the point where you feel like you just can’t do it anymore. Maybe you just aren’t cut out for this job after all… maybe you just aren’t meant to be a teacher. Do these thoughts ever run through your mind? Maybe you have had a bad day, or possibly you have become so overwhelmed with burning the candle from both ends. Teacher burnout is real!
3. The Passion is Gone
Your passion for teaching has fizzled. Your pizazz is no more. The sparkle in your eye is lost. You go to work each day because you have to (and let’s be honest, writing relief notes is more work than going to school). You greet your students with a fake smile and try your best to make your voice cheery, when in fact you just aren’t cheery at all. You have no desire to create interesting and engaging lessons anymore and you certainly don’t feel like going to your usual effort of finding a new, exciting way to display your students’ work. You leave work as soon as your last student has left the room. You find yourself not wanting to go to work and perhaps writing relief notes isn’t that bad after all. This is the total opposite of the usual you! You are suffering from teacher burnout and that is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of!
These are signs that you need to slow down and take some time out for YOU. You are a wonderful teacher and you and your students need you to be happy, inspiring and passionate. So what can you do to prevent or recover from teacher burnout?
- Ask for help. Don’t bottle your emotions up. Find someone you trust and talk to them. Sometimes other people can help put things in perspective or give you simple solutions. Talk to your principal or line manager and tell them how you are feeling. You will be surprised at how many people have been (or are currently in) your situation.
- Time Management. Have a schedule and stick to it. Decide on a time that you will leave school each day, regardless of whether you have finished your never-ending list of jobs. When you get home, REST. If you take work home with you, set a time limit and stick to it.
- Take some time off. Yes, sometimes it is worth writing up those relief notes! Rest, sleep, do nothing. THEN try to catch up on your to-do list. Mental health days are super important to help prevent or relieve teacher burnout.
- Find something you enjoy doing (outside of work) and do it regularly. Join the gym or fitness group, find a hobby or craft class, read a good book.
- Employ some extra help to get you on your feet again. Quite often there are University students frequenting Facebook groups offering services such as laminating, cutting and organising games and resources. Hire a cleaner to help you with your house duties.
- Become inspired again. Search Pinterest to get your spark back. Find something new to add that pizazz back into your classroom. Attend some Professional Development to freshen your mind and give you something to look forward to doing in your classroom.
Whatever it is that you choose to do to prevent burnout… do it! You became a teacher because it was your passion, so you owe it to yourself to get your sparkle back!
You might find these planning documents helpful in reducing stress and saving time:
Australian Curriculum Planning Templates
Australian Curriculum Grade Descriptors
Australian Curriculum Planning Tools
Australian Curriculum Student Assessment Checklists
