7 Signs You May Be Experiencing Teacher Burn-Out: The Myths That Cause It and How To Avoid It

The Signs

Teacher burn-out is a tremendous problem. If you’ve been teaching long enough you’ve probably encountered some form of it. These signs manifest in emotional, physical, professional, and psychological ways affecting teachers’ day-to-day health.

Chronic Fatigue and Exhaustion: You may feel constantly tired, even after resting, and drained of energy by routine tasks.
Loss of Passion for Teaching: Lessons that once inspired now feel like a chore, and you may start to question your effectiveness or purpose.
Emotional Detachment: Feeling disconnected from students or colleagues, with growing indifference or cynicism towards the job.
Increased Irritability and Stress: Small classroom disruptions or conflicts become increasingly frustrating, and you feel more stressed or irritable.
Decline in Job Performance: There may be a noticeable drop in creativity, willingness to try new methods, and an increase in procrastination or absenteeism.
Physical Symptoms: Physical issues such as headaches, sleep problems, or stomach discomfort often arise as a reaction to job-related stress.
Feeling Underappreciated: A lack of recognition from students, colleagues, or administration may leave you feeling undervalued.

How it Creeps Up: Propagated Myths

Myth #1 Good Teachers are Those Who Sacrifice All Else

The teachers who get a lot of recognition are those with powerful stories of transformation. They are prepared for any and every situation, live to teach students, are adored by students and parents, provide highly engaging lessons every day, and are always professional. This is the golden standard for many teachers in training, but this ideal is not realistic or sustainable. Sadly, these mythical teachers are championed as the standard.

Myth #2 Teachers Can Do It All

Teachers joined the field because they want to teach. However, the many other tasks not directly related to teaching soon leave teachers feeling overworked. Imagine if custodians were asked to check for bathroom passes of students in the hall during class time, or if counselors were asked to call parents of students that were failing once a week. Teachers are usually the default option of “floater” tasks, and are just expected to add another thing to their plate.

Myth #3 Great Teachers Require Sacrifice

Teachers are seen as responsible for many things so they can receive a lot of blame from parents, administrators, and students. Are you feeling overworked? Take some time off to recover, but contact your sub and provide sub plans that are meaningful and targeted for each class you teach. Are you feeling overwhelmed? It’s ok to take it easy for a while, but be ready to accept the consequences of any pushback from administration or parents. John’s mom says you should have made yourself available everyday after school for student tutoring before the test and your principal really needed you to teach your social emotional learning lesson for the day. Teachers are often asked to prioritize their well-being or professionalism for the sake of the other. To summarize I quote a hashtag often used by a colleague. #ImATeacherNotAMachine

How to Avoid Burn-Out

Set Clear Boundaries: Maintain a strong work-life balance by setting time limits for work and learning to say no to extra commitments. I do not check my work email at home.
Self-Care and Stress Management: Take care of your health through proper rest, exercise, mindfulness practices, and engaging in hobbies outside of teaching. Make time for it.
Time Management: Plan ahead and create efficient systems for grading and lesson planning to reduce last-minute stress. Rubrics save me a lot of time when grading. I’m only looking for certain things.
Focus on Student Connections: Strengthening relationships with students can rekindle your passion for teaching by bringing more meaning to your work. I find this to be one of my favorites.
Advocate for Yourself: Communicate openly with administration about your workload and explore opportunities for leadership or professional development to gain more autonomy. If you are lucky, you might have an administration that remembers what it’s like and is empathetic.
Take Breaks and Rest: Use prep time and personal days for rest, ensuring you take mental and physical breaks when needed. Don’t feel guilty when taking these days. It’s normal to take days off in many jobs. Think about supplying sub assignments you don’t plan on grading. It will save you effort when you return.
Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize and celebrate the small victories in your classroom, which can help shift your focus from the negative to the positive.
Change Environments: I had to change schools for my well-being. Shift your mindset from “fighting the good fight” when switching environments to “fighting a different fight”.