Strategies for Managing and Preventing Teacher Burnout

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EdWeek Survey found that 25 percent of teachers said that job-related stress wanted them to quit the job. 16 percent dread going to school. Gallup survey also reported high daily stress in 46 percent of teachers.

This is due to the teacher burnout. This can cause negative impacts on the physical and mental health of the teachers which can also affect students. So, it is important to understand teacher burnout, its symptoms and strategies to avoid it.

Understanding Teacher Burnout

Teaching is a rewarding profession because it allows a human being to nurture young minds and help them become successful in life. But, this profession also brings emotional, physical and mental taxing to teachers.

When chronic work stress extends over a long period, it results in teacher burnout. It is not a momentary stress but physical and mental exhaustion that piles up for a long time, resulting in the decline of health and career satisfaction.

Causes of Teacher Burnout

There can be various causes of teacher burnout. Australian teachers reported that students' behavior, workshop culture, excessive workload, lack of resources and deadlines are the factors causing burnout.

Different studies have given other reasons too such as poor school funding, dealing with difficult parents, feeling underappreciated, lack of autonomy, not having enough time for planning and classroom behavior issues.

Symptoms of Teacher Burnout

Learners Edge describes some burnout symptoms such as exhaustion, change in appetite, quicker anger, low desire for social gatherings and high irritation level. It also adds some health issues such as foggy brain, dizziness, chest pain, headache, stomach ache and shortness of breath to the symptoms of teacher burnout.

Prodigy also points out some symptoms which are pessimism, lack of productivity, poor performance, forgetfulness and anxiety. Talkspace Therapist Reshawna also pointed out some symptoms which are gaining or losing weight, hair loss, and feeling overwhelmed or detached from the whole world.

Strategies for Teachers to Avoid Burnout

To avoid burnout, teachers should step forward and make some changes in their lives. What can they do? Well, let's discuss.

Self-Care Practices

Self-care can differ for every person according to their lifestyle and demands. But, some common practices are eating nutritious food, having a good sleeping schedule and doing exercise. There are different activities for stress reduction such as yoga, deep breathing, journaling and meditation that can help calm down the nerves of a person.

Moreover, teachers should dedicate time to the hobbies that they love. They should also take vacations now and then to tour with their friends and family. They should also take out “me” time from their schedule to spend some alone time with themselves doing their favorite activity

The Association for Psychological Science says that smiling enhances one's mood. So, teachers should practice smiling a lot in stressful situations.

 Time Management

Teachers can use the Pomodoro technique to work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 to 10-minute break. During that break, they can practice meditation or stress managing practices. Another technique is time-blocking. It involves giving a dedicated slot to one task such as lesson planning. This will give them a structured schedule to complete their tasks. Another technique is the Eisenhower Matrix in which they can prioritize important tasks.

Setting Boundaries

Teachers should set a boundary between their professional and personal lives. It means they should keep the school work at school. For this, they should learn how to say no to certain professional and personal work. Moreover, they should make sure not to work on weekends.

If they have to bring any work home for some reason, they should have a dedicated space and time for professional work at home.

Professional Support

They should talk to their seniors and peers about stress and issues they are facing. They should network with their peers to take their support and help on certain tasks. This networking will help them grow professionally and deal with their issues.

Support from Schools and Administrators

Schools should acknowledge their role in causing teacher burnout and take steps to resolve it. A 2022 research said that 71 percent of teachers spend their money on classroom resources because of a lack of funds from the school. So, the administration should take certain steps to give enough funds to teachers.

Also, teachers feel underappreciated because of their low salaries. For this, they have to do extra work to make ends meet. The administration should also raise the salaries of teachers to avoid burnout.

The 2022 survey also pointed out that more than half of the teachers don't have enough time for curriculum planning in the school. They also say there is a lack of autonomy in the curriculum. So, schools should make sure to not give extra work to the teachers and try to give them free work weekends. Moreover, they should allow flexibility and creativity in the curriculum.

Australian teachers pointed out about the negative workshop environment. So, schools should take surveys of their teachers to know where there is a need for improvement in their workshops and professional environment, and take steps accordingly.

Role of Parents and Communities

58 percent of teachers reported that there are classroom behavior issues in the students. They interrupt classes and don't follow the instructions. Some teachers also reported harassment and physical abuse from students.

In this scenario, parents and communities should play a great role in promoting positive behavior of students toward education. They should remain in contact with the teacher and address any issue their kid is causing in the classroom.

The community should also provide enough resources and workshops to students and teachers to help them in this scenario.

Utilizing Digital Tools and Resources

Various digital tools can help teachers in various ways. For example, there is educational software that enables teachers to monitor students' devices to know who is working and who is getting distracted. So, they can use it to manage their classrooms.

Moreover, class disturbance mostly occurs when students are getting bored. Low academic grades are also due to it. So, teachers can use interactive classroom kits such as Nearpod to integrate games, AI whiteboards, videos and interactive slides in the classroom.

They can manage their tasks and time through Trello or other task management tools. There are AI tools that can make their curriculum or lesson plans within a few minutes. This can save them time and energy in lesson planning and making curriculum. Some AI tools such as Learning Studio can make their whole online course within a few minutes, saving them from a lot of hustle.

Moreover, community forums can help them to interact with their peers and get their support. Different online platforms such as PDF Drive and Coursera can provide them with resources to develop professionally.

Case Studies and Success Stories

 Newton Leadership Program in Boston, Massachusetts aims to reduce teachers' burnout. For this, they are focusing on recruiting and supporting strong principals who can cultivate a positive school culture. In Chicago, there is a “Turnaround For Children” organization that works with different schools to give training to the principals and teachers. It is successfully reducing teacher burnout by promoting a positive school culture and training teachers.

Conclusion

In short, teacher burnout is a serious issue that shouldn't be taken lightly. Students, administration, parents and the community should play a great role in preventing teacher burnout or helping them come out of it. If every educational stakeholder acknowledges their responsibility and implements the strategies we discussed in the blog, teacher burnout can be avoided. So, all of you should take the necessary steps regarding this issue.