Amy was a good teacher. She loved her students and they loved her in return. She was kind and courteous and respectful. Her day started like all the others by greeting her students as they walked inside her class. As we chatted outside our respective rooms, a student walked down the hall with his hood on. Amy waved and politely asked him to take it off. He scowled at her and told her to fuck off! We looked at each other in amazement. I said I’ll call security and she took off after him. A few minutes later he started to run and she grabbed him by his hood.  That was the beginning of burnout for her.

She was written up for grabbing his hoodie. She was livid. She was told she crossed the line and didn’t have the right to grab a student. When we talked a few days later she said she didn’t care anymore. That took me back several years when I was chastised and yelled at by caring too much for expensive film editing equipment. Yes, there’s a difference but the outcome was the same – burnout.

When a teacher burns out they have to look at what they do and how they do it differently. What saved my life and my teaching career was team teaching. I got to share the immense workload with another teacher. I didn’t have to plan and grade and create content all by myself. I was thrown a lifeline and it was a game changer.

It’s not just teachers who suffer when they burn out; their students suffer as well. Their engaging and energetic teacher no longer exists. Lessons are planned on the fly, if at all. Grading is no longer done in a timely manner. This ruins the learning cycle where students have no idea if they mastered a skill. This is extremely frustrating for everyone involved because teachers want to teach and assess their student’s work. Yet, they simply can’t. I knew things were different after my contentious meeting and had no idea my anger and apathy would jeopardize my teaching and my students learning but it did. That’s one of my biggest regrets. If you think you may be burned out there are things you can do. Take a free test here.

Here’s what you can do

Pinpoint the cause. When you go to a doctor with a foot injury they ask how you hurt your foot so they know what to examine and what follow up questions to ask. You can do the same by writing down all the things that infuriate you. Was there a specific incident that made you give up? Knowing this makes a big difference because you can then deal with the anger and begin to decrease the apathy.

Do the best you can. It’s important that you cut yourself some slack. You’re going through a difficult time and berating yourself for not being able to do and be the teacher you once were is counterproductive. It’s okay to grade a few papers at a time. Or you can have your students exchange papers to grade. This saves time and energy which is a win for you.  Doing this was a game changer for me and my students loved having their papers graded in a timely manner.

Talk to your family and friends. They already know something is wrong before you do. This frees up the mental space you use trying to pretend everything is perfectly normal when it isn’t. Knowing you’re loved and supported allows you to relax and unwind instead of burning the candle at both ends. You can’t do and be it all which is perfectly normal.

Make time to rest and play. Doing things you love with those you love helps immensely when you’re stressed out at work. Knowing you get to do something fun gives you the will power to endure a difficult day or long week. We all need incentives to look forward to. Make a list of the things you love doing and then do them. It can be binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix or learning to crochet at your local craft store. These kinds of things help reduce stress which helps you relax. It’s super important to laugh as much as possible while battling burnout because it releases much-needed endorphins to quell the stress monsters. Kids aren’t the only ones who need play dates. Remember you get to have fun and enjoy your life!

Every teacher who enters the classroom will burn out at some point in their career.  You can make it through this difficult time if you learn to stress a lot less and get professional help when needed.

PS: Want more information? Download my ebook Burnout: 10 steps to extinguish the silent assassin here.