Teacher Burnout (Or how to deal with stress at school)

Experts are calling it a crisis.

Teachers all around the world are now talking about 'teacher burnout' as one of the major causes of job-quitting at schools.

Teachers describe burnout as 'hitting a wall'. You are no longer creative, you can't stand meetings (however long or short), planning becomes extremely tedious and evaluating unbearable.

REASONS

After talking to some teachers, we were able to identify some of the main reasons that get teachers stressed:

• Low salary

• Students' behaviour

• Workload

• Administrative Paperwork

• Interaction with parents

Another reason for burnout, although it was not extensively mentioned, was Lack of Professional Development and Lack of respect for educators.

How do you recognize a burnt-out teacher?

Absences, late arriving, fatigue, irritability are only some of the observable characteristics.

SOLUTIONS

If you are already burnout, consider planning ahead and avoid deadlines. This will surely decrease the levels of stress. Probably you have been in the teaching game for a while now and know the timing of each event and evaluation calendar to come. Organizing material, books and everything else you use on daily basis will certainly help as well.

Another interesting trend that has become very popular amongst teachers is mindfulness. Mindfulness is not obscure or exotic. It’s familiar to us because it’s what we already do, how we already are. It takes many shapes and goes by many names. We all already have the capacity to be present, and it doesn’t require us to change who we are. But we can cultivate these innate qualities with simple practices that are scientifically demonstrated to benefit us in many ways.

THE PRACTICE OF MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness helps us put some space between ourselves and our reactions, breaking down our conditioned responses. Here’s how to tune into mindfulness throughout the day:

1. Set aside some time. You don’t need a meditation cushion or bench, or any sort of special equipment to access your mindfulness skills—but you do need to set aside some time and space.

2. Observe the present moment as it is. The aim of mindfulness is not quieting the mind, or attempting to achieve a state of eternal calm. The goal is simple: we’re aiming to pay attention to the present moment, without judgement. Easier said than done, we know.

3. Let your judgments roll by. When we notice judgements arise during our practice, we can make a mental note of them, and let them pass.

4. Return to observing the present moment as it is. Our minds often get carried away in thought. That’s why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the present moment.

5. Be kind to your wandering mind. Don’t judge yourself for whatever thoughts crop up, just practice recognizing when your mind has wandered off, and gently bring it back.

That’s the practice. It’s often been said that it’s very simple, but it’s not necessarily easy. The work is to just keep doing it. Results will accrue.

To sum things up, we all know that teaching is stressful. No doubt about that. Learning how to deal with stress will make us better teachers.

If not, you can always change careers. Just forget about the amazing days off.

APP