Are you experiencing teacher burnout?
Teaching can be can be stressful in an of itself.
Compound that with long hours, an especially difficult year, the constant pressure to make more than adequate progress, possibly a toxic work environment, and hinge it all on test results – and it’s a recipe for burnout.
Let’s talk about what it is, how it can affect not only your work inside the classroom but also your life outside, and the 7 major signs of teacher burnout.
I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher. My mom was a teacher, and education has always been a passion of mine. Early on in 2014, I knew that the first couple of years into teaching are always more difficult. I expected to be stressed, but I thought things would eventually get easier. Two years later, in 2016, I took a position at a new district and experienced a very toxic work environment.
The stress, long hours, and overwhelming amount work was affecting my health including clinched jaw, frequent headaches, and stomach issues. I was experiencing burnout. I tried techniques to reduce my stress in the classroom, and eventually I realized that teaching wasn’t for me.
Background on Teacher Burnout
The rate of employees experiencing burnout from their jobs is an increasing global problem. Recently, the World Health Organization declared burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” that can have adverse effects on our mental and physical health.
According to the Mayo Clinic, teacher burnout is “a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”
Chronic workplace stress can leave us feeling exhausted, filled with cynicism and negativity, and unfulfilled. Unfortunately, we live in a society that wears our “overworked” status as a badge of honor. Teachers are no exception to the rule. For an already demanding job of teaching, it’s important to know the warning signs of teacher burnout.
What Causes Teacher Burnout?
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