Teaching is an extremely rewarding career. However, it is also extremely stressful. The stress of long hours and minimal pay can cause many teachers who were once enthusiastic to fall victim to teacher burnout. Teacher burnout can be prevented. Are you wondering how? Read the following tips on preventing teacher burnout.
Leave it all on the field
Teachers are often guilty of trying to do too much. After teaching for 8 hours, they come home and continue to work. Instead of spending this time with their families, they spend it doing lesson plans and grading papers. This will lead to teacher burn out.
Although teaching may be a big part of your life, it should never be your life. As the famous sport saying goes, you have to “leave it all on the field”. Give it all you’ve got in the classroom, but leave those worries in the classroom. To prevent teacher burn out, make it a rule to not take papers home. Develop a system that will enable you to do that.
Create a system
Not taking papers home sounds impossible, right? No, it doesn’t. You just have to develop a system that will allow you to get most of your work done during the school day. There are several ways to do this. One method involves doing the majority of your lesson plans during the summer or Christmas break. This will help to prevent both stress and teacher burn out by opening up valuable time for you during the school year.
Journaling and other forms of creative writing can help to relieve the symptoms of teacher burnout. Journaling can offer you a place to put all of those negative feelings. Journaling is a lot safer than discussing your woes with a co-worker because you don’t have to worry about things being repeated or negative remarks getting back to your boss.
Don’t be afraid to be different
If you dance to a different tune, don’t worry. There is nothing wrong with being different. You don’t have to stress over not fitting in with the rest of your colleagues. Our differences are what make each of us unique.
A lack of sleep can make you feel both physically and mental exhausted. This can make working even more difficult. Most people need 7-8 hours of sleep each night in order to perform at their best. If you are suffering from job burnout, getting enough sleep can give you the boost you need to push past those negative thoughts and feelings.
Exercise
Another way to prevent teacher burn out is to get up and get moving. Exercise can help to remove cortisol, the stress hormone, from your body. Exercise can also create a sense of well-being and help to alleviate the symptoms of burn out.
Have a support system
Have a system of support. Whether it is your family, friends, or colleagues, have people that you can talk to about your anxieties.
