What is Teacher Burnout?

Introduction

"Teacher burnout" is a phenomenon that has been gaining attention in education circles, with articles and blogs popping up everywhere. But what exactly is teacher burnout? 

And if you are scrapped for time, as I anticipate you are as a teacher, check out the Extra Resources at the bottom for specific resources to help you right now with stress management. Plus, my Free Teacher Burnout Guide is waiting for you at the end of the article!

Teacher burnout is a state of exhaustion, frustration and cynicism resulting from working in an environment that has become extremely stressful.

Burnout is a state of exhaustion, frustration and cynicism resulting from working in an environment that has become extremely stressful. But, what causes burnout?

According to the American Psychological Association, there are four main factors that cause burnout:

• Work overload - teachers have too many responsibilities
• Insufficient support - teachers feel unsupported by administrators, parents or other adults at school
• Personal issues - teachers are dealing with issues outside of work (for example, financial issues or caring for an elderly relative)
• Job meaninglessness - teachers don't feel like they're making a difference at school

Burnout is caused by chronic stress

Stress is a natural part of life and can be caused by any number of factors. Stress is often associated with work, but personal and family issues can also contribute to it. Stress becomes burnout when teachers are cycling through stress over and over, creating a chronic loop of stress, overwhelm, and non-support. The most common signs of burnout are feeling tired all the time, having trouble sleeping, experiencing digestive issues, and having feelings of depression or anxiety.

There are many things that can cause stress at work that may contribute to teacher burnout:

• An increase in workloads
• A change in your job description or duties
• Working in an environment that isn't supportive
• Trying to fill the gap between what you are able to do and what you, the school, the students, the parents think you "should" do.
• Too much grading, not enough time
• Working in and out of the classroom, so that you are never able to truly rest
• Feeling guilty about not getting everything done
• Student stress
• Compassion Fatigue

Teachers are at risk for burnout because their jobs are stressful.

Teachers are at risk of burnout because their jobs are stressful. As seen from the list above, there are so many stressors that come with teaching.

The average teacher has to deal with a lot of stress, especially if they’re trying to balance their professional and personal lives. Teachers are also under more pressure to perform well in the classroom, and many work long hours outside of school as well. In addition, teachers have to deal with administrative paperwork, grading, lesson planning, and parent emails/conferences, which can be overwhelming when you have so much on your plate already.

The added pressure of engaging your students every day, no matter how you are feeling, can push you over into burnout. Students are not always able to show up in their best behavior and always on task and super excited about learning. Just like us, they are humans and they have other stuff going on in their lives. We have to not only be compassionate to ourselves, but also to our students as well.

A teacher's job is more stressful than it used to be

As I am sure you realize, we as teachers are under more pressure than we ever have been. We're expected to do more with less, and are also under more scrutiny than ever before. The result is that many of us feel like we are not able to receive the support we need.

We have fewer resources and less time to spend with students because of increased accountability measures and new rules and regulations, as well as added/changing curriculum and foci each year. Add all this up, and of course so many teachers are burnt out! And when teachers become burnt out, it affects not just their own personal lives, but their students as well.

One of the symptoms of burnout is physical sickness, according to Maslach-Jackson 1981 article in American Behavioral Scientist.

One of the symptoms of burnout is physical sickness, according to Maslach-Jackson 1981 article in American Behavioral Scientist. The authors described it as a "loss of health and well-being." This can be an early indicator that you've become burnt out.

Other symptoms include emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment.

There are many signs and symptoms to watch for if you think you're experiencing burnout.

• You're constantly stressed out.
• You're less productive than usual.
• You're not enjoying your work as much as you used to, if at all.
• You want to do something else with your life besides teach, like travel around the world or pursue a different career path altogether.
• You experience more anxiety about going to work or experience intense "Sunday Scaries."
• There is a chronic pattern of you feeling overwhelmed, dread, or lack of enjoyment around work tasks or personal activities.

Burnout can cause a lack of enjoyment in activities that once brought pleasure, such as spending time with family, friends or colleagues, says Michael Leiter in a 2001 article published in Advances in Developing Human Resources.

Leiter adds that teachers who are experiencing burnout may have a hard time concentrating on their work, and they may find it difficult to complete tasks. They might also be more irritable than usual. The symptoms of burnout can be physical as well as emotional, including headaches, muscle tension and fatigue.

Symptoms of burnout usually begin to appear when you've been overworked for a period of time without adequate recovery. For example, if you spend two hours grading papers each night for five nights in a row—and don't take any breaks during this time—you're likely going to start feeling burned out by the end of that week.

As teachers deal with stress, they may not be able to show up as much as they would like for their students.

You may also find that you are not able to show up as much for your students. You may be struggling to engage them, meet their needs, or keep up with grading. Teachers that are experiencing burnout may have more dread going to work and completing tasks at work.

The symptoms of teacher burnout also can show up in the classroom. 

For example, a burned-out teacher may procrastinate more on lesson planning and grading, take more days off, and push for more individual work for students while they deal with their own chronic fatigue from burnout.

Teachers who feel overwhelmed will talk less during class, find it difficult to engage with students as much as they used to, or find the emotional capacity to offer new and exciting ways to learn diminishing. Burnout can take away the passion that teachers have when coming into the profession and it can happen to new teachers and veterans alike.

Overview

With all of these factors at play, it can be difficult to know whether you have burnout. The only way to know for sure is by taking a step back and analyzing your pattern of behavior. If you feel like you’ve been struggling more than usual lately, ask yourself if any of these signs apply to your situation:

You feel physically or emotionally exhausted most days.

Teaching burnout affects your physical health too; being physically tired can lead to headaches, nausea, frequent colds and other symptoms that are usually tied to stress levels

You’re not as interested in the material that used to excite you about teaching. This one is pretty straightforward; if something doesn't bring joy anymore, chances are it's not worth doing!

The bottom line is that no matter what type of teacher burnout you're facing (or how severe), there are ways to recover from it—and they don't have anything to do with quitting your job or taking time off from work just yet. The first step? Recognizing when something isn't right in the classroom environment so we can take care of ourselves before things go too far downhill!

Extra Resources

If you are finding yourself to be experiencing chronic stress that may lead to burnout, or you are already in a burnout cycle, be sure to ask for help and look for resources that can support you.

Sign up for my Newsletter here to get more information on creating stress management systems for teachers, incorporating social emotional learning for your high school students, and build better work/life balance. By signing up, you also receive my Free Teacher Burnout Guide! This is just the first of the many free resources and information you receive in my newsletter each month.

For quick tips for stress-management, check this article out: 10 Stress Management Tips for Teachers and Students. We discuss 10 tips for handling teacher stress AND how you can also share these tips with your students.

Lastly, remember to take a deep breath. You are enough. You are doing the best you can with what you have available. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. You've got this.