8 Practical Tips for Overcoming Teacher Burnout

8 Practical Tips for Overcoming Teacher Burnout

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Mobile Ed Productions, Inc. was founded by educators 43 years ago to be a tool for schools in Michigan. It has since developed into a beneficial resource for supporting educators of all subjects across the country. As a company that’s been run by educators for almost half a century, we know what burnout feels like. Feelings of exhaustion, self-doubt, and withdrawal can easily creep in at any time, especially around springtime. This doesn’t mean we have to let burnout overcome us or our classrooms. Educators at Mobile Ed Productions, Inc. provide personal tips for overcoming burnout. 

Psychology Today defines burnout as "a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress." Burnout occurs when teachers have reached their limit of daily challenges and have had prolonged exposure to poorly-managed emotional stress and interpersonal job stress. More factors than can contribute to teacher burnout include: 

• Grade level: Special education teachers experience teacher burnout more than primary teachers. 
• Gender: Women are more likely to experience higher amounts of stress while men are more likely to experience feelings of cynicism. 
• Experience: Newer educators are more likely to experience burnout, possibly due to a lack of experience and practice with classroom management.

Symptoms of teacher burnout can include: 

• Physical and emotional exhaustion 
• Cynicism
• Self-doubt
• Withdrawal
• Lack of motivation

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more than 270,000 teachers have left the profession every year since 2016, and they project the same rate to continue for several more years. More than half of these departures are from “occupational transfers.” This departure puts more work on current teachers’ plates and increases the demand for educators. These statistics have caused many organizations and leaders to start taking a closer look at burnout. 

Burnout impacts everyone around us. Many of us try to keep pushing through our burnout without knowing how to overcome it, but knowing how to overcome burnout is crucial. It turns out that not dealing with our burnout not only affects our minds and bodies but affects our students. Stress can deter us from using our best teaching strategies, leading to a lack of stimulation, clarity, and management in the classroom. One study from the University of British Columbia claims that students of teachers with burnout had higher levels of stress hormones, suggesting the possibility that teachers can unintentionally pass their stress to students, possibly for the consequences listed above. 

Here is a list of five quick things you can apply in your own life that can help you overcome teacher burnout: 

• Recognize Your Importance. Though you might not feel appreciated, you are. Though you might not feel important, you are. You are making a difference, and one day is all you need to impact a student or colleague around you. 

• Refresh Your Mind. Challenge your brain by reading a book or completing a puzzle. Teachers with burnout should prioritize rest and self-care that are suitable for them, but you also can challenge your minds while doing so. 

• Change Up Your Classroom. Take a step toward feeling refreshed by reorganizing your classroom. Reorganize your desk. Move a bookcase. Switch around desks. Add some artwork to the classroom that could inspire you and your students. This can create feelings of “starting new” and “letting go” of the hard days in the past. 

• Celebrate Success, Big and Small. You are working hard. Your students are working hard. Your colleagues are working hard. Recognize and appreciate your accomplishments as well as the people around you. One positive comment (to yourself or others) can energize and encourage someone for hours.

• Try Something New. Any job can feel monotonous, so mix up your routine with an interesting challenge. Mobile Ed educators recommend visiting a local park you’ve never been to, taking a cooking class, and trying new sports with your peers. Find something out of the ordinary to challenge yourself, break up the routine, and hopefully have some fun!

• Find community. It’s okay to lean on others during hard times. Seek out trusted individuals who can listen, guide, and make you laugh and lean on them when needed. Communities can be found anywhere: workplaces, book clubs, religious organizations, and community organizations. Your community can give support, but it can also be a place of personal fulfillment, contentment, and excitement. 

• Reflect on Bad Days. Bad days happen. Instead of forgetting them and moving on to the next day, take a look at what happened that day with a critical eye. If you can pinpoint what made your day flip upside down, you may realize that your day wasn’t as bad as you thought, or you can make changes for the following days. 

• Ask for Help. Perhaps the most important tip on our list is to ask for help. Every educator will most likely experience burnout at one point in their career; it is a physically and emotionally taxing career. Seek out trusted staff or fellow educators who can offer wisdom and guidance as well as help you make the changes you need to better support you and your students in your classroom. 

Mobile Ed Productions is an organization created to support you in big and small ways. Our organization offers a variety of educational programs that capture the attention of students, create excitement about learning, meet curriculum requirements, and give educators a helping hand in any school subject. In addition to our popular educational programs, we encourage educators of all kinds to subscribe to our blog to get weekly teaching tips and tricks delivered right to their inboxes. Let Mobile Ed Productions be a support for you this season!

View our large variety of programs on our website, and feel free to contact us with any questions regarding our organization and programs. Our team is ready to connect! 

Article inspired by Prodigy and Miss DeCarbo.