By Gail Weinhold, Faculty
Being a teacher is like having 2, 789 tabs on your browser open. All. The. Time.
You are up before the sun and often don’t get home before dark. Your classroom, desk, house, car, and office are cluttered with papers, projects, books, emails, and caffeine. Lots and lots of caffeine.
As the school year goes on you stop remembering what it was like to watch television without grading, and you’re pretty sure you can eat any meal in under five minutes if you have to. You are stressed. You are tired. You are a teacher.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’ll be the first to argue that teaching is one of the most rewarding and important callings. You get to be that teacher—the one students never forget for all the right reasons.
But in order to be that teacher, you have to work really, really hard. And burnout isn’t just possible—it is common.
To teach really well is to struggle with burnout. I taught public middle and high school for over 14 years, and I remember when administrators would encourage us to find a “balance,” but there never seemed to be any real help to get there. Did I find that magical balance? The honest answer is no, but I did find hope and perspective.
Here are my top 10 tips for avoiding teacher burnout, inspired by moments spent crying out to God when I wanted to quit.
- Comparison is a joy thief. Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran, comparing yourself to other teachers will steal your joy. There will always be someone doing something different, better, or smarter.God does not expect perfection. He calls us to serve and to grow. Not every day will be your best, but every day you can be obedient and learn from your mistakes. Sometimes the best lesson you can teach your students is how to fail forward.
- Have fun! This may sound overly simple, but when you are dealing with high stress and depression, you need to seek out joy. Have fun with your students. Turn a test into game. Watch a funny video clip. Read a funny story. Learning is supposed to be enjoyable. Laugh often. That laughter will be contagious and will infuse you, and your students will gain some much needed positivity.
- Find your squad. We all need those people in our life who see us just as we are and love us. They can speak honestly to us even when we may not want to hear it, and they genuinely care. Finding time to get together with a friend while teaching is really hard. There is always more grading, planning, writing, studying to do. Make time.Even if it is just on Face Time/Skype or a quick call. It’s okay to say, “I can only talk for 5 minutes, but I could really use some encouragement and I miss you.” This let’s them know that you value their friendship and doesn’t require you clearing your calendar for the day.
- Strength training. This is not about going to the gym. Health is very important (see number 8), but what I’m referring to here is the weight of the job. God doesn’t promise us this life will be easy—just the opposite (John 16:33).I learned that God may not take away the weight, but you do get stronger. With His help and by not giving up each year, you can lift more and feel more confident. It’s like strength training; you won’t get stronger if you don’t pick up the weights. God needs strong teachers, and that means coming back to the gym (classroom) even when it’s hard.
- Grade smarter. I used to think I had to assign points to every little scrap of paper and finger lift I had my students do. By the end of the week the piles on my desk had grown out of control and my weekend was toast. Consider your objectives and learn to grade smarter, such as having a student write a three-page-paper, but telling them you are going to pick three paragraphs to read and assess.You may assign 30 problems, but mix it up each time what you score—every other, odd, even, every five. Sometimes you can grade for completion instead of errors. Keep the heavy grading for summative assessments and key material. This is a teacher survival skill.
- Get creative. Plan more creatively. Instead of collecting 30 worksheets, can they do 5 minute group skits on the material so you can grade it in class? Instead of another paper, can they give a presentation you can grade in class? (Are you sensing a theme here?)Formative assessments can especially be much more informal. Hand signals, gamification, learning logs, graphic organizers, one-sentence summaries, exit slips, debates, doodle on topic. Get the picture?
- Collaborate. If you teach with others at the same grade level, can you work together to make copies for a unit or to plan some team teaching opportunities? Veteran teachers, share your bag of tricks with newer teachers. Newer teachers, steal, steal, steal (ideas). If you work together as a team, it can not only improve morale, but you can also inspire each other to try out new ideas.
- Health. You can’t pour out when you’re running on empty. You have to sleep, eat, exercise, and breathe. Inhale-one, two, three. Exhale-one, two, three. When I’m overwhelmed, I may keep working, but I’m not very effective. If you get really sick, you need to stay home.I know planning for a sub/cancelled class is more work and usually a lot doesn’t get done, but your body is raising a red flag. I can’t tell you how many times I swore up and down I HAD to go to school. The school will not burn down. Your students will not fall apart. The world will keep turning. Go back the next day.
- Gratitude attitude. I had a poster in my classroom one year that proclaimed, “Your attitude it contagious. Is yours worth catching?” Some days I needed that reminder too. It’s amazing how much better life can look when we focus on gratitude and paying it forward. I’m not saying it isn’t okay to be sad, overwhelmed, and frustrated.Those feelings are very normal and very real. What matters is what you do next. God tells us to think on what is good (Phil. 4:8). Why do you think He does that? Do you think He doesn’t know how hard things get? No, He gets it. He just gets that if we focus on the good, we can get up to fight another day.
- Prayer and praise. Finally, remember that you are not alone. Feed your spirit. Some days on the way to school, I would put on Christian radio and I could swear God had them play the song I needed to hear. Pray in your car, pray at your desk, pray in your classroom, and pray in that meeting. It gives you hope and reminds you that you are not alone. He sees it all.This job is so hard. I’m a teacher. I get it. But those students need you. God called you into this position for a reason. Keep the fire alive, and even on the days when you are feeling a little singed by the battle, don’t you give up.
You are a hero. You are a fighter. You are a teacher.
Learn more about becoming a teacher
Download this free tips sheet from North Central University.
