I am sitting down to write this essay after a jam-packed day filled to the brim with education curriculum classes, college coursework, lesson planning, and two full-fledged meltdowns. I’m not even a full-time classroom teacher yet, I’m a student teacher, but I already feel burned out. How can this be?
Teachers are burning out faster than ever before. According to the American Federation of Teachers’ 2017 Educator Quality of Work Life Survey, 61% of teachers reported that their jobs were always or often stressful, and 58% of respondents said that this stress has worsened their mental health. As a soon-to-be teacher, I find these statistics daunting to say the least.
Teacher burnout is one of the most gripping issues in education today because of its severe impacts on teacher health, turnover rates, and student learning. No need to fear: there are explicit strategies that educators can pursue to fight the burnout firsthand.
What even is teacher burnout?
Psychology Today defines burnout as “a state of chronic stress that leads to physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, detachment, and feelings of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.” According to Sherrie Bourg Carter Psy.D, tell-tale symptoms include: chronic fatigue, insomnia, forgetfulness, impaired concentration, illness, loss of appetite, anxiety, depression, pessimism, isolation, detachment, hopelessness, irritability, and lack of productivity.
Many educators describe burnout as creeping up on them seemingly out of nowhere. It goes beyond daily stress and tiredness, and has severe repercussions on educators’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I worry about entering into a profession where this is commonplace.
What causes teacher burnout?
Teachers cite different reasons for burnout, but a common thread is the feeling of being completely and utterly drained. Classroom teacher, Jessica Gentry, reflects on why she left the profession in a viral Facebook post: “Knowing they need more than you can give them in a classroom of 21, with less and less support, multiple languages spoken, several different disabilities…it breaks you.”
Many educators share this feeling that the profession requires too much out of one human being. As a student-teacher, I have felt overwhelmed at times by the sheer amount of responsibilities expected of a full-time teacher. I often gawk at my head teacher, wondering how she juggles all of these unrealistic expectations–and how I’ll ever be able to manage it all.
For two summers, I interned at Edutopia, spearheading an audience research project on new teachers. One of the biggest pain points that came up was fatigue and burnout. Joe Kirby, a secondary teacher in an inner city public school, reflects back on his early years in the field:
“I returned home from school crying three evenings in a row. I was feeling trampled. The effort was still draining: the full timetable, an after-school club, the planning, the marking, the meetings and department responsibilities. Encounters with unfamiliar students still left me feeling battered and bruised. I felt exasperated by the endless disruptive behavior. I just couldn’t summon up the energy to be on top of my classes.”
What are the impacts of teacher burnout?
Many teachers end up leaving the profession altogether. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 8% of teachers left the profession in 2012-2013. The most frequently cited reasons for leaving the field included “dissatisfaction with testing and accountability pressures; lack of administrative support; dissatisfaction with the teaching career; and dissatisfaction with working conditions.” It’s no wonder teachers are burning out…
Furthermore, teacher turnover is getting worse over time, having increased by 1 million teachers from 2000 to 2015. Turnover is higher among teachers of color, who leave the profession 24% more often than their white counterparts. Teacher turnover is also higher in the U.S. than other countries, such as Canada, Finland, and Singapore who have attrition rates of 3-4%.
One of the key reasons for educators leaving the field is teacher burnout, according to Elyashiv et al. (2019)’s study on teacher attrition. As educators become burned out, teaching tasks can feel like more of a burden, making teaching less productive. This then has a negative impact on student learning: If you are burned out, you can’t be your best self for your students.
What can teachers do to fight the burnout?
Having second thoughts about entering the field yet? No need to change career paths. Here are some concrete ways to reduce the threat of burnout, right now:
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- Make time for self-care. Give yourself a face mask, go for a run, take a bubble bath, read a book–whatever works for you. It’s important to prioritize this “me-time” or else it can quickly take a back burner. (Sometimes, I literally have to write relaxation time into my calendar in order to hold myself accountable for it!)
- Build a support system for yourself. Don’t be afraid to reach out to veteran teachers, colleagues, and staff at your school for advice. I’ve built the most meaningful relationships with fellow student teachers in my licensure program because they share similar experiences to me, and thus make for the best allies and sounding boards.
- Acknowledge and appreciate the little things. Each day, I can always find at least one small moment that brought me joy in teaching. These moments range from a student complimenting my outfit to a meaningful or successful aspect of my lesson. I like to jot them down in a notebook to remind myself when the job gets tiring or stressful.
- Practice mindfulness and relaxation strategies. There are countless apps and online self-help services at our fingertips for dealing with stress and anxiety. In a career where burnout is commonplace, it is that much more important for teachers to prioritize mental health and wellness!
- Pursue professional development opportunities. If you find yourself feeling unmotivated or uninspired, new learning can stir things up and help you catch that excitement again for teaching! It will also help you grow and improve as a teacher.
I know that I have chosen to pursue a challenging career path, as evident from the countless reports of teacher burnout and high attrition rates. But I am determined to fight the burnout–and you should be too! Educators alone cannot eradicate the issue of burnout in its entirety, systemic change needs to occur too, but channeling your teacher strength and tenacity into prioritizing YOU is a huge step in the right direction.
About the author: Alessandra is Senior at Smith College, double-majoring in Education & Child Study and Psychology while pursuing elementary teacher licensure. She is currently student-teaching in 5th grade at a Northampton public school, and hopes to have her own classroom after graduation next year.