Your Burnout is Not Your Fault
While I am a huge advocate of personal empowerment and self-healing, let me be the first to tell you; you are not to blame for your burnout. Read that again.
Burnout among teachers is the new epidemic. The systemic changes in the education system are leaving educators, with the best hearts and intentions, feeling emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted. The things that once brought so much joy to the hearts of teachers like those beautiful ‘A-ha’ moments, or when your whole class just bursts into laughter together, are more and more difficult to attain.
I see teachers every day becoming more cynical, grieving from broken trust and isolating themselves as a method of self-preservation. This is a major set back to the work-life balance everyone deserves.
The systemic changes are happening at a rate far greater than teachers know how to protect themselves. There is a serious disconnect between what is being asked of educators right now and the heart of the human being who does that work.
I talk to teachers everyday and here are some of the most common concerns:
“I am overloaded”
Becca teaches Spec. Ed. at a title 1 school. There is simply too much to do with all the paperwork and too little time and too few resources to do it well. The expectations are far beyond a normal amount of stretching outside of a comfort zone, they are far beyond the hours of an actual day! The quantity of expectations placed on her hurts the quality teaching and learning with a population of kiddos who need it most. On top of it, the micromanaging from her head of department creates tension and is killing her creativity for engaging lessons.
“I don’t have any control anymore”
Christopher teaches third grade and says with all the additional expectations placed on him, often at the last minute, he doesn’t have the agency to make choices and decisions for the sake of the students in his classroom. He used to thrive on knowing his kids best and creating optimal learning for them and having input in the direction of their learning journey but all the regulations, the testing and new policies are stifling him. He feels too closely monitored by his department head and feels like he just isn’t trusted anymore to do the job he was hired to do.
“I just want them to see how hard I’m working”
Meg’s school has just gone hybrid so she’s basically working two jobs at once, teaching students online and keeping them accountable and teaching her face to face class. She’s doing her best to figure out all the tech and engage with the students who are there in person. She feels devalued both in terms of her work and in terms of herself as a human being. She’s pulled in so many directions and says the worst part is feeling like she just isn’t doing anything well.
“I miss my team”
“I miss the staffroom and after school drinks, I miss getting together to plan, I miss morning coffee together.” Glenn’s school has gone fully online and he has the choice to work from home. He feels like he’s lost connection with his colleagues.The work has become so isolating and the energy he once had is drained.
“This is just unfair”
Jamie says, “It’s the workload, the pay, the expectations, all of it. And then the shaming when we try to stand up for ourselves, like we signed up for this.”
“I just can’t get behind this”
Ali works at a private independent school and the parents pay big bucks to have their children enrolled. She’s been asked on multiple occasions to change her grades.The pressure from parents and the pressure from administration to inflate the grades so they appear higher makes her so angry. She’s lost trust in her school admin and has lost faith in them. Her discomfort comes from knowing she has to do something she really doesn’t believe in.
Teacher burnout is certainly not new but it is being exacerbated under the current circumstances. The system, the expectations, the changes and the pressure are slowly but surely eroding the soul of teaching. Teachers are exhausted, angry and feel inadequate.
If you are a teacher and seeing the warning signs and feeling the symptoms I am here to tell you, it’s not your fault.
3 reasons for your burnout:
- The system is failing you
- You have not been taught how to deal with a failing system
- The coping mechanisms you have learned are not working anymore
I like to ask teachers if they would rather see systemic change in education or internal transformation so they can better cope. Most say: why can’t it be both?
I think it can be! Positive change often comes from anger and people just being so pissed off at a situation that they are enlivened to change it. (Hello Nelson Mandela and Gandhi)
From where I sit, if you are going to fight the good fight you gotta fill your cup first. You can’t be exhausted on the couch after a day with a glass of wine and hope the cynicism will magically create change. You need to replace depleted stores of energy. You need to be energized and stress free, you need balance and clarity.
The emotional costs of burnout are just too high to be ignored and transforming this is well within your locus of control.
I want to remind you that you have personal autonomy. You have the power within you to choose what is best for you, to befriend your feelings and heal your triggers and the power to pull back from the external world and create calm from within. We always have agency over our internal world.
By acknowledging your personal autonomy this doesn’t mean you are not witness to the suffering of others. It doesn’t mean that you accept the broken system. It doesn’t mean you are being selfish. It means that you recognize and acknowledge that you are fully in-charge of your thoughts, feelings and how you respond to the external world. Autonomy is your place of personal power. This is the place where we create connection to others, support others without depleting ourselves and plant the seeds of social change.
Whether you want the system to change OR you want to feel like you have more energy and time for what you love I have the formula for you. Hop into my calendar and we can kickstart your life again.