How to Avoid Teacher Burnout: 6 Tips to Keep You Going All Year Long (or at Least Not Hating Your Job)
Imagine this: it’s the beginning of the school year and you’re feeling GREAT. Pumped up, ready to go. The weekends and the breaks come and go, but as you near January, February, and on to Spring Break, you are feeling more and more exhausted by the day. You can’t relax on Sundays. You are riddled with anxiety as you get up each morning and drive to work. Each day passing by seems to be worse than the previous.
You are feeling burned out.
How can we avoid that?
Well, it’s not something my professors talked to me about in college, so I’ve come up with a few tips to help manage the burnout, if not completely eliminate it. As a new teacher, this is vital information. Keep reading for more details.
Tip #1: Maintain a Strong Classroom Management System
I’m telling you RIGHT MEOW that if your classroom management system sucks, you’re going to have a hard school year. There is nothing worse than trying to teach but you have disruptive, volatile students who just don't seem to care or listen. Whether or not you agree, students can be extremely draining, no matter their age or behavior. Hearing your name 100 times in 2 minutes can do that to a person.
But, just because your classroom management sucks, it doesn’t mean YOU suck. It just means you need a little extra help - everyone has to start somewhere. Reach out to those around you. Lean on your support system (if you don’t have one - find one!) and get advice from teachers who have more experience than you. Remember, however, that what works for THEM may not necessarily work for YOU. It’s okay to not like a particular strategy someone uses - a lot of classroom management is up to personalities and points of view. Either way, you need to have a classroom management system that actually manages behavior.
Tip #2: Make Sure You Feel Prepared
A feeling of unpreparedness was something that stressed me out like no other, personally, so you may feel the same way. Being stressed is the easiest way to burnout, so be proactive and prepare yourself for the upcoming week before it gets there.
Easier said than done, right?
I was lucky enough that my school had the grade level content team plan together once a week, but I realize that some schools don’t do that for their teachers. So, if you don’t already have a planning day, set one aside to plan. (NO, THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE WEEKEND!!!!!) So, schedule your time so that you have enough time to plan, even if it’s 15 minutes a day and not all at once. There will be time if you make time for it.
If you are stressing because you think you don’t have enough time, however, then heed the advice of this adage: Beg, Borrow, Steal. Ask your colleagues what they’re doing. Ask if you can make some copies of one of their worksheets you like, or if you can have a copy of their Google Slides they’re doing that day. Look for free things online. Look up some YouTube videos to play. The resources are out there - you just have to look. I actually have some pre-made lesson slides to download so that you have one less thing to worry about. Check it out by clicking here!
What works for one person may not work for another, but once you get a good routine down, you’ll be golden. So, do what you gotta do to feel prepared! You won’t regret it.
Tip #3: Set Boundaries
This is perhaps one of the MOST IMPORTANT TIPS I can give you. PLEASE. Listen. If you don’t set boundaries for yourself, others will set them for you. And you may not like that.
PSA: You are NOT a bad teacher or a bad person if you set boundaries. NO OTHER professional is expected to do more than they are asked. You are not the savior of the universe - it will be okay.
Do not respond to parent texts, emails, or calls outside of contract hours. If you respond, they will take it as a sign that they can message you any hour of the day. Think about it: other professionals have their set office hours, so why do some people think teachers can just respond whenever?
Do not let people give you paperwork and let them tell you that it’s due the same day. If they needed it that soon, then THEY should have planned ahead. If you get to it, you get to it, if you don’t - oh well. Too bad, so sad. That’s poor planning on their end.
Do not stay too late after your contract hours. (I would say 30 minutes is okay and manageable but there’s no reason to stay until 5 or 6 o’clock.) Are you getting paid to be there extra? Are you required to be there extra EVERY day? No? Then go home! And keep your work at school.
Do not work on the weekends. I know that it’s tempting to bring home papers to grade or to work on lesson plans during the weekend, but, I’m begging you, don’t fall into that trap! Weekends are your time to rejuvenate. If you’re working all weekend, there’s going to be NO TIME for you to relax, which will lead to burnout. (And, newsflash, not everything your students do needs to get a grade, okay?)
DO NOT DO WORK ON YOUR BREAKS!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could shout that from the rooftops. Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Spring Break - whatever your breaks, TAKE THEM!!!! They are MEANT for you to relax. If you don’t relax, you’ll never be able to recharge!! If all you do is sprawl out on the couch or your bed and scroll through TikTok or binge watch some TV, that’s perfect. (Although… try to get some fresh air every once in a while.)
If you cannot get everything done during contract hours, then it will have to wait until the next day. It will get done, I promise. Surround yourself with people who understand that. I hear admin all the time preach about self-care. Well, let them prove to you that they actually care about your mental health.
Tip #4: Understand Your Limits
If you’re the kind of person who says, “I’m fine with taking stuff home to do,” or whatever, that’s great. I know some teachers who have been working for 10+ years and they do that. Good for them. Not everyone can do that. Maybe they don’t have any kids or pets or husbands or whatever to manage - who knows? The point is, you need to know YOUR limits. If you can feel yourself getting stressed out and anxious, something needs to change. Evaluate what you are doing and switch it up. It’s okay to not go at 100% every second of every day of your life. It is simply unsustainable and you’re going to regret it come the last few months of school.
So, do yourself a favor and know your limitations.
Tip #5: Remember That Not Everything Has to Get Done RIGHT NOW
This kind of plays into the whole “set boundaries” thing. If you don’t have time for something, it’s totally okay.
For example, if, at the beginning of the school year, you haven’t finished putting up your posters or other miscellaneous decorations, that’s fine. It can get done later. Or, if you need to grade some papers - it’s okay to prioritize something else instead.
During the 2023-2024 school year, I didn’t have time to set up my classroom library the way I like because, before the kids came, I literally had no time to. Between wanting to be at home with my new baby, and meeting after meeting after meeting, I hardly had any time to spend in my class to set it up. So, I organized it as best as I could and left the rest to my students to situate later.
The world will not end because you didn’t fill out some paperwork the same day you received it. Again - it will get done, I promise.
Tip #6: Delegate
This was a GAME CHANGER for me. It may be easier for elementary teachers, but delegate some tasks, through classroom jobs, to your students that they are fully capable of doing. For example:
A student who organizes your library
A student that helps you file things
A student that helps you sharpen pencils
A student that helps you organize whatever you need
A student who manages your Chromebooks
And EVERY STUDENT should clean up after themselves, regardless of their age.
So, if there’s a task that you need help doing, see if your students can help you with it. It will teach them responsibility and help them become a part of the classroom in a meaningful way. It is nearly impossible to do everything that needs to get done in the day ON TOP OF keeping the classroom clean, so have your students help!
I hope this post helped you gain some perspective and that you’ll heed (at least some) of my advice. It can be tough to abide by these tips, but if you DO, your world will change for the better and you will fall back in love (or stay in love) with the teaching profession.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Drop any of those below, or tag me on TikTok or Instagram! My handle is @teachandachieve on both platforms. I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Until next time!
-Aimee ♡
