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November 28, 2023

Overcoming Educator Burnout: Strategies to handle the pressure as educators

While schools have hurdled past most of the challenges presented by COVID-19, educators are still finding their plates as full as ever. From updating their lessons to address AI to overcoming teacher shortages, educators are working diligently to support their students– and with hard work and extra responsibilities comes faculty fatigue. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, reported that dealing with burnout and increasing school violence is “like a five-alarm fire.” Pringle added, “This is not new, but like everything else, the pandemic made it worse.” 

In the US, 44% of K-12 educators say they “always” or “very often” feel burned out at work, highlighting the need to address and support educator well-being as much as we do student well-being. The unprecedented challenges and demands of this year raise a crucial question: how can teachers uphold the well-being of their students when they are grappling with their own wellness? 

4 tips for overcoming burnout 

For educators, the first step in overcoming burnout is to recognize not only what causes your fatigue, but recognizing the signs that you are too overwhelmed. Dealing with the latest school violence, the recent developments in AI, and supporting your students’ success is no small task. However, to take care of students’ well-being we must first take care of our own. Here are some ways you can do so: 

1. Recognize the signs: Exhaustion, detachment, and reduced performance

Finding yourself overly exhausted after every school day? What about detaching yourself more often from your work? Maybe you’ve even noticed your performance as an educator slipping. If you’re seeing these signs, know you’re not alone. According to a 2022 study from Gallup teachers, administrators, and teaching support staff have all reported feeling burnout at one or more points during the school year, and 67% of them see it as a serious problem.

When you find yourself exhausted and detached, know that it is time to step back and reflect on what you can do differently. As much as we all try and do our best to support students, recognize that it’s impossible to be perfect. Doing your best is all you can expect of both your students and yourself, leading us to our next tip.

2. Strive for success, not for perfection

John Spencer, associate professor of education at George Fox University, describes unchecked perfectionism as “a career-killer that will rob you of your joy.” Exerting your energy to become your perception of the perfect teacher is understandable, but not sustainable. Devoting too much time to grading, lesson planning, volunteering for extracurriculars, and working to support student well-being will quickly lead to burnout, and possibly leaving a career you once loved dearly.

To overcome burnout from perfectionism, there are a couple of things to consider. Firstly, perfectionism isn’t inherently bad– it reflects your desire to work hard and support your students. However, perfectionism must be managed by recognizing your time and energy limits. Ask yourself if you can reasonably take on a new task, and how you might feel after doing so. 

Secondly, remember there is no perfect teacher, and comparing yourself to others will quickly lead to burnout. So, instead of striving for perfection, set short-term and long-term goals you feel you can reasonably accomplish. We teach students to set reachable goals to handle the pressure, but it applies to educators just as much. Having reasonable goals to work towards in the short and long term not only helps you avoid working toward unattainable perfection, but it helps you time manage your work to achieve success.

3. Connect with your colleagues 

We’ve seen the statistics on teacher burnout, and every educator has felt overwhelmed with work at least once. While experiencing burnout from work can feel isolating, talking with others who have experienced and overcame burnout can help you better understand what you feel and how to move past it. The best person you can talk to is a trusted colleague, but if you feel uncomfortable talking to coworkers about your burnout, joining Facebook groups or online forums for educators is a great way to release some stress through chatting and get actionable advice to prevent future burnout. 

4. Give yourself something to look forward to 

Planning something fun for the future can not only help you overcome burnout, but it can help improve your everyday mood. Whether it’s a dinner with friends, a fun day with your family, or a mini vacation, having something to look forward to takes your focus off daily stressors and helps you work with an end goal in mind. It empowers you to get through your week or day so that you can unwind by doing something outside of work that you enjoy. This helps you regain your energy and reduce stress-related burnout. 

Huddling with students on how to handle the pressure

Educators are not alone in feeling burnout– both students and teachers alike feel an overwhelming amount of stress on a daily basis. In fact, In a scientific study of almost 23,000 students, more than 59% of students were found to experience academic burnout. While burnout is a serious issue for both educators and students, teachers aren’t able to address student well-being until they address their own. With the above strategies and the advice of other educators, you can prevent and manage your own burnout. The next step? Huddling with students on how they can handle the pressure and stop burnout. Here’s how to start the conversation:

  1. Let students know burnout is normal, even as an adult. You can even talk about how you handle the pressures of your daily life to better resonate and connect with your students.
  2. Encourage students to reach out to a trusted adult when feeling overwhelmed. Whether that be talking with a parent, counselor, or favorite teacher, talking out our problems and stressors is therapeutic.
  3. Remind students to take tech-free breaks. Whether it’s taking a moment to clean, meditate, or work on a hobby, taking tech breaks is important to improve mood and energy levels.

Resources to support your well-being, as well as your students’

As teachers and school leaders plan for the upcoming school year, a bit of self-reflection goes a long way. Remember, we must take care of ourselves before we help others. Only then can we best support and serve those around us

For more information on handling the pressure, check out these resources:

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About The Social Institute

The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.