Advice From a Teacher Career Coach: How to Deal With Burnout

September 1, 2021 / Parent Resources

The pandemic has caused many educators to reevaluate where they stand. It has made them ask themselves whether they’re making a difference and if they want to remain in the teaching profession. 

Although they love their students, educators have found many other aspects of the job — such as testing and administration — to be taxing.

A career coach who has experience working with burned-out teachers says these tips can help:

Analyze your time

If you find yourself volunteering for extra work when you’ve already got a lot on your plate, it might be a good idea to take a step back and set healthy boundaries for yourself.

Another great way to audit your time is to cut out unnecessary work that doesn’t allow you to spend enough time with your family. For example, certain assignments might not require to be graded but you might find yourself doing it out of habit.

Check who you spend time with

The next time you find yourself feeling extremely stressed, look around and check who you’re interacting with the most. They might be influencing how you feel about your job.

Make an assessment of how you feel

Set aside some time to introspect. Ask yourself questions that will help you identify the root cause of your burnout. These questions could be:

  1. Are you truly enjoying the good parts of your job anymore?
  2. What exactly is missing from your job?
  3. What are some stumbling blocks that make you find work to be challenging?
  4. Do you feel like you’re running behind on tasks? Why do you think that is?

Find out whether your school is the right fit for you

Maybe the problem isn’t with your classroom; maybe the problem lies with your school’s policies and leadership styles. You might not want to quit teaching as a profession; you might just want to quit teaching in a particular school.

If it’s not your school that’s not the right fit for you, maybe it’s your current role. Check whether there are openings in your school that you can apply for and whether you need additional training that could help you apply for those roles.

Finally, inspect if it’s time to move on

Are there more cons than pros of remaining in the education field? If so, then it might be time to move on. Examine your interests and skills and see what type of job could work best for you.

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