What do you do if burnout is causing educators to leave the field?

Know your teachers, who is pushing themself too hard, what can you do to lighten their load. As a leadership team, pull the breaks on too many new initiatives. Look to give teachers time to engage in self-directed PD times, within the school day, that may include doing their planning or report writing. Look at teaching assignment and work loads, what can you take away or do you need another teacher/ assistant teacher etc.

You know this is a problem even for me. For the first time in my life I am: Over worked Under appreciated Under paid Not having fun anymore I hear: Over experienced No Master's Degree too old not a fit too expensive Like, what do you all want? A Teacher or a slave? Why should teachers work 8 hours at school, 4 hours of homework daily, our weekends are not ours, and still get paid under $30,000/year? Did we not inspire the doctors? Did we not inspire the lawyers? Did we not inspire the sports' heroes? Did we not inspire the movie stars? Did we not give enough of our life for our school children and our family lives suffered? And you want to know why we are burned out? I think we need a worldwide teacher strike!

Parents and caregivers must be supportive. Positive learning communities come from commitment and responsibility by both the school and families. Too much stress comes from families acting in aggressive and threatening ways that are not acceptable in the wider community; they’re certainly not acceptable in schools, either.

Support networks don’t only exist inside a school but also outside. Having been a volunteer snd then worked for the English Teachers Association NSW I realised the importance of the connections formed through a professional association. Professional associations can become refuges which allow the teacher to reconnect with the subject they love, outside the pressure of the workplace. Getting involved might seem like more work but I have seen many teachers rebuild through this connection.

Recognizing burn out is so important. Noticing that you are exhausted, depressed, overwhelmed, or not very happy are first steps in recognizing burnout.

While informal discussions always happen in the work stations, monthly meetings-ups or circle time helps in channelising their thoughts in a non-threatening environment. Regular sessions on awareness and opportunities of how the educators can up their game and career trajectory gives them hope. Acknowledging their performance and highlighting the innovations among the peers and beyond is a kind of positive reinforcement.

Many schools these days just don’t have the proper support systems in place and I’m not referring to the social-emotional part. Districts are nickel and diming schools and not giving them the proper tools to support them. Post pandemic times call for strong security and support systems. Students are still adjusting. Many of them do not have the support at home and do not know how to properly behave at school. Not only do we need psychologists and counselors, we need SROs and additional administrators when avenues to positively support our students do not work. In the end, if you want to keep your teachers, they need to feel safe and supported where discipline is concerned if all other positive means of intervention do not work.

Exploring workshops, courses, and conferences that emphasize innovative teaching methods and classroom management techniques can breathe new life into teaching practices. By embracing continuous learning, educators not only reignite their passion for teaching but also gain fresh perspectives to effectively navigate classroom challenges.

Burnout often happens when people are ill-equipped to do a job- specifically one that is mission driven. Ensuring that PD is targeted, aligned and driven by teacher need is a strong step in mitigating burnout.

Professional development is vital for addressing educator burnout. Offer training sessions, workshops, and courses focused on stress management, resilience building, and effective teaching strategies. Provide opportunities for educators to enhance their skills, expand their knowledge, and stay updated on best practices in education. Encourage participation in professional learning communities where educators can collaborate, share resources, and learn from one another. Additionally, offer mentorship programs and coaching sessions to support individual growth and development. By investing in continuous professional development, educators can feel more confident, competent, and fulfilled in their roles, reducing the risk of burnout

Creating an atmosphere within any work environment that makes it “ok” to take time for self is very important. I have seen and experienced situations where it is frowned upon to step away from the office/classroom in the middle of an anxiety attack. While work productivity is important, there will continue to be no “work” to show productivity without the “worker” if a self care culture is not established. Lack of self care is one of the most direct links to burnout. Teaching is pouring into others on a regular basis and self care is essentially pouring back into yourself.

When I first started teaching, I put everything into my work, and didn't set up boundaries to protect my time. I'd spend 12-15 hours at work, go home and start working on the next day. This pace was fine when I was young, but not sustainable for long term. As I work with new educators, I let them know that you have to set those boundaries and look for something else to help balance that time. Develop a committee that helps to provide strategies to your school. Work with the administration to have a health day for during one of your PD sessions that includes massages, creating something, and learning how to balance work and creativity. Schools need to dedicate as much PD time for mental health as they do for instructional strategies.

You can't change individuals in the system if you don't change the system. Everything else is a band-aid on a heart attack. This is not a new problem or concept. I wouldn't take another job in any school system again because of the lack of community support teachers deal with.

Education often gets treated as a 24/7 profession. I've known teachers who take home student work to grade on evenings and weekends--and then wonder why they don't feel rested. Helping teacheres to set healthy boundaries when it comes to workload is important. If they're having a hard time letting go, consider professional development opportunities to help them adjust the way they're teaching so they don't have hours of grading to do each night.

I see many fellow educators including myself feeling burned out since the pandemic hit us. Schools are trying to adapt and fill in the gaps. A lot of extra workload falls on the teachers shoulders. I have started to take care of myself by exercising and eating better. Sports are a good way to relief stress and get healthier to cope with all the demands in the classroom. Something else that has helped me is talking about it to other professionals who helped me realize it takes a team effort to fix many of the issues we are facing in education, and knowing we can't really make those changes on our own has helped me compromise and accept some losses. Education is my passion, and if I am helping students I can find the energy to keep going.

It is critical that leaders ensure that teachers have planning time and time to collaborate with fellow teachers. Supporting teachers in getting work done during the school day can reduce the work taken home, giving them more time for non-work activities.

In my experience, lesser work load can help in addition to wellness programs and work - joy balance. More athletic activities in the open air is another way to engage colleagues as it helps the interaction of all.

One of my favorite positions in a school was that of an Instructional coach for the English Department. Campus culture was such that it was encouraged to collectively do yoga once or twice a week after work. Our Principal inspired us to lean into our areas of discomfort, build relationships and connect with one another through work and play. Shared meals was also a very rich part of our culture of excellence. Everyone had a voice in our town hall and leadership meetings as we had created a structure of input from all where anonymity was preserved and great new ideas were attempted.

It is essential that administrators have teaching experience before assuming decision-making roles. A good school administrator needs to understand the reality of the classroom, needs to know how to establish relationships with students and teachers, needs to understand the difficulties involved in the act of teaching. Only then can school policies be effective

One should exclude micromanagement realizing the fact we are dealing with humans and not robots... Grown-ups know their responsibility well and this is the fact that has let them become teachers of future leaders... They should be treated with respect, trust and be given some breathing space to adjust... There should be a two way feedback mechanism where the knowledge and experience should benefit both - the individual as well as the organization...The administration is not an error proof body and so must have an open mindset to listen to and adapt to changes...

Community involvement includes teacher associations. I have seen many teachers realise that they receive more from volunteering than they give. As a subject Association volunteer, you get a sense of taking charge, of mentoring others. Just ushering or manning a registration desk at a conference gives you a greater sense of control and connecting with others. Associations rejuvenate the teacher; they offer PD, mentoring, collegiality and the communication necessary to fight burn out.

Parents are not involved like they use to be. They need to teach respect for education and teachers before sending them to school.

Community involvement is essential in addressing educator burnout. Collaborate with local organizations, businesses, and community leaders to provide resources and support for educators. Encourage community members to volunteer in schools, offer mentorship opportunities, or provide assistance with extracurricular activities. Organize events such as wellness fairs, mindfulness workshops, or appreciation days to recognize the contributions of educators and foster a sense of community. Additionally, leverage community partnerships to create opportunities for educators to connect with other professionals, access local resources, and participate in ongoing learning experiences.

The responsibility of disciple being transfered from admin to teachers has caused major burnout. As a teacher, if expectations are not followed, I need admin to take over and implement real consequences and correction. I am the educator. I don't want to be the disciplinarian. Admin has become the friend to students instead of the support of teachers. Let me be the students' ally. Let me have the strong relationship. From there, if students are still pushing the boundaries, admin should be the reinforcement. Instead, they play judge and jury and often side with students who are then empowered in their misbehavior. At that point, the students are in charge. Teachers are the scapegoat and this feeds teacher burnout.

First determine if the problem is really burnout or if it's actually demoralization. Burnout is a problem rooted in the individual, whereas demoralization is an issue rooted in systems and culture. If you find that burnout is a significant problem accross campus, then it is more likely an issue of demoralization and systemic changes are essential to combat the problem. How has the work of teaching changed at your school? How well supported are teachers in practice by colleagues, parents, admistrators, staff? Are requirements and timelines realistic? Has there been too much change in too short a time period? Are teachers given protected time to plan, collaborate, and communicate?

Invest, invest and invest! As a system and a society, funding and support need to be prioritised to ensure people are choosing teaching, finishing their studies and motivated to stay in teaching. Burnout can be caused by so many factors which need to be addressed, this is achieved through funding and support.

The teaching profession should be given the utmost priority. The educational sector is the least-paid sector compared to other sectors in some regions if not all. Like every other worker, the teacher has a lot of responsibilities to take care of, if the government or management fails to look into this situation we will continue to have people leaving the teaching job for high-paid ones. The advent of technology has made things easier, to avoid the overload of work that makes teachers stressed, the school management is to adopt innovative technology into the system and provide mentoring programs to guide educators to ease or eradicate burnout. Teachers are heroes they deserve the best. Treat them well at all times.

It's essential to consider the role of leadership in addressing educator burnout. School leaders should model healthy behaviors, prioritize educator well-being, & create a supportive & inclusive school culture. Providing leadership training & resources on recognizing & addressing burnout can empower administrators to effectively support their staff. Fostering a culture of appreciation & recognition can boost morale and motivation among educators. Ongoing evaluation & feedback can help identify areas for improvement & ensure that support strategies are effective in addressing burnout. By prioritizing leadership & fostering a positive school culture, educational institutions can better support their educators