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Teachers are under a lot of stress for multiple reasons. Regardless of where it came from or the quantity of it, this page is here to give you ideas on how to manage or even decrease your stress levels.
Be prepared for the following stages of a teacher's first year: anticipation, survival, disillusionment, rejuvenation, and reflection.
Look around you to find the following support strategies: individual relationships, pedagogical knowledge, teacher perception of their perceived competence, mentoring, professional learning, and reflection.
The stages will not seem quite so bad if you have some support strategies in place to help you adapt.
Reitman, G. C., & Karge, B. D. (2019). Investing in teacher support leads to teacher retention: Six supports administrators should consider for new teachers. Multicultural Education, 27(1), 7-18. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/investing-teacher-support-leads-retention-six/docview/2459012312/se-2
Burnout can manifest in the following ways: depersonalization, reduced personal accomplishment, and emotional exhaustion.
Coping strategies that may help:
Make time for yourself
Make time for exercise
Get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet
Make some time for family and friends as a support system
Practice meditation and solitude
Indulge your sense of humor and determine to include some "fun" in your teaching every day
Determine to display a positive attitude and let things go that are out of your control
Richards, J. (2012). Teacher stress and coping strategies: A national anapshot. Educational Forum, 76(3), 299-316. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2012.682837
Fulfill one or more of the following needs to be more satisfied with your position.
A desire for personal fulfillment
The need to belong and feel connected
The need to provide direction and guidance
The need for a feeling of accomplishment and contribution
A desire for spiritual fulfillment
The need to feel whole and complete
The need to openly practice one's faith
The need to be obedient to God's call
McLaughlin, C. A. (2005). Toward a theory of faithfulness: An exploratory study of the motivational factors related to human capital retention in the Christian school (Publication No. 3182603). [Doctoral Dissertation, Capella University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/toward-theory-faithfulness-exploratory-study/docview/305350016/se-2
If Christianity and faith are part of your life, subscribe to the Christian Educator Magazine to receive encouraging emails and articles. The Christian Educator Association also provides a variety of support and help for educators.
Christian Educator Association
Christian Educators. (2023, June 16). We support, connect, and protect Christian educators. Christian Educators. https://christianeducators.org/
C.S. Lewis (2009) wrote that all the great Christians of history "left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither" (p. 134).
Seek first the kingdom of God in everything you do.
Pray through the Lord's prayer in the context of your daily work.
Do good for a student, colleague, or parent/guardian.
We can place our hope not in our ability to enact change today but instead in the certainty that the change we're after - Heaven - is ultimately coming.
Lewis, C. S. (2009). Mere christianity. HarperOne.
Stuart, D. (2023, April 20). Teaching with purpose. Spring 2023 - Hope: Inviting God’s Presence • Teachers of Vision. https://magazine.ceai.org/stories/teaching-with-purpose-1
Teachers stay in education or at a particular school because of the following items: commitment to students, opportunities for leadership and collaboration, connections to the community, and personal and professional ties. Centerville is a rural community, and sometimes it may feel like you are out in the middle of nowhere. Just remember many things make small towns a unique and special place to live and work...
Personal factors: professional knowledge, subject-matter expertise, the ability or desire to be a team player, an appreciation of the landscape
Classroom factors: autonomy, close relationships, flexibility
School factors: professional relationships, leadership opportunities, positive workplace, administrator support
Community factors: student and family social/economic support, community pride, community expectations of academics, cultural relevance, open community space, affordable housing, medical and social services, opportunities for spousal employment, cultural experiences
Seelig, J. L., & McCabe, K. M. (2021). Why teachers stay: Shaping a new narrative on rural teacher retention. Journal of Research in Rural Education (Online), 37(8), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.26209/jrre3708
Mielke was a teacher that stood on the edge of burnout. He found the cycle of awareness, attitude, and action helps to shift a person’s mindset. In his book, Mielke provides many practical tips for teachers to influence each element of the cycle. Adjusting any of the three elements influences the other two. He explains that this will not change the root of the problem, but educators need to have the energy and passion to change it. If they are living in a state of burnout, there is a lack of energy and passion already. Mielke states, “When you’re constantly burning, you risk losing your flame. Whether you’re at your last flicker or simply know that your light can burn brighter, it’s a good time to invest in your own well-being” (p. 12).
Mielke, C. (2019). The burnout cure: Learning to love teaching again. ASCD.
Sears never wanted to be a teacher but wound up in the classroom anyway. Once there, she had some hard lessons to learn while juggling a family of her own. Her book details many strategies to help teachers fall in love with teaching. Sears states, “Being “good” at something isn’t about the quantity of time you spend but rather the quality” (p. 11). Some of her strategies include getting rid of to-do lists, batching lesson plans, tips for grading, and simplifying how you teach.
Sears, J. (2023). How to love teaching again: Work smarter, beat burnout, and watch your students thrive. Portfolio/Penguin.
You are replaceable as an educator. It sounds harsh, but it is true. Another teacher, even a substitute, can take your place and teach your kids. You, as an individual, as a person, are not replaceable. Just like parents need to put the oxygen mask on themselves before their children on a plane, you need to take care of yourself before you take care of your job. If you are not okay, then your teaching and student interaction will not be okay. You and your job will suffer as a result.
Tina Boogren has compiled 36 weeks of low-cost ideas for educators to practice self-care. It can be as simple as leaving all school-related items at school one night a week or as complex as booking a weekend retreat in a different state. Whatever you decide to do, take care of yourself first!
Boogren, T. (2020). 180 days of self-care for busy educators. Solution Tree Press.
Mitch Reed conducted a social project with his middle and high school students. They were asked seven thought-provoking questions that were anonymously answered and compiled the results in this book. Every person, even students go through things in life that are not immediately visible to others. Many people long to be seen, understood, or at the very least, heard. Take a look into the thoughts, needs, and aspirations of Reed's students. You might find echoes of your own.
Reed, M. (2018). Cardboard confessionals. Western Commercial Printing.
Sometimes we have that "unteachable" student in our class. The one that just will not do as they are told and has to buck the system at every turn. What is you had a whole class of unteachable children? Korman wrote this fictional book illuminating a class and teacher known for being the worst. Maybe, by the end of the year, they all might learn to care about each other and change their attitudes.
Korman, G. (2020). The unteachables. Balzer + Bray.
If you see teaching as a ministry and your calling as a Christian, you should read this book. Ash found himself on the edge of burnout several times, so this book is written from the perspective of a person that has walked the path of exhaustion. His goal is to help ministry leaders serve with zeal and passion without feeling like they have reached the end of their rope. As a pastor, Ash wrote this book for his colleagues, but teachers can still find value in it.
Ash, C. (2016). Zeal without burnout: Seven keys to a lifelong ministry of sustainable sacrifice. The Good Book Company.
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