What to do about teacher burn-out?
June 3, 2007 11:36 AM Subscribe
I've been a preschool teacher for three years, and am about to take my first summer off. I am looking forward to the time off, but already dreading going back in September. Is there any hope of returning to the classroom and enjoying my job? How? If not, what might I do instead?
How could I be wimping out already? I work in a private preschool in New York. The school has an outstanding reputation and I have enjoyed being a part of it (therefore, I don't think changing schools is necessarily the answer). I love being around children, am fascinated by them, and yet, lately, am utterly irritated by them. Sometimes I think I can't possibly spend another minute in the classroom, that I am incompetent, unqualified, or ill-suited to this work. At other times, I don't think I could ever NOT teach.
I have a graduate degree in Early Childhood Education (and LOVED my coursework in child development, etc). I have a great relationship with the other teachers in the school, including my assistant and director. I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from the administration and parents. My first two years of teaching, though challenging, were so much fun, so rewarding, and I truly enjoyed being in the classroom. And yet I still doubt myself, especially after this year.
More about this year: three of the twelve children in my class were very difficult. Whether the difficulties arise from a need for more support and an evaluation by special educators, or whether my teaching style was a poor match for them, or whether it was just a lethal combination of personalities in a small space, we'll never know. I really struggled this year. Everything I thought I knew about classroom management and found useful in the past was not helpful in the least. The classroom felt out of control to me (and to the children, too, I'm sure) for a good part of the day, almost every day. I often thought that just having one more set of hands in the classroom would have made a huge difference, but the administration was unable to provide that. So while I tried my best to attend to these few children who pretty much needed one-on-one support, the others were neglected. We just kept putting out fire after fire...
I'm exhausted at the end of the day--or earlier--and I have little energy to do other things, so I feel like a dull, miserable lump.
I don't want to be miserable any more. It isn't good for the kids (though others assure me it isn't obvious in the classroom, I have to disagree). It isn't good for me. I hate the idea of getting trapped in a profession out of fear of leaving it/dependence on a paycheck. Ew.
I feel giddy about the idea of not returning to the classroom in September, but have no idea what else I might do (for diversion, or for routine, or for employment--all are important).
Is there any hope that I might return in September fresh and rested and meet a new group of kids and fall in love with my job all over again? I guess I'll know better in September.
I realize this is kind of a meandering question. I'd be interested to hear from others who've been in similar situations. Is it normal to feel so tired and burnt-out while still young and new to teaching? I know many others in my profession work against much greater odds with far less support and resources, and still have energy and enthusiasm for their work. Is there an obvious way to spend a year doing something else (teaching-related or not) and just give myself some time to figure it out? Or should I give it another shot before leaving?
How could I be wimping out already? I work in a private preschool in New York. The school has an outstanding reputation and I have enjoyed being a part of it (therefore, I don't think changing schools is necessarily the answer). I love being around children, am fascinated by them, and yet, lately, am utterly irritated by them. Sometimes I think I can't possibly spend another minute in the classroom, that I am incompetent, unqualified, or ill-suited to this work. At other times, I don't think I could ever NOT teach.
I have a graduate degree in Early Childhood Education (and LOVED my coursework in child development, etc). I have a great relationship with the other teachers in the school, including my assistant and director. I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from the administration and parents. My first two years of teaching, though challenging, were so much fun, so rewarding, and I truly enjoyed being in the classroom. And yet I still doubt myself, especially after this year.
More about this year: three of the twelve children in my class were very difficult. Whether the difficulties arise from a need for more support and an evaluation by special educators, or whether my teaching style was a poor match for them, or whether it was just a lethal combination of personalities in a small space, we'll never know. I really struggled this year. Everything I thought I knew about classroom management and found useful in the past was not helpful in the least. The classroom felt out of control to me (and to the children, too, I'm sure) for a good part of the day, almost every day. I often thought that just having one more set of hands in the classroom would have made a huge difference, but the administration was unable to provide that. So while I tried my best to attend to these few children who pretty much needed one-on-one support, the others were neglected. We just kept putting out fire after fire...
I'm exhausted at the end of the day--or earlier--and I have little energy to do other things, so I feel like a dull, miserable lump.
I don't want to be miserable any more. It isn't good for the kids (though others assure me it isn't obvious in the classroom, I have to disagree). It isn't good for me. I hate the idea of getting trapped in a profession out of fear of leaving it/dependence on a paycheck. Ew.
I feel giddy about the idea of not returning to the classroom in September, but have no idea what else I might do (for diversion, or for routine, or for employment--all are important).
Is there any hope that I might return in September fresh and rested and meet a new group of kids and fall in love with my job all over again? I guess I'll know better in September.
I realize this is kind of a meandering question. I'd be interested to hear from others who've been in similar situations. Is it normal to feel so tired and burnt-out while still young and new to teaching? I know many others in my profession work against much greater odds with far less support and resources, and still have energy and enthusiasm for their work. Is there an obvious way to spend a year doing something else (teaching-related or not) and just give myself some time to figure it out? Or should I give it another shot before leaving?
Not sure if this would work for you, since I imagine you probably have a lot of working parents, but my friend who taught kindergarten ending up with a particularly trying class one year. He had parent- teacher conferences right after the school break, and instituted a plan to have parent volunteers every afternoon. At the very least his unskilled helpers meant that he could focus on the troublemakers while his parent volunteer read a story to the other kids. It had the unintended effect of making the difficult kids aware that they were being left out as the rest of the class continued on without them, instead of the previous scenario where the derailment got everyone's attention.
Anyway, if not parents, maybe working with local college interns for credit? Just a thought.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:22 PM on June 3, 2007
Anyway, if not parents, maybe working with local college interns for credit? Just a thought.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:22 PM on June 3, 2007
Enjoy your summer and see how you feel at the end of August. mai is probably right - you're exhausted. Once you have had a chance to recover physically and mentally from this challenging year you may well feel completely different.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:24 PM on June 3, 2007
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:24 PM on June 3, 2007
kudos for making it through such a tough year.
koahiatamadi is right. It's inevitable that you'll feel exhausted after a long school year (I alway do). Once you are able to breathe more freely, you'll be able to decide more clearly whether or not you want to continue.
posted by umbú at 12:54 PM on June 3, 2007
koahiatamadi is right. It's inevitable that you'll feel exhausted after a long school year (I alway do). Once you are able to breathe more freely, you'll be able to decide more clearly whether or not you want to continue.
posted by umbú at 12:54 PM on June 3, 2007
This is your first summer off? Wow. Three months will probably do you good! I work on the other end of the age spectrum, at a high school, and I know that I'm completely exhuasted and finished for this year. But in the fall I'll be eager to go again.
When I have trouble I call in other people for advice. Whether it's someone who's known the kid, someone who's had expertise with that child's challenges, or just someone who could offer another opinion, hearing another idea really takes away that "what am I going to do, I'm out of ideas, I'm at the end of my rope!" feeling.
Good luck!
posted by christinetheslp at 1:08 PM on June 3, 2007
When I have trouble I call in other people for advice. Whether it's someone who's known the kid, someone who's had expertise with that child's challenges, or just someone who could offer another opinion, hearing another idea really takes away that "what am I going to do, I'm out of ideas, I'm at the end of my rope!" feeling.
Good luck!
posted by christinetheslp at 1:08 PM on June 3, 2007
Burnout ... is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest ... usually in the work context.... Burnout is often construed as the result of a period of expending too much effort at work while having too little recovery...wikipedia.
Perhaps all you need is a summer off? Why not do that and then reevaluate your options before making drastic changes.
posted by aeighty at 1:33 PM on June 3, 2007
exercise and read some books on classroom management over the summer. and just relax as much as you can. You will be fine.
posted by thedoctorpants at 1:38 PM on June 3, 2007
posted by thedoctorpants at 1:38 PM on June 3, 2007
This sounds just like what most of my teacher friends describe each year. And each fall, they're ready to go back and give it another go. I'm convinced that teacher burnout is the reason school is still out in the summer time, even though the kids don't need time to help with the harvest anymore. You teachers works so hard for 9 months, you need that time to recharge. Personally, I don't know how you do it, because I don't have that great interest in and love for children. But it sounds like you do, and I bet you'll recover by the end of the summer. Don't make any drastic decisions until you see what 3 months off does for you. I promise, you're normal.
posted by vytae at 2:40 PM on June 3, 2007
posted by vytae at 2:40 PM on June 3, 2007
I don’t have much to add, except to say that I am a teacher (albeit of high school kids) and I think feeling exhausted at the end of the year and needing a break is perfectly normal and not necessarily an indicator that you need a career change. It sounds like you had an especially challenging year because of a few personalities in your class, which I also think happens occasionally – but it doesn’t mean next year will be this hard. I’ve only been teaching for two years, but I had a tougher year in terms of classroom management this year, which surprised me because my first year was a breeze in that regard. My mom, who has been teaching happily for many years, had a student somewhat recently who drove her crazy all year. . . it just happens sometimes.
Also, I wouldn’t compare yourself to teachers at other schools who might have fewer resources or even more difficult students, administrators, etc. There’s no need to put yourself through that sort of guilt trip – this is your reality, and I think it says a lot about you that you’re worrying about it at all. In fact, I think your hesitation and questioning demonstrates how much you care about being a good teacher, which only makes me hope even more fervently that you’ll give it another chance after a summer’s rest.
posted by katie at 4:16 PM on June 3, 2007
Also, I wouldn’t compare yourself to teachers at other schools who might have fewer resources or even more difficult students, administrators, etc. There’s no need to put yourself through that sort of guilt trip – this is your reality, and I think it says a lot about you that you’re worrying about it at all. In fact, I think your hesitation and questioning demonstrates how much you care about being a good teacher, which only makes me hope even more fervently that you’ll give it another chance after a summer’s rest.
posted by katie at 4:16 PM on June 3, 2007
Response by poster: thanks, folks, for all the advice and encouragement. i'm going to try to relax about this for now, and continue to hope that the summer will provide some much-needed rest. just seven more days of school!
posted by rascalface at 5:53 PM on June 4, 2007
posted by rascalface at 5:53 PM on June 4, 2007
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Knowing what you know now, is there anything that you could have done differently with these three children? You can apply these lessons in the future.
I don't think you'll ever find a classroom management strategy that works 100% of the time, but as you gain experience, hopefully you will have more strategies that will work more of the time.
I don't think you should leave the profession - overall you sound very well suited to it. You are just at the end of a very long year.
posted by mai at 11:47 AM on June 3, 2007