You are a substitute teacher who has had long-term assignments throughout the semester. The kids remind you of Be-be’s kids. After all, it is a special school, either an alternative school or reform school. They have challenged you at every turn. Every time you tell them to go left, they turn right. After a continuous stream of defiance and disrespect against your authority by the students (and sometimes even the other teachers and administrators, who believe that nothing you ever do is right)–you reach a point where you just can’t take it anymore. There is a part of you that knows you need to keep on keepin’ on because you know that the bills, the rent, the groceries don’t get paid on air–but the other part of you is going, “I need a week’s break from this–no, maybe a month!” How do you know when you are reaching this point? It is the aim of this paper to help fellow teachers recognise the signs and symptoms so that they may take the necessary steps to avoid just giving up, or self-destructing by getting yourself into some kind of trouble by making a horrendous mistake on the job. (I believe that even regular teachers should read this article as well).
The first of these signs is a general feeling of being extremely exhausted after a day in the classroom. After you go through your day of assigning work, and going over it with the students, you have nothing left. After all, you–a math teacher–have explained that slope equals rise over run for the sixth time. As a history teacher, you may have said, “Yes, anything mentioned in the film on Barack Obama is going to be on the test!” for the 20th time, and it seems no-one was listening, so all the students are complaining that they didn’t hear you. You feel like saying, “Well, if you hadn’t been talking so much, maybe you would have heard me the first time!” So after your day is over, you just want to go home and climb right into bed, and take a nice long nap. Now everyone is tired some time, but if it is happening all the time–especially with the other symptoms I am about to mention–then maybe it’s time to spend some time outside of the classroom.
The second sign that burnout may be occurring is when you are in the classroom, and you begin to feel like saying yes to things you would ordinarily say no to, because the children are so petulant and disrespectful. You are beginning to not be as firm as you would like. For example, in each of my districts, the general rule is that you cannot have cell phones on during the day. But there is this student named Kelly, who always has business that is so important that she needs to use her phone. If you say no, you know that this girl can go to the principal, and lie on you, as she has done on other teachers and/or subs. If he or she decides to side with the students, as does sometimes happens, you could be without a job. So you often find yourself between a rock and a hard place, walking on eggshells. You fear being without a job, because your wife has a little rugrat on the way. Thus when they ask, you find yourself saying, “OK, but don’t make it very long.”
Thirdly, you find yourself bringing home with you your problems at the job, your students’ problems, etc. You are letting what happens during the day affect you so badly that you are sleeping poorly, and as a consequence, you are waking up tired, and going to work that way. A lack of adequate sleep can lead to falling asleep on the job, which, in turn, can get you fired at most places of work, both inside and outside the classroom. In school, falling asleep in the classroom makes you a risk, because you are leaving a classroom unattended for the minutes you are dozing off. Even if you don’t fall asleep, it can lead to a lot of mistakes in school that could be avoided if you were awake and fully alert. Like one time I wandered into the ladies’ restroom, totally on accident. It goes without saying the stuff that that act would have done to my career if I had been caught!
Fourthly, you find yourself becoming progressively more difficult to live with at home. You begin to go off on your husband for overcooking the turkey, telling him that it’s the last straw, you want a divorce. He begs for mercy, saying, “I’m sorry. Forgive me. I am a beginner in the kitchen, and I am bound to make a few mistakes. You reply, by saying, “It’s not about the turkey! It’s about the fact that you are the head of the household. I expect you to make wise, responsible decisions when it comes to EVERYTHING!. If I can’t trust you to make wise, Godly decisions about cooking a turkey, how can I trust you to make wise decisions as the father of my children! He even suggests seeing the Set Gifts of your church for marriage counseling. You still say, “NO! I don’t want people up in our business like that! It’s over. I’m sorry, but I am just not in love with you anymore. And don’t talk to me about for better or worse, because better or worse does not include burning a turkey! You need to grow up and become responsible! I feel like I am mothering a grown man!”
Now deep down you know that man really loves you and has gone all out for you. He has never cheated on you,and would never think of doing so. Furthermore, he is gainfully employed. He is a college teacher himself–a full time adjunct professor and a writer on top of that, but he is doing the housework too. But that is not enough–he must be PERFECT all of a sudden. Deep down you know if that is what you wanted then you should have married Jesus Christ. Because there is no one immune to making a mistake, even in the kitchen. You’ve burnt things too. The problem is that you are coming home taking your problems from school out on dear ole hubby. That could be very well a sign that you need some personal time, or if you are a substitute, you need to go on a five day break.
Or if you are a man and you find yourself storming home to your beautiful wife, yelling, “Why isn’t my dinner ready? And why isn’t the floor vacuumed?” A hard day at school is no reason to take your frustrations out on your wife. You know that woman loves you and nobody else, and it is not her fault the little darlings behave the way they do!
I’VE RECOGNISED THE SYMPTOMS. NOW HOW DO I KEEP IT FROM WRECKING MY CAREER?
The first of these steps I have already discussed. Consider taking some personal time, perhaps maybe about four or five days. A teacher I once filled in for took a vacation to another part of the country. Now I don’t know if he was going through burnout or not. However, after taking over the guy’s class, I do see why he needs to get away every once in awhile. Or if you are a substitute teacher, take a week or two off if you find yourself feeling that way.
Secondly, come up with strategies to make your job easier. Cultivate ways of teaching that make your lesson more interesting, tailoring it to your students. In other words, learn to speak their language. For example, most kids are into hip hop music nowadays (unfortunately). You may want to assign them the alternative of using their creative skills to make a rap about Barack Obama, or some other president from another time of history, depending on what unit you are on. Make it fun for them. The more they come to see you as someone who was once in their shoes you may win their respect as well as their “favourite teacher” status.
Thirdly, pray. Seek God’s Face on how to make your class more interesting, and ask Him for guidance on the classroom management tips that will make your day less overwhelming for both you and your principal. (For every time you have to send a kid down to the principal, that is a bad reflection on you. It tells him you lack the classroom management skills it takes to continue in your job of teaching.) God is faithful; He will gladly counsel you.
Fourthly, depending on your relationship with your principal, turn to him or her for tips on making your life easier. In most districts, principals MUST have some teaching experience under their belt. So ask him or her what helped when he or she was a freshman teacher.
Fifthly, talk to older, more seasoned fellow teachers. There are some teachers out there who would be glad to give you pointers to be a more effective teacher who does not let the kids overwhelm you with their personalities and attitudes.
Sixth, it is good to remember a cardinal rule of classroom management: YOU are the teacher. No one else. You set the atmosphere. To find a way to fulfill your responsibility more efficiently, make use of this excellent tool called the Internet. It is a superb resource. Enter “Classroom Management” under any search engine. You will find lesson plans, how-to guides, etc. on how to make your experience in the classroom a less daunting one.
Last, but not least, be willing to let go of the teaching profession. If burnout is a persistent thing, it may be best to find something else you might be even better at. Never feel that it is too late to try something else. My cousin was a banker for many years. She had a bad experience doing that comparatively late in life. She decided, based on that, that she wanted to pursue her original dream, to be a teacher. She is now in her 60s, and is just getting started. Is it easy? No. Is she passionate about it? You bet.
The real moral of this story is–as she found her passion–you should find yours and go with it. Maybe the classroom is not something you are as passionate about as you once were.
