Summer break is usually a time for teachers to relax and unwind after a hectic school year. However, waiting an entire school year to find this relaxation can often lead to teachers feeling burnt out. This exhaustion is something that must be mitigated as much as possible throughout the school year. If you find yourself growing overwhelmed in your role throughout the school year, read below to discover some strategies for avoiding burnout as a teacher.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Throughout college, you were most likely taught the importance of lesson planning and preparing for the school year as much as possible. It is not expected that you will have every single week detailed out beginning on the first day of the school year. However, planning ahead by at least a week in advance will help prepare you for the week ahead and prevent you from becoming overwhelmed mid-week. Try using your empty periods or a Friday afternoon to plan ahead so that you are not using your time at home to work on teacher duties.
Make Time for You
Between your busy school week, after-school activities and functions, and grading, it can often feel like you don’t get enough time in the week to accomplish everything you need to. Indulging in personal time on top of it all might seem unattainable. However, making time for yourself throughout the week, especially on the weekends, is essential in avoiding burnout as a teacher. As busy as you might become, it is important to use your free time wisely and indulge in activities that are not related to your work.
Keep Work at Work
Just as any other professional would do, it is essential that you try to keep work at work rather than bringing it home. Of course, digital learning messed with this concept as most teachers had to adjust to teaching from home. As education resumes in-person again, however, you should be careful not to make a habit of bringing your work home with you. In some instances, you might occasionally have a late night of grading tests. However, you should try your hardest to keep work at work in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Home should be your place of relaxation, and bringing your work into that space can quickly lead you to become burnt out.
Naturally, you might still find yourself feeling burdened with work at times, even while following the above tips. Especially in finals season, you can expect to have a larger workload than usual. But with a bit of planning and extra effort, avoiding burnout as a teacher in these times can still be attainable.