“The truth is there is simply more work than there is time to do it, and some things are just beyond our control.” -M. Connely 7th Grade Math, Atlanta GA
In many instances, we as educators expect ourselves to be perfect because we understand the stakes for our students. Furthermore, we can lose sight of the power of joy and enthusiasm on our instructional environment. Lastly, there will always be more that we can do, work is never ending in that sense, and it is especially true for us as educators. This is a recipe for teacher burnout. Below you will find a few practical tips to help combat teacher burnout.
3 tips to avoid teacher burnout
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Belly Laugh Once A Day
- Try having a different student each day be responsible for sharing a funny story or a joke.
- Incorporate a short comedic clip as part of the hook for your lessons.
- Laugh at yourself! Nothing breaks the tension more than a good laugh at your own expense.
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Pitch In On Putting It Down
- Ask your family and friends to hold you accountable to let work go, and to stop you if you start talking or thinking about it.
- When you take a break, make sure it’s a real break! A date night, a hike or day trip is an easy way to recharge without impacting your routine.
- Remember: If you find yourself thinking about school or your students during your downtime, then it’s not downtime!
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Use Free Technology To Eliminate Time-Consuming Tasks
- Use one of the free tools like Quick Key that allow you to grade formative assessments, quizzes, and tests with any phone or tablet.
- Leverage technology to send your grades directly into your electronic grade book instead of manually entering scores before grades they are due.
- Use tools like Remind HQ to streamline communication with students and parents.
About Quick Key: We simplify formative and summative data from paper or 1 to 1 classrooms, using the technology infrastructure your school or district has in place.
