Shyam Barr

Blog

 

PREFACE

This blog discusses topics that exist between the fields cognitive psychology and leadership, teaching and learning. Although I make connections between research and personal experience (my attempt at bridging the age-old ‘theory-practice’ gap), I write for a general audience. It is as Mihaly Csikszenmihalyi stated in the preface of his book FLOW:

“To take this step is somewhat dangerous, because as soon as one strays from the stylised constraints of academic prose, it is easy to become careless or overly enthusiastic about such a topic” (p. xi)

To avoid carelessness, I will endeavour to include references to journal articles, books and alike (as commonly expected in academic writing), but not at the expense of accessibility and ease of reading. This will be a delicate balance and one I will endeavour to achieve.

To end, I chose the word ‘discusses’ in the first sentence of this preface, to highlight that although the blog articles themselves are very much a dialogue between myself and what I read, I encourage you to share your comments and questions, so that we may start a more authentic discussion. 

 
 

5 Early Signs of Teacher Burnout & How to Combat Exhaustion in a Post-Pandemic World

  • Do you feel stressed?

  • Are you experiencing burnout?

  • Are you compromising your own self-care in service of others?

Teacher stress and burnout is a serious concern globally. In a recent survey study of 749 Australian teachers, conducted pre-COVID pandemic, Carroll et al (2022) reported that “over half of the [teachers] reported being very or extremely stressed and were considering leaving the profession” (p. 1)

I have many conversations with educational leaders and teachers, driven by the beautiful intention to serve their students to the best of their abilities… but at the potential sacrifice of their own wellbeing and health.

Schools provide so much opportunity and scope for growth and improvement. It’s easy for a leader or teacher, through their optimism, to want to act on this opportunity. However, very quickly, we can over-commit and find ourselves in the realm of exhaustion, where the resources that fuel us cannot meet the increasing demand/output (refer to Transactional Model of Stress and Coping; Sapolsky, 2004).

 

Some of the early warning signs:

  • You don’t have time to sit and have your lunch, morning tea, or even a cup of coffee/tea

  • You are rushing between classes and meetings with no acknowledged transition time.

  • You are feeling stressed with a range of issues, both small and big

  • You don’t have time to build relationships with colleagues (noting that these relationships may offer a space of support and shared problem-solving, a potential outlet for stress and frustration)

  • You begin to displace blame for your needs not being met to loved ones.

If you are experiencing any of the above, it’s time to PAUSE and take stock of the situation. Awareness is the first step.

You may like to review your schedule and ask yourself the following:

  • What, in your current schedule, is absolutely essential to occur right now?

  • If you started with a blank schedule and inserted self-care activities in there first (e.g., morning tea, lunch, walk with colleagues), how might you rework the other items back in? What would have to go or be delayed?

  • Health and wellbeing do not have to oppose other work items. How can you move from a “this OR this” to a “this AND this” situation? For example, can a meeting become a walking meeting in nature?

We need YOU in the profession.

Burnout is not the desired outcome…. Sustained contribution is the goal.

Something has to change. It might as well start with you.

 

References:

  • Carroll, A., Forrest, K., Sanders-O’Connor, E. et al. (2022) Teacher stress and burnout in Australia: examining the role of intrapersonal and environmental factors. Social Psychology of Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-022-09686-7

  • Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why zebras don’t get ulcers – Revised Edition (3rd ed.). Times Books.


Shyam Barr