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What are the most common causes of teacher burnout?

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What are the most common causes of teacher burnout?

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Does teaching take a toll on personal relationships?

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Does teaching take a toll on personal relationships?

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We have to take care of ourselves first in order to take care of others.

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We have to take care of ourselves first in order to take care of others.

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This is something that I have heard time and time again throughout my post-secondary education. If I do not fulfill my personal needs, I will not be able to be my best for my students.

Sometimes I think that some people take care of themselves by taking care of others. For example, if community volunteerism helps to fulfill someone's emotional wellbeing, who is to say that they are not taking care of them self while doing so? I do not believe there is a 'correct' way to take care of ourselves - everyone's situation and needs are different.

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In order to act professionally as teachers, we must adhere to the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) code of professional ethics. We must not only know when to draw the line between work and life (i.e. driving a student home from school), but we are also required to continually develop professionally. If we do not have a balance, we will likely struggle in either work or life - or both.

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Do teachers feel supported by their administration?

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Do teachers feel supported by their administration?

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Does work-life balance look differently for different genders?

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Does work-life balance look differently for different genders?

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For example, do male teachers require less or more work-life balance than female teachers?

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What are the Effects of Leading Extracurriculars Outside of School Hours?

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What are the Effects of Leading Extracurriculars Outside of School Hours?

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How do we maintain a work-life balance when hours of outside school hours are devoted to school initiatives, such as coaching?

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What are the best practices for maintaining a work-life balance?

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What are the best practices for maintaining a work-life balance?

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I think that it would be difficult to stop thinking about school matters outside school hours.

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Duxbury, L., & Higgins, C. (2013). The 2011/12 national study on balancing work, life and

caregiving in Canada: The situation for Alberta teachers. Retrieved from www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Publications/Research/COOR94%20 National%20Study%20on%20Balancing%20Work%20-Duxbury.pdf

Froese-Germain, B. (2014). Work-life balance and the Canadian teaching profession. Retrieved from https://www.ctf-fce.ca/Research-Library/Work-LifeBalanceandtheCanadianTeachingProfession.pdf

Karsenti, T. & Collin, S. (2013). Why are new teachers leaving the profession? Results of a Canada-wide survey. Education, 3(3), 141-149. doi:10.5923/j.edu.20130303.01

Middleweb. (2018, Jun 12). The teacher’s challenge: Balancing work and life. Retrieved from https://www.middleweb.com/37861/the-teachers-challenge-balancing-work-and-life/

Naylor, C., & White, M. (2010). The work-life of BC teachers in 2009: A BCTF study of working and learning conditions. Retrieved from https://bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/Issues/WorklifeWorkload/2009/FullReport.pdf

Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. (2013). Teacher time. Retrieved from https://www.stf.sk.ca/sites/default/files/teacher_time.pdf

Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. (2017, Dec 8). Survey confirms teachers’ concerns over work-life balance issues. Retrieved from https://www.stf.sk.ca/about-stf/news/survey-confirms-teachers%E2%80%99-concerns-over-work-life-balance-issues

Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. (2019). Teacher well-being. Retrieved from https://www.stf.sk.ca/pension-benefits/teacher-well-being

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According to Karsenti and Collin (2013), teachers with less than seven years of experience are those who are most often quitting the profession.

I was shocked to learn that many causes of teacher stress and burnout resulted from lack of classroom supports.

The STF found that teachers experience increased stress and burnout because of a lack of access to: educational consultants, speech pathologists, educational assistants and psychologists. Teachers also expressed that a heavy focus on student assessment as well as reporting  detracted from learning (Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, 2017).

Individual factors such as emotional and psychological characteristics play a role in teacher burnout. In a study of 167 teachers, Karsenti and Collin (2013) found that the top two main causes of early teacher drop-out were too much work to be done at home and a too heavy workload.

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According to a report created by the STF, 61% of teachers reported that their job caused relationships to suffer, 52% felt they were not in control of their personal time, and 69% felt more pressure to spend time with family and friends (Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, 2013).

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Support (or lack thereof) from administration 

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Support (or lack thereof) from administration 

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Karsenti and Collin (2013) found that most drop-out teachers (those having worked less than seven years) begrudged the lack of involvement by administration in their problems. Some drop-out teachers do not seek help from administration because they do not want to appear incompetent. This could also be due, in part, to a fear of job security: if beginner teachers voice that they are struggling, they fear they may not be hired back. Although the drop-out teachers tried to gain support from fellow teachers, they found that a lack of team spirit and time were obstacles to collegial support (Karsenti & Collin, 2013).

The STF states that some boards of education offer well-being and mental health supports. Additionally, mentorship for beginner teachers could play a significant role in teacher attrition and reduce burnout. Professional mentors in the school, as well as personal mentors are important factors in teacher well-being and professional support. Being aware of the supports available for beginner teachers as well as how to access these supports could further reduce the challenge of teacher attrition and burnout.

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Froese-Germain (2014) found that women are more likely to be torn between their teaching and personal responsibilities.

Duxbury and Higgins (2013) state that women tend to experience a greater challenge when it comes to work-life balance. Although women are more likely than men to report that they are the primary child caregivers in their families, gender role expectations in regards to parenting have not changed substantially in recent years.

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Effect of extracurriculars on work-life balance 

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Effect of extracurriculars on work-life balance 

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Almost one-half of teachers (44%) are involved in a professional learning community or some other form of collaboration (Naylor & White, 2010).

According to a study conducted on Calgary teachers, teachers work 10 to 20 hours per week outside of regular school hours. High stress, absenteeism and burnout are the unfortunate effects of this statistic (Naylor & White, 2010).

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I have read and heard from fellow teachers that many experience a lot of pressure and stress in their first years of teaching. I feel that beginner teachers are seen to have endless energy and passion for the profession. This can result in overcommitment to opportunities presented, such as coaching or leading other school clubs. When lesson preparation time is considered, beginner teachers do not have a lot of extra time to devote to their profession outside of school hours. Add in personal commitments and relationships to uphold, all teachers are faced with numerous challenges in regard to balancing work and life.

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Best practices for creating a work-life balance

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Best practices for creating a work-life balance

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As a beginner teacher, focusing on professional growth and identity should be a priority (Middleweb, 2018). However, it is difficult to be successful professionally if a work-life balance is not met.

Suggestions to find a work-life balance include:

1. Make time for yourself. This includes eating well, getting ample sleep and finding time for exercise, if even for only 10 minutes at a time. Prepping meals for the week on a Sunday could make eating healthy for enjoyable and efficient.

2. Seek mentors. Professional mentorship programs are a part of many school divisions' policies. Developing a good relationship with one or more teachers within the school could provide support and a healthier view of understanding expectations and realities as a new teacher. Sometimes it takes someone else who has endured similar experiences, to put things into perspective. However, do not limit yourself with mentors; there are likely many teachers and professionals in the school that could provide growth and learning for a new teacher. For example, one teacher may be effective at communicating with parents. Another, efficient at reporting. If you keep your eyes open, you will likely learn something from every staff member.

3. Set boundaries. No teacher should, or can, be expected to work around the clock. Set a specific amount of time per day to respond to emails and phone calls and time dedicated to marking and preparing. Also, start small with committing to leading extracurriculars or school clubs. Begin with involvement in one extracurricular (e.g. chess club, gay-straight alliance or coaching). Adjust your commitments based on your workload at school and at home. A favourite quote of mine is, "Start small, but at least start" -Anonymous.

4. Practice intentional mindfulness. Research has shown that this helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to reduced anxiety. Mindfulness has also proven to reduce teacher burnout and improve focus. The great thing about mindfulness is that it does not require a length amount of time.

5. Schedule time to spend with family and friends. Often, no one knows us better than those we have spent most of our life with. Spending time with those who value your personal identity and support your personal growth are important in maintaining a work-life balance. Scheduling a time to meet or visit makes the time with these individuals intentional and less prone to being put off.

6. Practice reflective writing. Not only does this show personal and professional progress, but it also helps us to determine our goals and recognize areas that may need further support. Looking back on reflections also helps to provide perspective of just how far someone has come.

7. The school year is a marathon, not a sprint. Keeping in mind the big picture of doing small things consistently, could help to ease stress at work.