How to avoid Burnout

If you're feeling overwhelmed and burned out, putting in long hours without seeming to get ahead, becoming irritable with your students, then there are things that you need to do to take care of yourself. Here are a few suggestions...

Enroll in a fun workshop, seminar or conference or personal,
non-teaching interest.
· Change teaching grade assignments in the school.
· Change schools.
· Go into a different teaching role such as resource,
administration.
· Take on a new task such as a school or district committee.
· Take up swimming, jogging, walking, rowing, cycling.
· Get more sleep.
· Use deep breathing, meditation techniques, music to relax.
· Cultivate allies among students, staff, and parents.
· Find friends outside of teaching.
· Go to out-of-town conferences.
· Collect and mount motivational posters in your classroom.
· Take a vacation, a week-end getaway, or go to a spa retreat.
· Be flexible, or you'll be permanently bent out of shape.
· Join a sports league or a charitable volunteer group.
· Get a pet (rabbit, cat, dog...).

For me, one of the first things I do to relax after having a hard week with my students is to get some inspiration from other teachers through teacher movies.

The Emperor's Club (2002)

I rarely buy movies after I've viewed them.

This movie is the exception.

The Emperor's Club with Kevin Kline is one of my favourite teacher movies. It showed me that although I can try my best, do all I can for my students, I can't "fix" them all. There will be failures, especially with students whom I tried to reach, but for whom I was unable to change their behavior. There will be students you can't stop for whatever reason, from going down the wrong path.

The Emperor's Club more than any other movie, shows the internal struggles of the classroom teacher.

This movie also shows that for every student you can't change, there will of students where you will make a difference.

Those you will inspire to do their best through all the little things you do with them all year long.

Even though they don't tell you or acknowledge the impact you have on them, in later years, they will remember and be grateful for the things you did.

Other movies I've enjoyed:

Freedom Writers (2007)

Stand and Deliver (1988)

The Ron Clark Story (2006)

The Karate Kid (1984)

Glory Road (2006)

Hoosiers (1986)

Coach Carter (2005)

Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

Renaissance Man (1994)