Burnout can be described as energy depletion or utter exhaustion. All across the country, teaching positions go unfilled as fewer people dream of pursuing a career where burnout has proven to be an inevitable outcome.
In the last couple of years, the appeal of the teaching profession has been steadily declining. School districts across the country grow anxious as they face teacher and substitute shortages. The number of college undergraduates and graduates entering the teaching profession has decreased by a third since 2010.
Declining teacher availability has had detrimental effects, creating issues for teachers already in the profession.
Day after day, teachers are receiving more and more requirements in their daily work. At PVHS, every in-service meeting on early outs adds more to teachers’ plates without giving any leniency.
However, PV’s administration has still attempted to be considerate towards teachers in general – but their efforts can only go so far. Principal Darren Erickson recognized the way the administration may fall short without trying to. “That [teacher struggles] is something we always need to keep in mind. Again, with over 100 teachers it is easy to not catch everything that is happening…we need to keep everyone’s needs in mind,” he said.
Despite the efforts of the administration, many teachers are left feeling distraught and overwhelmed after these meetings. One teacher in particular, Stephanie Risius, feels the stress of these meetings as she teaches seven periods a day with no prep period. The school attempts to justify this workday by not giving Risius an eighth period resource. This means she does not have to take care of freshmen at the end of the day.
However, they failed to consider the fact that Risius will continue to stay at school during the eighth period in order to help students who are struggling with concepts or have missed school.
With such a long day, Risius is heavily affected by the work added during teacher in-service meetings. “I feel frustrated and overwhelmed as it feels every time I leave, instead of things coming off my plate, more things are being put on my plate. I really miss our Early-Out Fridays,” she said. “Not only was it time to prep for the next week, it was a perfect time to meet with other teachers. That consistent, weekly time to meet was very valuable for us as opposed to the current once a month time frame.”
After a year of putting in more time and effort than they ever had before, teachers are beginning to feel the repercussions.
The majority of teachers strive for perfection in everything they do. With a job that has such direct effects on others, teachers are constantly trying to be in their best state of mind. Sometimes, they are forced to sacrifice their own state of mind for the benefit of their students.
On average, teachers make about $57,000 a year. With the work teachers do in and outside of school, this amount of money is insufficient. There is a misconception that teachers getting a break over the summer justifies their salaries.
Sure, during that time off, some of it is used to relax and have fun, but the time unaccounted for is often spent changing lesson plans and revamping curriculums for the next school year. Taking a step further, there are several teachers in the PV school district who sacrifice their free time in the summer to help with summer school or tutoring in general.
With teachers having such a strong dedication to their work, entrance to the profession can seem like a daunting commitment to young college students as more and more teachers begin to experience burnout.
To help students succeed in school, teachers are forced to exhaust an extra level of determination. Working constantly, teachers are less inclined to save time for themselves. Risius offered her take on burnout. “Burn out is for real. Students are not at the level [of mental maturity] where past years have been… everything needs to be adjusted and most weeks I feel I’m building the plane while I’m flying it,” she described.
The last three school years have thrown teachers through hoop after hoop with no mercy because of COVID-19. As teachers and students continue to find their groove and maintain balance, it is crucial that teachers can find support in a number of places.
Rather than asking how teachers can do more for their students, it is time that people start asking what they can do for teachers. There is never enough time for teachers to do their work let alone the work of others. It is the responsibility of students to stand by teachers because they give their all for each student in the classroom.
