Preschool Teacher Burnout is Running Rampant
Are you feeling like you might be losing your mind a teeny tiny bit?
Well, you’re not alone, because many, many educators are feeling the exact same way.
The Department Of Education measured that nearly 15% of the workforce is leaving or moving every year and that number is only growing.
Teachers are just tired.
Add on that early childhood educators are severely underpaid, underappreciated, and undervalued, and it can make anyone feel like throwing in the towel and walking away.
Preschool Teacher Burnout and how to prevent it -Early Childhood Educators Academy
So what's a teacher to do if they want to stay sane throughout the year?
There are many underlying, big-picture issues that need to be addressed, but those solutions will take time, advocacy, and funding.
And there’s no way to completely avoid the stress that comes in this particular field of work, but here are a few self-care tips to hopefully lower your blood pressure in the classroom in the meantime.
*note: these are tips teachers in the classroom can take, we have a separate post for directors and owners to take care of themselves and their staff!
Take care of yourself physically.
I'm no gym buff, so pumping a few weights isn't my personal go-to for stress relief, but something simple like taking walks, stretching, or anything to get you moving can help.
But taking care of yourself physically doesn’t only mean exercise.
Things like making sure you're getting enough sleep and eating are included.
Being in a room with 16 two-year-olds when you're only running on 4 hours of sleep and a granola bar is cause enough to make anyone feel a little loopy.
When you can, eat a proper meal and get some sleep. If not, grab some easy-to-go snacks and sit down with your kiddos for snack time and eat.
Also, be sure to make use of those sick days when you need them. It's tempting to try and power through when you "just have a little sneeze" but pushing your body when it needs rest is doing more harm than good (and spreading germs).
It’s not a sign of “work ethic” to push your body to it’s limit, and honestly it’s not the example we’d want to set for our children either.
Any healthy work environment will prioritize you getting the rest you need so you’re not forced to come to work with the flu. The truth is, it’s not your job as the teacher to be concerned about staffing and meeting ratio. If you’re not abusing and taking advantage of calling out, you should be calling in for health concerns.
Take your break and use it for you.
Teachers are notorious for using lunch breaks as errand runs and paperwork catch-up, essentially skipping their (often only) break altogether.
Take your break and enjoy it.
If you have to do a “working lunch” make sure you take your 15-minute break and use it outside of the classroom.
Unless there’s an actual emergency that only you can solve, there's very little reason to be working during the time you're supposed to be on break.
Make your breaks a priority the same way you would do lesson plans or payroll. We make time for things we find important so make breaks important too.
That might mean skipping a butterfly craft because you didn’t cut out the wings on your break and that’s okay. Break out the plain paper and do some process art instead.
Prep for your day mentally.
You might spend a good 30+ minutes prepping your classroom materials before the day starts, but what about your mental state?
Take a few minutes before class to do some meditation or set some intentions/goals just to make sure you're in a positive mindset before the day begins.
Ask yourself a few reflective questions to see if there’s anything that might still be crowding your thoughts or mood, especially if you’re dealing with challenges in the classroom or if it’s been a hard week.
What do you need to let go of to start the day off with a blank slate?
What emotion keeps popping up that you should explore/address?
Is there anything that’s been on your mind that you need to get off your chest?
Are there any affirmations to help shift your negative mood if you’re in one or shift your perspective?
Speaking of affirmations, give yourself a pep talk.
That's right, you look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself that you're an awesome, goal-crushing, world-changing teacher— and this is your classroom and your students and success is the direction you're all headed in.
Especially if it's been stressful, reminding yourself that you are doing your best can help prevent that dragging, burnt-out feeling that happens when you can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.
Build a team with the people you see every day.
Yup, your co-workers. Get to know them and develop healthy, supportive relationships with one another, even across age groups.
You don’t necessarily have to be BFFs, but teamwork makes the dream work!
When you have a community of supportive co-workers you know you can rely on then it helps tremendously when it comes down to lowering stress levels and everyone helping each other out.
Ask for help!
Don't wait until you're at your absolute boiling point before seeking help with a child’s difficult behavior or trying to figure out how to communicate with a certain parent.
Reach out to other teachers, your director, an ECE coach, or see if you can tap into the teaching community's wealth of knowledge and experience.
Check out our awesome Facebook group of supportive preschool educators if you'd like to connect with others in case you need to reach out and get some feedback: Early Childhood Teacher Lounge
Seek out ongoing Professional Development
Even though you're required to do certain training, don't be afraid to branch out and seek extra training that matters to you.
When you feel properly equipped to do your job, you're less stressed out.
It doesn’t even have to be training for something typical like classroom management, it could be about something interesting you’d like to learn more about like sensory play or using puppets just to respark your joy and passion for teaching.
If you're looking for engaging training for early childhood educators check out our in-person workshops or professional development opportunities here.
Even a course on something hobby-related like using a Cricut can benefit your classroom.
Speaking of hobbies...do you have a life outside of the classroom?
Really, what's your personal self-care looking like at home too?
Do you do anything you enjoy? Are you dragging the stress from work home with you? Are you being well...happy?
An incredibly stressful life at home has its way of sneaking into your work life and vice versa, so it's important to make sure both are balanced so they're not poisoning the other.
Do more of the things that make you happy so you can come skipping into your classroom like a bright ray of educational sunshine!
Or at least with a smile.
When life gets rough, find “pockets of joy” and small things to celebrate to remind yourself not everything is negative. Some people have found keeping a gratitude journal or jar can be helpful. You can have a separate one for home and a second for your classroom (maybe even get the kids involved and have them write something they’re grateful for!)
Identify your triggers in the classroom.
There are certain things that can drive us up the wall.
Being aware of what these are and actively taking steps to address this can help take some burden off.
For example, if it’s overstimulating when a student keeps shouting your name, develop a system for how they can grab your attention without interrupting or shouting.
If you’re aware that excessive mess raises your anxiety levels, you can be more mindful about how this influences your interaction with your kids during free play.
Some things might not ever disappear but you can at least be proactive about reducing how much of a negative impact it has on your day or resolving it quicker.
And finally, make an emergency box.
Yup, an emergency box.
Just a cute little box you can stash away in the teacher’s cabinet for days when you're really just feeling overwhelmed.
You can fill the box with your favorite goodies and pick-me-ups like candy, words of encouragement, affirmation cards, funny memes, essential oils, and other mood boosters.
Fun fact: just the thought of having a treat for yourself hidden away and waiting for you can raise serotonin levels when you're stressed. That's not opinion, that's science ;)
So stash away a tiny treat and when you’re feeling a little worn down and remind yourself you have something awesome waiting for you on your next break.
Caring for you is really an essential part of running a smooth classroom.
A happy teacher makes for an overall better experience for the students. You're able to give more when you're taking care of yourself so take care of yourself!
Enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with other teachers!
