Seven Reasons Teachers Burn Out

When I began the teaching profession, I believed that there were things that might ruin me as a teacher. On the top of my list was "working too hard," followed by "not taking care of myself," and then "a really horrible year with a tough class." In other words, I thought that if the job became too hard or I was having to give too much of myself, I'd lose all passion and give up. I was wrong. Last year was my hardest year of teaching. I had a rowdy class that was hard to lead. Part of this was my own fault. I didn't build the culture right and I wasn't used to sixth graders. In terms of hours, I worked harder than ever before. And yet, throughout the year, I knew it was worth it. I saw the growth. I knew that I was doing something that mattered. I walked into the summer worn out, but certainly not ready to quit. I've had other times, however, when I wanted to walk away. Here are a few of the things that I see leading teachers into burnout:

1. Micromanaging Leaders: Losing autonomy can be crushing for some teachers. It can feel like walking on eggshells. Okay, not true. It's more like walking on a bed of nails. It sucks. 
2. Negative School Culture: It's hard to teach in a place where there is fear, hostility and back-biting. I've been pretty fortunate in the places where I've taught. However, I've seen teachers hit a point of burnout only to thrive in a new environment. 
3. Being Asked to Do What You Find Morally Wrong: the closest I've been to walking away have been the moments when I was asked to abandon real teaching for test prep. There have been moments when I looked at the six weeks a year of testing and wanted to walk away from it. 
4. Perfectionism: Teachers who expect the job to be easy or perfect will struggle. However, a humble, realistic vision of success makes a huge difference. We need to have the permission to make mistakes and to grow.
5. Bad View of Humanity: Those who think that there is a magic list of good and bad kids (or that kids are "naturally good") will be disappointed. I think that mix of beautiful and broken is critical.  
6. Shame: Teachers who have been shamed for bad scores (either by the system or by administrators) end up wounded. It's not surprising when good teachers decide to pack it up and go home.
7. Ignoring Identity: I know some things about myself. I can't be on too many committees or I get cynical. I don't do well in leadership, because I end up trying to please everyone and avoid conflict. I can't do loud, noisy spaces. Sometimes great teachers lose their passion, because they aren't teaching out of their identity.