I recently read Andrew Miller’s “5
Tips to Avoid Teacher Burnout” and although it was targeted at new teachers
it struck a chord with me. In fact, I’m still vibrating days later. This was
the worst academic year of my life and that includes a year of graduate school
during which I took double course work while juggling my dual role of
instructor and administrator as well as trying to maintain some sort of family
life. That year and the one during which I completed my dissertation were
nothing compared to this despite the fact that both of those years involved
personal and family crises.
So what made this year so devastating? Overwork and
overextension sandwiched between underpaid and underappreciated. I put myself
out there in a number of ways and reaped little to no return for my investment
of time, energy, and emotion. Then, at the end of the semester when I thought I
had reached rock bottom and I was exhausted and used up, I suffered a health
crisis which just goes to show you that things can always be worse. That
certainly shocked my optimistic little soul.
So what do I do now? What can I do now? I’ve taken steps
to relieve my burdens in the short-term to protect my health and sanity, but
what happens when I return to full-time work in August and the same
institutional conditions exist? How do I prevent myself from backsliding
especially when there are so many willing to give me a push back in that
direction? I have come up with five strategies that I hope will make next year
an improvement as well as help others from falling victim to this level of
crash and burn.
Take Stock
Teachers are busy people. Administrators are busy people.
People who do both are crazy busy. There is always more that needs doing than
can be done and there are always people placing demands (both reasonable and
unreasonable) on your time. There are always days when I am incredibly busy and
yet have nothing to show for it. My solution is to take stock – make a list of
what needs to be done and then truly evaluate what needs to be done “now” and
what needs to be done now by me. I have to take control of my “To Do” list and
not let it control me.
Set Your Own Goals
The institutions that govern/employ teachers and
administrators set a number (growing exponentially every year) of goals for
them. This can lead to frustration and helplessness not to mention anger and
depression. But goals are important motivators. They get us up in the morning
and push us forward through adversity. The key is to set goals for areas of
your work and life that you can control and that have meaning to you. Make it something reasonable and
possible (don’t add more stress to your life) but also something that will make
you feel better professionally or personally. Set goals that will help you get
through your current work day but also can contribute to a better tomorrow.
Yes, you spent most of the day in soul-sucking meetings but you also
accomplished X (or at least a step toward that goal).
Hope and Dream
Allow yourself hopes and dreams. While your goals are
concrete and actionable, your hopes and dreams are more intangible. If your
current job and/or life is not what you want (hence the crash and burn?) then
allow yourself to dream about the possibilities for a better future. Recognize
that tomorrow does not have to be like today and that you have the power to
change your circumstances and your life. I believe strongly in the power of
hopes and dreams to not only get us through the challenges of the day but to
inspire the future. Dreams lead to goals which lead to change.
This is going to be my mantra for next year. Perhaps I
need to tattoo it somewhere. I think this is a particular challenge for
educators as we tend to be nurturers and givers. We are particularly programmed
to say “yes” even when we know we shouldn’t. But the simple fact is that no one
else is going to put your goals, dreams, or health first. Other people have
their own agenda. Students, coworkers, and institutions will always put their
own needs and goals first. Fight against the guilt with whatever weapons you
have at hand and remind yourself that you will definitely fail your
constituencies if your health and/or sanity breaks down. Sometimes taking time
to selfishly do something for yourself is actually serving others. Plan for it,
schedule for it, put it on your list and then guard it zealously.
Play and Relax
This has been extremely difficult for me. I do not know
how to avoid email and other communication devices. As an academic and a writer
I constantly surround myself with books and writing tools. I have to learn to
turn off and tune out at the end of the day and at the end of the week. I have
to learn to throw myself wholeheartedly into vacations. I need to reconnect
with family, friends, and hobbies.
So that is my plan to reclaim my life and my sanity and
my health. I am officially putting my institutions on notice. I will continue
to do my jobs to the best of my ability but your goals, dreams, and health are
no longer my concern. I will no longer allow my goals, dreams, and health to be
sacrificed for your gain.
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