Teacher burnout is real, not only have I felt it, but I also wrote an entire dissertation revolving around fixing it. With that said, none of the following solutions are part of that research but I have come up with them through trial and error. I used to think that when I was burnt out I needed a vacation or a time away from students. Maybe I needed a silent lunch or a plan period where I did nothing job-related. What I have found is that these things make my burnout worse. If I ever take a day off I find myself significantly more anxious than if I had just been at work.

What has worked for me may be the last thing you would think to do. Spend more time with your students! When you are feeling completely exhausted or burnt out, go join your class in the cafeteria for lunch. Your students will literally beg that you sit next to them. You will get the chance to hang out with your students and hear about all of their interests and silly stories. Here is the hard part, before you sit with your students, you have to tell the person on duty that you are not there to support, you are there to eat your lunch. Do not let yourself get involved with student behavior or even pay attention to it for this short time. Your only worry is having fun with your students. I prefer eating in the cafeteria, but inviting your class back to your classroom to eat has the same effect. One mistake I have seen however is using this as a consequence. Teachers invite 23 of their 25 students back to their room to eat while 2 students who did not earn this eat in the cafeteria. Your burnout is likely coming from the 2 students who did not earn this reward. Use this time to sit right next to them, their respect for you will increase immediately and you will connect with them better moving forward.

This same idea goes for recess. Students love to play with their teachers. Beat them in a game of basketball or join their game of tag. You can even do this while you are on duty. When you stand still and stew over your frustrations during your recess duty, time moves very slowly. If you join the kids in their play, you will get some exercise, you may laugh a little, and time will move much faster. If you do these things, your students will start asking if you will sit next to them or play with them. It is a great way to start cutting deals with your students.

This next one is my personal favorite. When you feel completely overwhelmed and burnt out, throw a party! The party doesn’t need any decorations or any snacks. All it needs is something to celebrate. Find one good thing that a kid did the previous day and celebrate it! You can celebrate your best student who doesn’t get celebrated nearly enough for getting an A on their math test or celebrate your most troubling student for walking in the hallway appropriately at the end of the day. Explain to your kids why you are celebrating, put some music on, and dance for 3 minutes. The goal is that hopefully, your troubling students will work towards being the ones to be celebrated next time.

My favorite thing about the examples above is that they work every single time. When I feel myself struggling or stewing over a frustrating situation I make sure I have a positive interaction with a kid. Don’t be confused; this will not always improve student behavior (although typically it does), but it will put you in a good mood, and poor behavior is much easier to manage when you are in a good mood!

Challenge

1. One day this week each lunch with your class for no reason. Sit down at their lunch table and just enjoy their company. Sure, you will lose your “uninterrupted” lunch, but I feel confident you will feel much less burnt out than when you eat in the teacher’s lounge! 
2. One morning this week, celebrate one student who has done something awesome. Explain that you are only getting to celebrate because of this amazing thing. Not only will this encourage kids to be the ones to be celebrated next time, but it will also help you notice all of the amazing things going on around you!