5 Ways To Avoid Burnout (Steve Guditus @sguditus)

I recently had a conversation with a phenomenal teacher, former colleague and friend, @mausigal, about staying above the fray, avoiding burnout staying pumped up in our last month of school, taking a deep breath, and getting rejuvenated over the summer.  It got me thinking...as educators, we can feel like there are too many initiatives, insufficient resources, not enough time, and too much to get done!  How do we stay focused on the most important thing: student learning?

5 Ways Avoid Burnout:


  1. Get pumped up.  According to a Boston Globe article by Deborah Kotz, recent research states that when you are feeling stressed, don't get subdued, go get pumped up.  And who better to get
    Get pumped up!
    you pumped up than Richard Simmons?!  Seriously: shift your paradigm to view a challenge as an opportunity and turn on some "Runnin' Down A Dream" by Tom Petty.
  2. Exercise.  Take care of yourself - mind and body.  Give yourself a mental break and go exercise.  The research linking exercise and mental well-being is exhaustive; you will feel better afterwards, and be able to put things into perspective again.  Remember, a 10 minute walk is better than a zero minute walk.  (Note: if you need a place to start, see Richard Simmons above in #2.)
  3. Participate in a weekly Twitter chat.  When I participate in a weekly Twitter chat, I am regularly excited, pumped up, and invigorated to try something new.  Whether you actively participate or just lurk, check out this exhaustive list of educational Twitter chats, organized by day of the week and time, and find one that gets you jazzed up: http://bit.ly/18CHmRo.  A big thanks goes out to @thomascmurray, @cevans5095 and @cybraryman1 for their hard work organizing this list!  This is something that is free, you can participate in a spur-of-the-moment, connects you with amazing educators and helps you build your PLN.
  4. Attend an #edcamp.  At an edcamp, like in a weekly Twitter chat, you will find engaged, passionate, excited and connected educators who want to engage in talking about progressing education, teaching and learning, and implementing new instructional techniques to teach students.  It is impossible to leave an edcamp empty handed and without new tools to implement in your school.  Go to http://edcamp.wikispaces.com/ to find one - close by or take a trip!
  5. Take a mini-sabbatical.  Propose a professional development day that involves you observing peers in your school or in local schools, and ask your principal for a sub to cover your classes for the day.  Spend some time to tune out all the nuts and bolts for 6.5 hours, eat a relaxing lunch, and take in all of the amazing things that colleagues in your very own school and neighboring schools are doing.  Recommendation: end your day with 30 minutes of written reflection that outlines your action steps and commit yourself to adapting at least three new things in your classroom before the year is over.  Sometimes just having the time to stop, observe, think and reflect can make all the difference.
Works Cited:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/03/10/how-make-stress-work-your-favor/vMAvOIaegqFCFamQvS4DzN/story.html
http://kamere.com/wp-content/uploads/richard-simmons1.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXYl5NrHPb4
http://bit.ly/18CHmRo
http://edcamp.wikispaces.com/

Comments

Kristina @ Appetite for Instruction said…
Thanks for sharing this! I do #1, #2, and #4, but am now intrigued by #3 and #5. I have always felt so frustrated by the tension between wanting to be in one's class b/c of students not learning while a sub is there vs. being out in the world and learning stuff while teaching is going on.
8:09 AM
Kristina @ Appetite for Instruction said…
Thanks for sharing this! I do #1, #2, and #4, but am now intrigued by #3 and #5. I have always felt so frustrated by the tension between wanting to be in one's class b/c of students not learning while a sub is there vs. being out in the world and learning stuff while teaching is going on.
8:09 AM
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