Seminar: How teachers deal with burnout

In an online seminar, the topic raised by the moderator was: Burnout is usually caused by the organization where a person works, rather than by the individual. Asking you to “just roll with the punches” as a long-term strategy when chaos and stress engulfs you is inhumane and ineffective. It’s a fact that teachers will have many valid reasons to complain about their jobs. However, there are many teachers who love their jobs. Love the work of teachers and experience a sense of happiness and accomplishment every day. These are what most teachers can achieve. First, make sure your mentality can adapt to changes in the outside world. Attitude may not determine everything, but it is undoubtedly a very important factor. So, how can teachers change their mentality and eliminate professional burnout? As a teacher, what complaints do you hear in your office? Have you ever had a moment of burnout? Many teachers will unconsciously start "complaining mode" in the office. Have you heard it? Or what complaints have you ever had? Or when you “don’t want to do it”? What does burnout look like for the teacher community?

Teacher 1: After seeing this question, I randomly interviewed two of my co-teachers in the office. None of them denied the fact that they had experienced burnout. The English teacher said that whenever the results of the first-class evaluation come out and his name is not on the list, he will suffer from professional burnout and feel that his efforts have not been recognized. The math teacher serves as the head teacher of another class. She said that at the beginning of each semester, when she is too busy with all kinds of trivial routine work, she will suffer from professional burnout. According to my observation, although they complain a little verbally, they are all high-spirited in class; they do not slack off at all when correcting homework, reviewing test papers, and tutoring students. This is really a strange phenomenon. Maybe this is not true burnout.

Teacher 2: “We don’t know the cause of burnout, and everyone in the world is sleepy.” Today, job burnout seems to have become a social problem. I feel that not only teachers, but many people in every industry are not satisfied with their current work status and have many complaints. This reminds me of the sentiment expressed in the letter known as "the most emotional resignation letter in history": The world is so big, I want to see it. This short sentence, ten words, expresses the anxiety and longing in the hearts of many people. For teachers whose working environment is relatively simple, whose work content is relatively fixed, and whose work patterns are relatively different, it is indeed easier to suffer from professional burnout. I also often hear teachers around me complain, "This class of students is the worst class of students I have ever taught", "I have never seen such uncooperative parents", "Why did the leader give me this crappy task again" and so on. As a colleague, I fully understand their complaints. When I encounter some difficult problems and some unexpected tasks, I sometimes feel powerless and depressed. In fact, more often than not, this is just a mood swing. I think this is relatively normal, so first of all, you must accept your emotions, allow yourself to be imperfect, admit that education is not everything, and allow yourself to be "sad". With this acceptance, it is easy to calm down and then think about solutions to the problem.

Teacher 3: There are two times when I hear more complaints in the office. One is when students’ test scores are unsatisfactory, and the other is when students are not serious about their homework. Teachers feel that input and output are not commensurate. They are disappointed with students' academic performance or learning attitude, and are "severely hit". Some are anxious and angry, and some can't get motivated to do their work.

Teacher 4: As a rural teacher, the common complaints I hear are that the educational environment is poor, the student base is weak, as well as issues such as job remuneration, promotion and evaluation, and a lack of sense of accomplishment.

Teacher 5: To be honest, the most common complaint I hear is that time is too tight and many things cannot be done. Everyone says that the times are progressing, and work has not become easier, but it has become easier. It's getting more and more complicated. Often due to meetings or other non-teaching tasks, teachers are unable to correct homework on time and attend classes for tutoring on time. There are often many such complaints.

Moderator: So according to you, what are the causes of job burnout? How to maintain a positive work and life state? What do you think are the superficial and underlying causes of burnout?

Teacher 1: As for me personally, I actually developed burnout on the teaching profession relatively early, and it became particularly prominent in my fourth year of work. That year, I had just transferred to a new school. I was faced with a new working environment and a strict assessment system. My workload increased dramatically, and I was still in the lactation period, so I was running back and forth all day. The dual pressure from work and family made me anxious and I wanted to give up my career as a teacher. It is difficult to balance work and family, which is a situation that most of our frontline female teachers will encounter. We always neglect to take care of our own children for the sake of other people's children, but this creates a kind of guilt and does not make people particularly anxious. What really makes people anxious is that they have paid so much and sacrificed so much, but the results obtained in the end, whether it is student growth or personal growth, are minimal. That will make people feel tired.

Teacher 2: I think my burnout period occurred when I went to work just after giving birth.

A new mother had a big conflict with her class teacher at work. She had too many classes and too many things to do and not enough rest. She was running between the children in the class and her own children all day long. It was really exhausting and exhausting. I once had a strong sense of frustration and frustration. Feeling of powerlessness.

"Every day is new and new again." Only when a person is curious about the world can he feel fresh every day. I particularly like Dennis Weir's words: As long as you are still green, You are growing; once you become mature, you begin to decay. Therefore, when it comes to teaching, I think you still need to maintain a childlike innocence and look at the world around you with another eye. Only in this way can you. We will see the heart lacking love behind the stubborn behavior, see the call for encouragement in every homework, and see the light in every child's eyes. This awareness of freshness will help us see life. Vitality and poetry.

In addition, we need to persist in learning and strive to complete the upgrade of the teacher’s mission. Teacher Yu Yi said: “Be a teacher all your life and learn to be a teacher all your life. "I think it's very well said. This reminds us to develop good study habits. In fact, in our educational life, burnout means a kind of self-paralysis, while learning will always maintain a kind of alertness. Like this year During this epidemic, many of our teachers became "eighteen-tier anchors" through self-study, mutual assistance, etc., and started a new life in education. During this period, there was pain, laughter, and tears, but there was little burnout. A process that always reminds us that our professional abilities need to be strengthened and we need to study hard and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to educational practice to adapt to the changing educational life. This spirit and energy will bring teachers into a new realm of growth.

Make a good career plan and start a personal growth micro-revolution. For example, I will start the "Four Ones Every Day" project during my working day: a good lesson in which teachers and students are fully engaged; Chat with at least one child; read your favorite book for a while; write some educational essays. Through such a small daily project, you can maximize the novelty on the road to professional growth, because the process of love contains countless possibilities. . We can practice more effective teaching methods, conduct hierarchical teaching, and take care of the needs of every student; we can break down the barriers of subject teaching and expand the width of the classroom; we can build a close connection between life and learning, so that everyone can Every class, every student is more vivid... Every day teaching becomes a field where we can truly realize our self-worth, and we who stand in the classroom will also be illuminated by a sense of accomplishment and happiness.

Teachers. 3: Let’s talk about tiredness first - the competition is becoming increasingly fierce, middle schools need scores, and elementary schools need activities. For example, some netizens joked about the standards of class teachers in the new era: "Able to attend class, run on the playground, approve homework, and write articles." If you hold a good class meeting, you can interview parents, you can persuade people to express feelings, you can control the Internet, you can relieve sadness, and you can get rid of confusion. Hold can control hyperactivity, control frivolity, be warm enough to "stay behind", endure vicissitudes of life, endure weird things, protect low IQ, investigate cases, eliminate arrogance, subdue shrews, fight gangsters, and shock Living in a gangster, you can play Tripitaka." Of course, it is an exaggeration, but it also reflects from the side the complicated and trivial work of teachers in a period of social transformation and in the context of diverse thinking.

Let's talk about disappointment - for whom Disappointed? 1. Disappointed with parents in society. Many of them have too high expectations for teachers, and even morally kidnap them. But in fact, teachers are not perfect people or saints. They also have emotions and abilities, and they cannot satisfy everyone at all times. , you will receive criticism and feel a sense of grievance;

2. Disappointment in students, many teachers have high expectations for students, and education is not a panacea, it has boundaries, so the more responsible The more strong teachers believe that their efforts need to be rewarded, the more they will be disappointed with their students;

3. Disappointed in themselves, intellectuals have relatively strong self-esteem. If they fall behind in various evaluations, they will be left out of the list of excellent ones. If a period of ineffectiveness is achieved, bad emotions will arise. If teachers are not cheerful and open-minded enough, causing anxiety and loneliness, it will easily lead to burnout.

Moderator: Teachers encounter burnout from all directions, so in the face of it. What are your best solutions to the various pressures and temptations in work and life? What other methods do you usually use to eliminate negative energy in your work and life?

If such professional burnout is left unchecked? What are the consequences of freedom? What kind of negative impact will it have on your work and students? What specific methods do you have to eliminate professional burnout?

Teacher 1: I think that as a front-line teacher, you should actually develop a hobby. I remember a famous education expert said that a famous teacher should have the following conditions - being able to be lazy, being able to act stupid, and being able to play football. I think "being able to play football" is okay. Expanding to being able to play the piano, draw, sing, dance... These are all life-savers, which can add a little spice to our busy life and find an outlet for our emotions if we really don't have these. skills, then at least ensure good appreciation ability. When I am depressed and unable to read or write, I often choose to listen to music or draw.

Teacher 2: 1. Exercise, because exercise can produce endorphins. Peptides, or "feel-good" chemicals, contribute to improved mood.

In fact, during exercise, we need to "concentrate without distraction" to help us focus on thinking about problems. The event I choose is a three-kilometer or five-kilometer jog. In the laps of running, I had the opportunity to discover myself.

2. I have my own little hobbies, such as traveling and photography. Every holiday, I will make plans in advance and spend a long time looking forward to completing a trip. I think: Teachers need to listen to their own heartbeats in the world of mortals, and they also need to carefully record the beauty in light and shadow. The vastness and richness of the world need us to experience it. After experiencing the height of the mountains, the vastness of the sea, the density of the forest, and the interest of things, you will realize that the numerous emotions in life are nothing.

3. Reading and writing leave traces in life. The reason why we tend to be mediocre is because looking back at the past, we did not seriously leave traces of our work and life. Therefore, I think it is important to be yourself with a fragrant soul. I opened a small column called "Chen Sijing Yu" in my circle of friends, which is to sort out the events of the day every night and record them in simple language. It has been going on for 1111 days now. Sometimes, I look through my circle of friends and see the moments and days of hard work that I have been touched by, and I feel that I am really happy to be a teacher. Where does teachers' happiness come from? In the conscientious work, in the ordinary life, in the little things, in the happy state of mind, in the upright life, in the ups and downs of life.

Teacher 3: In the face of pressure, my first solution, which I also recommend to colleagues who feel job burnout, is to be a class teacher. Really, being a class teacher cultivates our problem-solving thinking and Ability promotes human maturity and wisdom. For example, I used to be an emotional young man with a narrow vision and weak comprehensive abilities. After working as a class teacher for many years, my mind has broadened, I understand students and parents better, my abilities have improved, and I am happier.

My second method is to look at the problem with a research mentality: when encountering difficulties, study more about the reasons for the difficulties, ways to solve them, etc., and then keep practicing. As long as the thinking does not slip, the solution will always be There are more difficulties than difficulties, and when there is a bright future, I am really full of joy; when I encounter a problem, I study the root cause behind the problem, constantly try to change, and find 100 ways to find one, and there is always one that suits him.

I think the third way is to work hard to improve yourself. When a person becomes stronger, many of the problems that trouble him will become calmer. He is afraid of endless truth. Every inch of progress brings happiness. Reading, reading, etc. Writing and studying will constantly lead to new insights and new realms. Once you have the height and look back, there is no wind or rain or sunshine.

The most fundamental and core thing is actually love, and love can withstand the passage of time. Love your profession, awaken and lead, nourish your soul, move towards beauty, and save all living beings; love your students, look at things with the eyes of love, where can there be any disturbance? The flowers are similar every year, but the people are different every year. Every student is a relative. Even if they go to all directions, they will be cared about for a long time or even a lifetime. Only the teaching profession can have this kind of happiness. If a teacher has experienced this feeling for decades, it will be even deeper!

Teacher 4: To eliminate professional burnout and learn to turn stress into motivation, we need to calm down and do what we want and should do, such as reading. Reading is healing. Professional reading can help Improve your own professionalism and find strategies and approaches for classroom teaching and class management. Through multi-faceted reading, you can broaden your horizons and let your thoughts breathe freely. You can also write an educational diary to record all the happy and unhappy things you encounter every day. It is not only an accumulation and reflection, but also a way to relieve stress and express it quickly. Third, when you encounter problems, you can communicate more with excellent teachers and draw positive energy from them. Just like the teachers at our Growth Academy, we have endless things to talk about about the same topics and people with the same ideals. All talk is about professional happiness, no more burnout.

This is the influence of personality charm!

When we find the original intention of education, take root in the classroom to see students, and stick to classroom study courses, this is the wonderful world of our teachers, which is full of hardships and joys!