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Burnout can affect children, staff members and even the school's budget if left to grow in intensity. It can be like a wild fire in that it can grow and consume the surrounding area unless someone places a damper on it. Burnout is a critical issue affecting many schools today. How do you avoid it? How can you help? Let's discuss a couple of ways how teacher burnout can occur and how to resolve it.

One way burnout occurs is that too many administrators place undo pressure on the best of the best amongst their staffs. These workers are easily approached and generally will help with about anything that will help the children. On the other end of the spectrum however are the teachers that are not as easily swayed to do things. Administrators do not always ask them to help with projects and such because they don't want to deal with the repercussions. So, the fire, or desire, within the best teachers slowly fades and dies away. They burnout. How do we save them? If you are a top-notch teacher then start setting limits. Allow others to earn their paycheck just as you earn yours. Save yourself for the critical things that you really enjoy helping with. Other people can do things if you let them. You do not need to save the world nor do you need to be in control of every situation. Let go and be the best that you can be until you are ready to retire. Burn out is not a choice for you. You influence too many lives to let your fire die out early. If you are an Administrator review how much you ask some teachers to help versus others. Is there a balance or is it tilted towards your better end? Begin to ask those teachers that do not participate as much to help. They may not be as enthusiastic but they need to help with the causes in the school. Maybe they will rise up and do some wondrous things if the opportunity is there. Complacent teachers might just need to be asked. Use your resource wisely. They will last longer.
Another way teachers burn out is when they are faced with too many changes at the same time. Many districts are in panic mode due to high stakes testing. Large numbers of changes are taking place. Every year teachers are shown new techniques and new ideas. In their minds they are asking, what happened to last year's ideas? Are we still using them or will this new idea take its place? Most everyone has heard about the "pendulum" that swings back and forth in the realm of education. Why does that thing swing so fast? It takes three to five years to implement change. We need to slow it down! Processing the vast amount of new information can be overwhelming. When someone asks just let me teach listen. They might just be close to that overwhelming moment when one more thing could push them over the edge. Stop pushing. Let them catch up. Let them breathe.
Burnout can occur in many ways. Burnout costs not only tax dollars but even more than that it costs the loss of learning by the kids we all love. They are why the schools were built. They don't want to be taught by teachers who are not at their best. They deserve better.

Learn more about this author, Pamela Sigler Taylor.
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