Personal Development
TEACHER BURNOUT: WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT IT
M
any of us decided to teach
abroad because of the
heavy workload that we
had to endure in our home
countries on a daily basis. What we did
not envision was that working in the
Middle East would come with its own
set of challenges which undoubtedly
can lead to teacher burnout. If you
work in the private school sector in
this region, the demands from school
owners, school leaders and the
parents are enough to leave any good
teacher reeling. For those who work
with the government, the constant
changes in the curriculum and shifting
expectations are not very easy to
grapple with. A lot of teachers find
themselves regretting their decision
to move abroad and often many end
up depressed and burnout after the
first or possibly second year of their
contracts. In this article we will explore
what teacher burnout looks like and
what we can do to alleviate it.
What does Burnout Look like?
It is not easy to diagnose teacher
burnout as it manifests itself in many
different ways. For many teachers it
may be the cause of them becoming
physically ill. There is a constant feeling
of overwhelm. You tend to feel that,
even after working around the clock,
you still have not done enough. You
are constantly worried about school
and about how to complete every task
you have to do. You may even find
yourself waking up in the middle of
the night unable to go back to sleep
because your mind keeps racing.
Below are some of the more frequent
signs that indicate that you may be
suffering from teacher burnout.
• Fatigue. This is no ordinary
exhaustion. You feel overwhelmingly
tired no matter how much rest or
sleep you get. The tiredness has
become a part of you and you cannot
remember the last time you felt
completely rested. This is the kind
of tiredness, where you just want to
stay in bed and avoid any form of
human contact or communication.
• Antisocial Behaviour. When you
begin to deliberately avoid talking
to the people closest to you. You
find yourself preferring to be alone
at home than being on a coffee date
with one of your best friends. This is
a sure sign that something is gravely
wrong.
• Extreme Anxiety. The persistent,
feeling that you can and should be
doing something for school every
time you have a free minute. The
inability to really disconnect from
work and connect with your spouse,
children, family members or friends.
• Feeling overwhelmed. Always
thinking that you could be doing
more, knowing fully well that you
are doing every thing you possibly
could. It is that feeling of just
wanting to get more done, so that
you do not displease anyone or
cause your superiors to pay close
attention to your shortcomings. It
leaves you feeling like you can never
do enough.