Avoid Teacher Burnout
Ways for Early Childhood Educators to Minimize Job-Related Stress
This article offers early childhood educators ways to avoid teacher burnout by minimizing job-related stress.
Stress related burnout in early childhood teachers can leave them feeling physically and emotionally drained. When this happens, most of them choose to leave the industry in pursuit of occupations that are not as stressful. This leads to a high rate of teacher turnover causing a shortage of qualified early childhood educators and it eventually interferes with the quality of care that the children enrolled in early childhood programs receive.
Things That Can Contribute to Burnout in Teachers
- Early childhood teachers work long hours without breaks during the day.
- Early education workers put in a lot of overtime hours outside of the classrooms that are not compensated. They create lesson plans, attend parent-teacher meetings, school related events, and gather materials to carry out their lesson plans.
- High child-adult ratios.
- Early childhood teachers, particularly those who work in childcare centers and preschools are underpaid and receive little or no benefits.
- Early childhood teachers are expected to perform heavy cleaning duties such as scrubbing bathrooms, mopping classroom floors, and vacuuming carpets with no extra compensation.
- Because of the high turnover rate of teachers in the field of early childhood, these programs become short staffed and desperate to fill teacher positions. This leads employers to hire teachers that are not adequately trained to carry out lesson plans, manage classrooms appropriately or deal with children.
Signs of Burnout in Early Childhood Teachers
Burnout in early childhood teachers does not happen overnight. It's a gradual process that is accompanied by some common signs that can include:
- feeling exploited
- dreading the work day
- irritability
- mental and physical fatigue
- apathy
- anger
- job depression
- lack of motivation
- changes in weight
- negative job attitude
- negative attitude toward children
How Can Early Childhood Educators Minimize Job-Related Stress?
There are a number of ways that early childhood educators can minimize job-related stress.
- Attend workshops and seminars to improve your effectiveness at work.
- Join a professional organization or network with other early childhood teachers to get help with behavior management, curriculum planning, and classroom management.
- Organize your time.
- Eat right and exercise regularly.
- Ask for help when needed.
- Try not to let the daily stress of your teaching job spill over into your family life.
- Don’t spend personal breaks or time at home doing anything job related.
- Take time to indulge in activities that are enjoyable.
- Set realistic expectations for yourself.
Reducing the amount of stress in your life can minimize your chances of experiencing burnout.
References:
Childcare Planning Council of Yuba & Sutter Counties. Avoiding Provider Burnout. Accessed 1-19-08
Neils, Henry. 3 Signs of Burnout and How to Help You Avoid It. Accessed 1-23-08
