The first half of the school year has barely ended but already you feel tired. You drag your feet to the classroom. You do not look forward to meeting your classes. You are bored with your own lessons. You avoid talking to your co-teachers. You are so irritable that even the little things that upset you.

There is a possibility that you are experiencing occupational burnout, a condition not unique to teachers.People from all walks of life students, doctors, office workers have suffered from this depletion of physical and emotional resources.Teachers who are burned out have little or even no satisfaction in their work. Indicators include a vague feeling of personal distress, irritability, fatigue, boredom, depression, feeling overworked, withdrawal from people and activities, resistance to change, strong desire for vacation, frequent tardiness and absenteeism, and low self-esteem.

     Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion due to excessive demands on energy, strength, and resources. It is the result of one’s response to stress which may or may not be job related. Burnout is the consequence of one’s response to aseries of stressful situations. But burnout does not happen overnight, it grows over the period of time. Sometimes it may even be a result of an accumulation of stress over a span of years.

     Studies show that teachers have common sources of stress. Those are students misbehavior, poor working conditions and time pressure.

     Student misbehavior includes actual student misbehavior and unruliness, behavior resulting from heterogeneous grouping, poor motivation and negative attitude on the part of students, and lack of pupil’s interest.

     Poor working condition includes very little or no opportunity for professional advancement, low salary, inadequate materials and facilities, and lack of professional recognition.

     Time pressure  includes handling too many or large classes, doing too many or large classes, doing to many non-instructional duties after school time, and administrative paper work.

When teachers are exposed regularly to the above conditions, stress is      inevitable.This  then may result in physical burnout.

 Symptoms-ulcers, high blood pressure, eye problem, headache, heart ailments, kidney, and stomach problem.

  How then can burnout be avoided? Since burnout is a result of constant exposure to stress, does it mean that stress, does it mean that the stress be avoided at all costs? The answer is no, stress is an essential part of life.

  There are several ways of avoiding burnout:

1. Socialize with colleagues. There are instances that you feel so   frustrated because of a particular classroom management problem but upon sharing it with other teachers,you realize that problem is not unique to you.

2.  Budget time wisely. Prioritize tasks. If you must bring work home like checking quiz papers, set aside a definite time for working on it, and follow that time limit. Do not allow your work to consume entire evening.

3. Delegate some of the responsibility with your pupils. Instead of  collecting homework or reminding students to align their chores at the start of every period, establish classroom routine early in the school year, and train the pupils to follow them.

4. Have fun in the classroom. Incorporate humor in your lessons. Be creative, use magic, games, and fantasy to pick up your classes. Your students will have fun and so will you.

5. Avoid “ making work” for yourself. Do not give a quiz or assign a long assignment to punish a class which  you will regret checking later.

6. Engage in outside activities for personal excitement. Cross stitch, start an herbal garden, jog, hike, or do landscaping.

7. Take a “mental health “ day. Attend seminar or conference on learning different styles or read a book or journal on cooperative learning.

8. Set aside ten to fourteen minutes every day just yourself. Do anything you want, even do nothing. You may want to do some relaxation techniques. Find a comfortable position and close your eyes, take a deep breath, and exhale slowly.Repeat this several times.

     It is futile to avoid stress.But burnout can be avoided if you know how to deal with stress. Be aware of stressful situations and take control of your life.

By: Girlie F. Sanchez | MT-1 | Alasasin Elem. School | Alasasin Mariveles Bataan