Top 10 Signs A Teacher Is Burned Out

There are a number of factors that contribute to a teacher's burnout but as most teachers know there can be some signs that can be passed off as a "bad year" or personal situations that can temporarily cause the same sort of results, so how does a teacher know the difference? Here are a few signs that former teachers consistently shared that occur more frequently or for more than one school year in a row.

1. You cringe when the school supplies make their first appearance before the last firework even pops for the 4th of July!

2. You hope nobody asks you how things went of the first day of school!

3. You are late to school, more than ever.

4. You have used all your days and it's only October 1st.

5. You leave projects undone, or just tell students to finish them at home.

6. You begin to resent everything that is wrong in education.

7. You can't stop thinking about retiring or what your options are.

8. You forget to plan, and prepare last minute for lessons and just wing it most of the time.

9. The people you work with that you used to be able to tolerate, are now the enemy!

10. Your car peels out of the parking lot before your students!
The question is, do you think it's a phase, a "bad year" or does each year come with its own excuses? How long is too long to go through a phase? Do you feel trapped and feel that there are little options? If you can identify with some of these statements then you are not alone. The teachers leaving the profession that participated in a NCES study listed their main sources of dissatisfaction as:

1. Lack if planning time

2. Too heavy a workload

3. Class size
Teachers don't go into the field for the money; they go because they want to make a difference! The top 3 reasons for teacher turn over point clearly to a greater need for improved working environments, including everything from good leadership to community support. Unfortunately the expectations on teacher performance are grossly higher than the level of respect and attention that educators are shown. So are you ready to leave or are you in it for the long haul? If you need some help taking your next step email me or find me on twitter @teach2go.