I am a high school teacher who is feeling very burnt out at the moment. I know, it’s very normal for teachers to feel burn out at this point in the year. The kids are getting more hyper and out of control each day. The countdowns to the end of the school year have begun. It takes twice the effort to keep their attention for five minutes. But still, I think I’m feeling it stronger than others, probably stronger than I should be.
I am so sick of hearing, “Come on, Miss Hall. Why do we have to take notes? Why won’t you just let me sleep? Can’t we just have an easy day?”
“No, because believe it or not, we still have two more chapters to cover before the end of the school year. And though you may feel like checking out, you still have to take a final exam, which it is my job to prepare you for. “
And another favorite from today, I had at least three students ask me, “Can I go to my locker to get my book and notebook?”
“Why did you come to class without them?”
“Because I didn’t think I would need them”
“That’s odd, you’ve used your textbook and notebook in class EVERY DAY ALL YEAR. So what made you think today was going to be different?!?!?”
Don’t get me wrong, I have moments each day when I just look at my kids, even when they are frustrating me, and I have some small moment that reminds me that I love them to death. But right now there are so many things I would rather be doing than teaching all day… like planning my wedding! The whole reason we are not getting married until next June is because between teaching all day and taking grad classes, there is no time to plan a wedding. And I really want to be able to enjoy planning my wedding. This is a once in a lifetime moment and I don’t want to miss any second of it.
So, just like the kids, I am counting down the days… less than a month until school is over. I cannot wait to sleep in! It makes your whole day better when you don’t wake up to see an alarm clock say 5:00AM in your face.
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I really enjoyed your post. I, too, am suffering from a severe case of burnout and am trying to determine if it's just that time of year (I work in a public high school) or something more serious.
ReplyDeleteI understand your frustration with trying to maintain order and teach kids something when their minds are not on school.
It's a challenge and requires lots of energy. I often wonder if there's a different way to "do" high school.
The kids are the same way at my high school, Bentley, in Burton.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you teach? Which subjects?