Preventing Teacher Burnout

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Preventing Teacher Burnout Preposition 3 of the National Board of Professional Teacher Standards (NBPTS) states that teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning (Walden, 2008). This means that high performing teachers are expected to deliver effective instruction; engage students to ensure a disciplined learning environment; know how to assess the performance of individual students as well as the class as a whole; use multiple methods of measuring student growth and understanding and be able to clearly explain student performance to parents (Walden, 2008). Teachers, regardless of their level of commitment or dedication, face challenges at some point in their career that affect their ability to manage and monitor student learning (Kottler, 2005). Some to these challenges include constant bureaucratic restructuring; the nature of the system; feeling of indignity due to the lack of respect from parents, students, and the public (Nieto, 2003); backbiting and lack of support from colleagues; unsupportive friends or family; lack of adequate time and space to effectively perform duties; as well as personal emotional and insecurity issues (Kottler, 2005). When teachers find it difficult to deal with the demands of being a professional educator, burnout or rustout may result (Kottler, 2005). Burnout is described by Matheny, Gfroerer, and Harris (2000), based on their studies of earlier research, as a loss of idealism and enthusiasm for work. On the other hand, rustout is described as a type of burnout that affects teachers who temporarily or permanently cease to be enthusiastic learners (Kottler, 2005). By the time I had reached the 15th year mark as a teacher, I must admit that I had faced my share of challenges that led to what I can clearly see now as a classic case of teacher burnout. At first I did not take the steps necessary to manage my
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