Preventing Teacher Burnout: Early Childhood Educators
Burnout appears differently for everyone, but it occurs as a result of chronic or continuous stressors and can have a huge impact on your life. Unfortunately, it occurs most often as a result of work environments. Due to the demands, emotional labour and stress related with childcare and educating, many teachers do not realise that they may be continuing to work even though they are burnt out. This may appear like chronic fatigue, detachment, restlessness or a lack of focus when it comes to tasks.
As experts in education and early years, the team here at TeachKloud have put together this calming, helpful video and post on how to prevent teacher burnout before it goes too far. It’s crucial to take preventative measures before reaching burnout.
Top strategies on preventing burnout for early childhood educators!
Make Time For The Things You Love
Burnout occurs in teachers and early years professionals so often because we have chosen to pursue our passion as our profession. We blur the line on ‘doing what you love’.
Keeping in touch with hobbies and interests outside of school can help to provide balance and separation of time. It can also give you something to look forward to and get excited about by stimulating the brain, avoiding the feelings of detachment. Moreover, it prevents teacher burnout by ensuring that work does not become all-consuming. It should also help give you a rush of endorphins and satisfaction from another area of your life!
Put Yourself First
Research shows that teachers and educators – at all levels – work more overtime than almost any other industry. Unfortunately, for many, it’s just become the norm to work more than the allocated hours and to stay late every single day and push yourself too hard when you need a break.
Although you may feel you need to keep up this pace, it’s critical for preventing teacher burnout that you still recognise when you need to take time for yourself. Perhaps to start you can prioritise a day when you will leave work at the time you are supposed to. Taking small, manageable steps such as this will help you to re-establish boundaries in your life and prioritise your health and wellbeing when it’s needed. You deserve a break!
Ask For Help When You Need It
We are superheroes but we can’t do it all alone.
Preventing teacher burnout requires everyone to work together as a team. This should be encouraged within your school or facility, perhaps through regular check ins with individual staff or creating an open environment that promotes sharing and asking for help if it’s needed. All teams work best when they work together and support one another.
Listen To Your Body
It can be hard to prioritise your health when you are busy. However, eating well, prioritising sleep and exercising when you can are all proven to play a role in stress reduction.
Similar to putting yourself first, all teachers and educators tend to ‘push through’ with working when they are ill. Listen to your body and learn to recognise when you need time off. You are likely to heal quicker when you allow your body to rest when it is most needed.
Stroke Your Ego
You’re doing an amazing job. It’s worth reminding yourself of that every now and then. Keep a file of all the thank you notes and cards you get as a boost when you need it!
The TeachKloud platform helps early years facilities claim back hours of time in all areas of work. Our pre school management software automates and streamlines work, ensuring your team can manage their workload more efficiently and prioritise time with children. Find out more by visiting our features page or get in touch with the team for more information!
