Teacher Student Burn Out

The rallies and demonstrations on Thursday in behalf of public education came at the right time. This is the point in the year when teacher and student moods often reflect the gray weather -- thank goodness the sun came out today! We all feel as if we've been in the classroom for months and months and months (we have), but the end is not close. As an arts provider that is both in the class room teaching and also an observer of public education, I see and feel the pain.

Burn out. Students say they're bored, teachers say they're tired. It's common knowledge that teachers often leave a school after teaching for five years, and sometimes leave the field altogether after a few years. Why? Teaching is completely consuming: for some, it feels as if it takes every ounce of energy you have. And it's not just the actual hours spent teaching students or preparing lessons. It's calling the parents, grading, keeping up with the latest online charts, going to countless meetings, mentoring, student club advisor, senior project advisor, buying supplies out of pocket, etc.

So when bad things happen, like the recent round of thefts at a school, or students are fractious, we teachers are pushed over, beyond, under and around the edge. I spoke with one wonderful teacher who is leaving to explore the world of Not-Teaching. In fact, teaching is ruining her health. And when more money is spent on prisons than on education, when teachers are blamed for everything from poor test scores to student stealing, when chairs in classrooms have seats too torn and jagged to sit on, when parents threaten teachers for their child's bad grade, teaching looks indeed like a bad deal. Especially in winter.

But in the spring, when we can see the last day of school coming and students are starting to demonstrate that they've learned, teaching may once again look like the Noble Profession it really is and should be. In some countries people stand up when a teacher enters the room and the arts are considered essential to life! Can we just shift our own country's priorities and money back to the arts and to education? Perhaps then we'll see less winter burn out and fewer great teachers leaving the students they really love, to do something else.