Preventing Teacher Burnout

05/01/2020

Self-care is never a selfish act - it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.
Parker Palmer

Our newest Exchange Reflections title, “Preventing Teacher Burnout,” based on the short Exchange magazine article by Ellen Drolette, offers discussion questions and examples of action steps that could be taken after exploring the topic in a group, or even by yourself.

In the article “Strategies for Preventing Teacher Burnout in Early Education,” Drolette writes about the importance of self-care, an idea easy to talk about, but harder to actually do:

“Self-care is a practice. Just like a yogi practices their routine and a National Football League great like Tom Brady eats, drinks and practices football to become the ‘greatest of all time,’ so must an early childhood educator care for his or herself. Self-care is not about making time for a shower without children barging in…Focusing on some key strategies and making simple plans in each of the following areas will help in designing approaches to tackling burnout. Deep, thoughtful, intentional self-care is in fact self-preservation for a professional in our field.”

Drolette goes on to describe strategies for key areas she labels this way: Attitude; Play; Environment; Optimism and Positivity; Use Your Voice; Mental Health; Boundaries.

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