Kyaw Min kyawmong7796@gmail.

com

Arizona State University TESOL Professional Course

Teach English Now! Foundational Principles
Lesson 3: Summary and Essential Question
Assignment: Teachers that work too hard are the ones that burn out?
Submitted by Kyaw Min

It can be assumed that a teacher who doesn’t have enough sleeping time at
night, who is asked to do many things causing him/her depression, anxiety,
stress and frustration, who becomes exhausted and unmotivated by the
unrelated classroom situation and actual teaching, is the one who burns out.
Teachers should prepare their specified lessons to make learners actively
participate in every single activity to reach the language goal. However, they
couldn’t make too much effort that leads to burn out. In my opinion, I agree
with the statement “Teachers that work too hard are the ones that burn
out” and I will point out some suggestions to avoid becoming a victim of
teacher burnout.

Let’s take a closer look at this problem of teachers’ burnout. It is clear to see why
teacher professionals wouldn’t be teachers any more in five years. The main
reason is due to teachers' burnout which leads to a negative attitude and
failing to properly plan or prepare lessons. A teacher who works overload
and always faces complaints tends to lose creativity, imagination, patience
and enthusiasm. It leads to high stress on a regular basis, less support for
learning and reduces social interaction with the community and makes
him/her isolated.

On the other hand, teachers need to adjust their attitudes to prevent teachers’
burnout. For example, instead of complaining, it would be wonderful to ask
questions and advice for your problems. Believing “teaching is a team
sport”, forming a network or social support community can help teachers
engage them in the right conversation and build their coping skills. Further, they
need to focus on the things they can do, not the things they cannot. This is
one of the effective ways to feel satisfied and comfortable. Besides, teachers
should find their core, what they are keen on and should try to do it to get
relaxation and recreation. This is a self-coaching approach to discover inner
peace.

In sum, almost all teachers might feel anxiety, depression and overwhelming
stress called teachers’ burnout. However, teachers should try to prevent
teachers’ burnout by balancing school life and social life, building a strong
network with colleagues and being sincere.