Teacher Burnout Turnaround: Strategies for Empowered Educators

Book excerpt: Selected as a "Favorite Book for Educators in 2020" by Greater Good Magazine. Stress and burnout are eroding teachers’ motivation, performance, quality of classroom interactions, and relationships with students, as well as their commitment to the profession. Principals are leaving in droves, and teacher shortages are becoming the new normal. Our teachers are underappreciated and our schools underresourced. But, as the author of Mindfulness for Teachers and The Trauma-Sensitive Classroom points out, educators themselves have the power to alter this downward spiral. Educational psychologist Tish Jennings presents a matrix of stress-causing factors that lead to burnout, and shows how teachers can tackle the sources of stress at each pressure point. From the development of social and emotional competencies—so important to teachers and students alike—to the achievement of systemic change through collective efficacy, she offers hope and practical remedies for overcoming a toxic trend in education.