School and Community Winter 2023

Fighting Burnout B urnout. This word is thought, said and even acted upon by people in all professions, but especially in the field of education right now. According to the latest teacher shortage report released by DESE, the top five categories of shortages during the 2022-2023 school year are: 1. Mild/moderate cross categorical grades K-12 2. Elementary education grades 1-6 3. Early childhood special education, birth-3rd grade 4. Severe developmentally disabled, birth-12th grade 5. Early childhood education, birth-3rd grade Chances are, if you are reading this, you fit somewhere in one of those categories. We know about shortages. Shortages of qualified educators, shortages of paraprofessionals and shortages of substitute teachers. Those of us left are being stretched thin to make up for those losses. If you were to ask educators about their top stressors and reasons they may find for leaving, you will likely hear topics of discussion regarding student behavior, parent behavior, parent requests, more demands from administration, less respect of the profession and financial compensation not matching the time, effort and requirements of the job. This list has a real name, and it is called job burnout. According to the Mayo Clinic, job burnout is a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. You might not know what to look for regarding job

burnout, so here is a checklist of warning signs of burnout: • Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started? • Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients? • Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive? • Do you find it hard to concentrate? • Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements? • Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints? You might be thinking, “I don’t have time for burnout. I have to just keep going. I can make it until summer. I will reset in the sun, and it will all be fine.” Ignoring burnout can be harmful to your health. Ignored or unaddressed job burnout can lead to: • Excessive stress • Fatigue • Insomnia • Do you feel disillusioned about your job? • Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel? • Have your sleep habits changed?

BY: KATIE MITCHELL, KEARNEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Sadness, anger or irritability • Alcohol or substance misuse • Heart disease • High blood pressure • Type 2 diabetes • Vulnerability to illnesses

34 | WINTER 2023 S&C