Burnout is real. Burnout is not limited to the education system after covid-19, but for the purpose of staying focused, I will explore the experience of teacher-burnout. Teachers and many people have pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion. Boundaries have been crossed. The answer “no” has not been delivered when it has been needed. Teachers were told to pivot, throughout the pandemic and after. Humans who thrive on routine (we literally teach and work by a bell) had routine consistently removed. The word pivot was thrown around on a daily basis as a way for change to happen. The concept of pivoting is to turn or rotate. In basketball, pivoting means that one foot is still grounded and one foot can rotate. Pivoting in the education system left us ungrounded. The concept of pivoting started to feel like breakdancing. Plans that we laid down one week we’re tossed in the garbage the next, depending on Ministry directives. We were left scrambling and learning on a minute by minute basis.

Most educators believe in striving to do their best. They push themselves further than needed. They extend beyond their requirements because they are passionate about their subject area, sport or extracurricular commitment. They see potential in students and desire to foster them to find their full potential. Teachers desire to make a difference in the world. The expectations of educators are both spoken and unspoken. Within covid-teaching the expectation became unrealistic for the level of excellence that most of us desire to deliver. Online platforms were to be used, and most teachers had never used an online platform before. Even when we returned to in-person teaching, we were expected to continue using an online teaching platform in a physical classroom. The logistics of having multiple classrooms fosters a myriad of issues – to be explored in further posts. In short, the breakdance began. The rules of engagement had changed. Students’ brains were beginning to be rewired differently. I believe education saw a seismic shift. The breakdance began so slow that we thought we were just pivoting, but within a few years we were spinning on the floor out of control, unsure when the dance even started. Like a frog being slowly heated from cold water to boiling. We missed the signs or were unable to control the water temperature. The result was burnout – that was normalized. All the teachers felt it – so it must be normal. An educated bunch of humans concluded, “This must just be the way it is now”.

Trying to normalize the breakdance, I pushed myself until my personal life and work came to a cataclysmic crash. I felt that too many demands were put upon me. The expectation to say “yes” was overwhelming in my combined personal and work life, and the lack of boundaries pushed me to my breaking point. Students were unable to do basic problem solving – demanded more time and higher grades for less work. Parents wanted kids to not attend school, but expected them to be successful in courses. Administration supported parents and students over teachers. “Do no harm” as an Ontario mandated concept stuck. Somehow, five years later we are being told to “do no harm” and forced to pass students who have not grasped the basic skills of a course. I believe that doing no harm has caused more harm to our students. Students are struggling with deadlines, ability to budget their time. In addition their ability to focus within a classroom setting and listen to instructions for longer than 10 minutes at a time has been lost. The harm has been done.

I don’t believe at this stage of the game we can benefit from pointing fingers at educators, administrators, or the government. What has occurred is now water under the bridge. I believe that students’ brains have been greatly impacted by a variety of external sources, including the “do no harm” mentality. Students now are rewired differently than in the past. I feel like the dance continues, years later, as educators try to meet the students where they’re at. Educators are left asking themselves how do I adjust the way I teach? How can I help kids learn? What the hell is going on? How do I move forward with my sanity intact? I would like to see the breakdance slow into a beautiful waltz.

Photo Credit: Drew Dizzy, Unsplash