PDTCA 2025

Teachers are a demographic in our workforce that are distinctly unrecognized for the work they do and the support they provide. When there is an industry that is underappreciated, it means those working in it are often under-supported, which can lead to varying impacts of burnout. When we struggle with burnout, it can be paired with self-criticism, feelings of loss of control, grief and this can impact both careers and lives outside of being a teacher.

Burnout for teachers can come from long days of being emotionally available to a variety of people, unpaid work to get everything done in a school year, and constantly adapting to the environment and the capacity of the students around them. Being adaptable is a quality that makes teachers amazing at their jobs, however, it can also give teachers no time to listen to themselves. Grief plays many roles in our lives, whether it is in our immediate realities or in those around us.

When we discuss the high impact of teachers' jobs, we also need to be able to remove them from the title of their careers and look at them as people who have full, beautiful, and complicated lives outside of school. How do you deal with your own life within the context of supporting others so much in theirs?

When we feel like we have something to fix all the time, we tend to put it on the back burner, but when we put too many things on the back burner, it leads to house fires. So it is important to be proactive and not reactive in our health and wellness.

There are ways to acknowledge how our careers, personal lives, and the system impact us in a way that allows us to show up for ourselves and others. This comes through understanding self-criticism and learning self-compassion, making and finding meaning, understanding what is in our control and what is not, the ability to understand what is happening in our bodies when we are stressed and/or experience/supporting grief and understanding our capacity and learning to set boundaries.

My presentation will recognize the complexity of teachers' lives and the various roles they juggle in their careers and personal lives. It gives psychoeducation on how these external factors internally impact the individual and will explore strategies for managing stress and its sources, as well as the multiple facets of grief that affect individuals and how they provide support to others. Finally, it will conclude with insights and guidance on understanding and navigating the different stages of impact and burnout.