tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3017758156407838690.post1427827770660232202..comments2023-05-10T07:43:05.021-05:00Comments on if bees are few: Idealistic, Content, Disheartened? (Or Burnt Out?)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3017758156407838690.post-45400760112579529092010-01-10T16:26:11.084-05:002010-01-10T16:26:11.084-05:00Having taught for 13 years, I've thought a lot...Having taught for 13 years, I've thought a lot about the topic of teacher burnout, and the conclusion I've come to is that it's not as simple as placing teachers in a category--you're either an idealist, a realist, a burnout, etc. Any teacher, I think, who has been in the profession long enough flows between these categories. <br /><br />It's easy for someone to say to a teacher, get out if you've lost your zest, but if we all left when we were overtaken by a sense of burnout, there'd be nobody left. <br /><br />The truth is, depending on the state of our current school--how well its run, how much support teachers receive, class sizes, parent support, etc., our attitudes about teaching will change. <br /><br />The other truth is that teaching is a much more difficult profession than outsiders realize, that is if we take it seriously, make efforts to constantly improve, experiment, learn, and grow. Teachers are forever battling the balance between work and home--how much can I give to the classroom and still have something left for my family?<br /><br />Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems to me that we ought not separate ourselves into the good guys who don't burn out and the bad guys who do. Rather, let us provide a network of support and an atmosphere of understanding that we need to weather the ebb and flow that naturally occurs for all of us. If we show a lack of compassion for one another, how can we ever expect society to?Catherine Eustonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02258061440052696965noreply@blogger.com