OK everyone. I have taught for 12 years and 5 of those is Pre-K. I am at the point of burn out. Any tips on how to make it through the year. Does anyone else think that lots of things have changed just in the last 3-4 years? Its just gotten to be too much.
I avoid job burnout by changing things around every year. I am easily bored so I am always creating new activities, researching new "stuff". It makes life interesting so the only burnout is exhaustion when I am trying to tackle too many new things at once. It is kind of crazy but I can't seem to help it. I guess I am lucky - the young families I deal with give me hope for the future. They are thoughtful, caring and I enjoy them. Keep thinking of going to admin. but I still enjoy my job and am afraid I won't get the satisfaction if I change.
Oh yes, I am so tired, sick with a cold, and unhappy that I wish I could just walk out the door. My solution is to give myself time to recover, and then reconsider. I do like the idea of changing jobs every year due to boredom.
Well...I just started a new position this year, which is a brand new program...I'm in my 3rd year of teaching and just got back from maternity leave...I'm already thinking about applying for a different job next year...I teach an inclusion program and it is just wild in here. The kids are just naughty and I look forward to rest time everyday!
I ama director and definately feel burned out! Things have changed so much over the years. Especially the parents. I miss the fun!
I think my biggest problem right now is the fact that here in our school system not only are we teaching at-risk students but special ed as well with no IEP, no support, and the refusal to test. I am so sick of hearing well they are only 4 year olds I could scream. You know I would like to see them come in and do it. Tired, frustrated and definutely burnout. Thanks for your replies.
wow..this is my research paper! I just started a new job as a sp. ed pre-k teacher. If you walked into my room, and I didn't tell you anything...I really believe you would think it was kindergarten. Just what exactly is the difference now between pre-k and kindergarten??? let's see, they ride in on the bus line up in the gym we walk in line to class hang up coats, turn in homework folders notes, etc. book fair money we do a ditto page circle time, attendance, letter of the week, colors, count to 10 then we do calendar..YES. today is wed, tomorrow is... 7 days, 12 months...we've been in school 37 days! what is the weather bathroom break (no bathroom in my class) we walk down the hall we have snack do puzzles have free play or centers outside or inside play story time - they must sit on rug listen, recall story back to tables to draw picture of story back to circle area for music time then they go home... homework, finish another ditto Uh, how is that different from kindergarten? :huh: and...this is special ed! This is my research paper! How does NCLB affect early childhood educators! We are getting swamped, low pay, but they expect more work, and more advanced education ...and we have no time and no money! You know, I've been filing a credit for Educator's Expenses on my taxes for years, and if they ever audit me wow, I would be in jail! It is not fair...that credit is only for K-12 teachers. Why doesn't anyone want to give us credit for being REAL teachers!? No wonder we are getting burned out!
A lot of the teachers are on their way out right now and not many are coming in. If they are coming in, they haven't gotten it yet. Good luck to them. Low pay and too many meetings and such. No life outside of prison. I mean school.:lol:
i got so upset, I dropped the research paper, and dropped out of school too! going back for a cohort program, strictly on curriculum and instruction...at my own pace, no research papers, no mind games, no paying for parking permits I think college is work within itself! they should be helping us understand and improve our jobs, not making it more work than the job! I like classes that let us use or experiences to rant and write essay papers! and we get credit for that! I don't have time to research meaningless stuff! when nobody at work understands, a good college professor should!
I know how you feel! I just decided to schedule time for myself. I am BURNED OUT! I've been on this mind numbing schedule with school for the past 5 years. I have 2 more weeks of graduate school and can't wait for it to be OVER!!! I'm changing jobs next year and looking forward to it. I've simplified my lessons. Yes, they are getting it all. I'm just not as intense as I used to be and taking it easy this year. I cut out all the unnecessary stuff from my schedule and I'm spending more time just enjoying my time with the children. The other day I thought I would be sick...I had a meeting and I was just sick to death of all the COMPLAINING about the same thing EVERY meeting! Can we just discuss the things we want to help change for once!
yes, I tell you...from now on, when I have my weekly meeting, I will just clam up, and not mention anything! people complain, and don't realize how many folks don't have jobs, food, housing.. etc! Just look at the news... not to get on my soap box, but things could be a lot worse. and when you offer suggestions, they don't even want to try them. when you ask for help, they just shoot you down, like you can't handle your class! so I have no complaints any more
I'm afraid the education system in American has done a great deal to devalue the young child. Instead of recognizing that a great start carries a child on to greater success later on in school, the educational system has chosen to ignore (by lack of funding and low pay) the contributions of pre-k teachers all over the country. I teach in an area where there a large number of children in foster care in our system. These children come to school with a myriad of problems that we as teachers have not received training to know how to deal with them. We are expected to keep them undercontrol all the while we are teaching our other students. Then the Kindergarten teachers complain because students enter Kindergarten not knowing their sounds. I think we as Pre-k teachers must stand up for what we know is right. We must stand up for those developmentally appropriate activities that we provide our students and not allow ourselves to feel under pressure to try to teach students things they are not developmentally ready to learn. We must value ourselves and our contributions or no one else will. Some days are hard, but we know we are making a difference in the lives of so many children. My classroom may be the only place many of my students receive structure. My students know they can depend on me to do the things I say I will do even if those things are disciplinary in nature.
Welcome to the Club! Well welcome aboard Muleteach! I can say developmentally appropriate until my ears fall off, and they might as well, because nobody is listening to me anyway! case in point: for this month's bulletin board... the halls look more like the windows of my condo building! all the cutesy, perfectly (teacher cut) shapes, colored by the kids, stapled in neat rows and columns. some boards look like a department store window! in fact, the stuff on them should never even be in a pre-k classroom. fake and real ivy and berries, thousands of candy canes, tiny buttons on snowmen, real lights (ok...I was kidding there!) but it seems like the teachers (and parent helpers) are competing with each other! you see my board, and it probably looks tacky. I have a few hand cut decorations, and the rest are the ones my KIDS made and cut out! And I threw them up their, randomly, haphazzardly, in no particular order. my kids are special, and so am I! we are not in a neat row. art work should be creative, not processed like hamburgers from McDonalds. and yes, I am teaching reading, writing and math skills. a little science and art sprinkled in. oh yes, and music, multicultural experiences and gross motor too. but can I get them to sit and listen first?! like you say, this is the only structure they know..in most cases. most are in foster care, and have been tossed around for the few short years they have been here. no wonder I can't get them to walk down the hall in a line. they see an open hall, and they run like crazy. probably the only true space and time to get excercise all day! :unsure:
OMG...now there IS a bulletin board with real lights! http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/showthread.php?p=528027#post528027
let the kids do it.. you are so right on that, let the kids do there own decorating, it makes them proud to every day, but youy know again I know of a young girl with a physical condition and she works in a preschool, she decorated a door to the toddler glass and did the best she could do, the next day the kids loved it as they too helped but the lead teacher took it down said it didnt look neat enough.. so then when it was done it was very adult looking, I feel all the children should help with any of the decorating that needs to be done in there class.
I'm just waiting for somebody to make a comment about my board... I'll tell them... My kids are special are so am I! Our work reflects developmentally appropriate, child-centered practices... What does YOURS reflect!?
When I had a 2nd gr Catholic school class, my principal kept giving me 'suggestions' for decorating my room. "Make it look nice.", she said. I said okay, and kept doing what I wanted. I got a $50 budget. The other teachers have been working for years, and had tons of stuff in their garage and storage. When I opened my door the first day of school, I was in shock! She had changed it completely. I tried to do a lesson, and was lost because I couldn't find my things! Later that day, the principal came in, smiling, and saying.."So how did it go?" I said, "I couldn't find anything for my lessons, you completed changed my room!" She said, "The parents expect to see a nice room, and that's what I did for my school." This same principal insisted on changing my desks from 5 rows into a "U" shape. (with my desk at the center) I was so upset! I had my whole behavior plan and transition plan designed around my Rows 1-5She insisted that primary children need to face their teacher. (well, they were facing me!)The kids kept complaining, getting in to fights, looking in the desks, trying to find their stuff and upset about the change! I moved them back twice, and she moved it again. and then she let me go.
