Doldrums: Fall Semester Burnout

In November 2022, teachers expressed professional weariness due to mental health struggles, lack of support and insufficient time for instructional planning. 

  • “I came home tonight and I can honestly say my brain was so on overload I had to just sit and stare out the window. Teaching is really hard right now.” —Elementary Foreign Language Teacher in Maine
    • “Glad I’m not the only one! I feel the difficult moments have been more numerous in recent years.” —High School Foreign Language Teacher in Maine
  • “Another day of planning and creating learning activities… another day of struggles to find equivalent-quality and near-equivalent content French resources for my Sciences Humaines courses.” —Teacher in Vancouver
  • “I love conferences and the opportunity to meet families. And also. There has to be a better way than making staff work two 12-hour days or making staff work the day before Thanksgiving. Let’s have a no-school day for kids and hold conferences from 12 to 8 or something?” —Educator in Washington 
  • “I love my new career as a Spanish teacher. It’s all I’ve wanted to do for so long. But man, am I looking forward to this break! I’m so tired! And trying to keep up with 490 kids’ assignments during flu season is not easy!” —Middle School Foreign Language Teacher in Pennsylvania 
    • “Last year was my most exhausting in 24 years. This year….I’m not teaching anymore.  Done with that!” —High School Math Teacher in Virginia
  • “Has class prep become more onerous this year for everyone, or is it just me? I’m constantly reworking class plans to make things more explicit, almost to the point of absurdity. The good students are bored, the struggling students are flailing. It’s been a tough semester.” —Educator in West Virginia
  • “Trainee science teacher here –  I am finding creating lessons very challenging. The school I’m at has very limited resources and so I’m making everything from scratch, but I often find myself spending several hours on a single lesson. Any tips anyone?” —Science Teacher
  • “When folx not in education realize what it means for a teacher to take a sick day…shock and awe.” —School Leader in California
  • “Took a half day this afternoon.  Probably takes 30-60 minutes per half day to prepare sub, room, and class for your absence – more or less depending on grade level.  Not to mention the 30-60 minutes tomorrow dealing with the list of work, missed work and ‘interesting’ behaviors.” —Educator