Teacher Burn out

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Home : 2003 : January : 29

Teacher Burn out
By Jen

How about the injustice of when you are a good teacher especially with behavior kids - YOU ALWAYS GET the worst class because YOU CAN HANDLE IT! Yeah reverse rewarding - and those that don't do well with behavior problems
continue getting the easy loads. Or how about the teacher that always gets the fires to put out with problem parents cause they are a good teacher. Happens a lot. Moving around a lot is a burn out too. Always being expected to start up a new program and being a trail blazer - real tuff and it wears on you. Buying and buying and buying the materials you need just to teach your class.

I have spent easily 1 thousand dollars a year Easily. It gets old but I finally have told myself it comes with the territory. I have not burnt out yet ... Eleven years and going strong but that is my story. Getting incompetent help the people that they move and move and move and when you finally get good help you buy them gifts constantly because good help is much much much appreciated. And you don't want them to leave you, finally I am lucky after 3 years of people who have been dumped in my room after having problems everywhere else I have 2 WONDERFUL helpers. It can be hard when you have someone who is like having another student. Makes for a long hard year. I have actually taught in a district where I had 1 book for 12 students I had to practically make my own books and do research etc... just to teach the class! Math books that were so outdated I could have used them when I went to school!!! No supplies because no one ordered them and who ever was there before just didn't care and just had tons of dittos in the filing cabinet. No teacher editions! Doing inclusion and having 5 different High School subjects to keep up with. Being told you have to teach Algebra II and sorry but I didn't even know how to teach Algebra I, I was too young to reolize I should have went to my union. And being told to go to LEARN Algebra II in the class with the other kiddos during my prep. AND how about this one I went 3 years without a prep and 1 year I ate lunch everyday with the kids. I have LEARNED needless to say the HARD WAY. I am not going to go on and on but I have turned out to be ONE GOOD TEACHER. The hard way. Bless all of you out there still in those trenches learning too.