The main aspects of professional burnout syndrome

Abstract

Abstract. Teacher burnout is a serious psychological condition that affects the lives of thousands of highly effective teachers throughout the developed countries. An educator who is experiencing burnout has low morale, low self esteem, and is physically exhausted (Roloff & Brown, 2011). Teacher morale directly correlates with student achievement – the higher the teacher morale, the greater the student achievement (Raines, 2011). The emotional experience of a teacher sets the tone for a class. Teacher burnout is one of the most common reasons that effective teachers leave the profession (Roloff & Brown, 2011). If more energy were put into providing emotional support for effective educators, they would be far more likely to continue to teach and to share their passion and knowledge in the years to come. If a teacher is clinically depressed, anxious, or experiencing physical illness, he will be more likely to retire early or to cease working to his capacity than if he is emotionally and physically well. With appropriate treatment and care, a teacher who is experiencing burnout, will be revitalized and refocused on his work. Taking preventative measures will help educators to avoid the physical and emotional effects of prolonged stress and will provide them with the energy to continue to be successful teachers throughout their careers. Low morale is not only a problem for students; it is a problem for the faculty members themselves. In fact, burnout is not only a mental state, but a true psychological condition that negatively affects every aspect of a teacher’s life. However, few educators realize that significance of the condition. Policymakers and community members often are completely unaware of the physiological and psychological ramifications of teaching (Raines, 2011). For this reason, little research has been done to determine the best ways to improve teacher morale and to provide psychological support for chronic stress. In order to help educational leaders to better serve their students and faculty, this paper seeks to answer the following question: what causes teacher burnout, how can teacher burnout be prevented, and how can burnout be healed so that teachers can return to a healthy and productive state?