The complexity of today’s world has placed additional burden on the teachers. Due to bewildering urgent demands, teachers experience a great deal of stress in their work. The symptoms of burnout are similar to depression – feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, and sadness are said to occur mostly among people in the helping professions. Since teachers constitute the greatest member of people engaged in helping others, it is the purpose of this article to make teachers aware of this problem and suggest some useful strategies for dealing it. Studies on the subject present the following causes of burnout: Work climate, job dissatisfaction, job alienation, violence, vandalism, disruptive students, inadequate salaries, poor relationships within the schools and large caseloads. The inadequate professional training of the teacher may be another cause of burnout. The teacher may be undertrained for his job or may be asked to teach a subject other than his area of concentration in college. There are many causes for burnout and the professional who experience this is always under stress. What is important though is that the person who undergoes burnout can put it under control enabling him to enjoy teaching and get better results. A teacher should have a “recipe for relaxation.” And when he manages this there is no room for burning out.
By: REGINA F. BAGTAS | Teacher III | Daan Pare Elementary School | Orion, Bataan
