How These Teachers Stay Motivated and Avoid Burnout

New and veteran educators quickly learn that staying motivated doesn’t happen magically. Motivation is built with intention, and those in the education space are fortunate to be part of a supportive and intentional group of professionals.

Teachers recognize that collaborating, sharing ideas and seeking advice from one another is necessary for their own success. The best part? This advice is easily accessible.

Through combing through quotes from our own Rutgers Alternate Route teachers, as well as scouring forums like Reddit and Facebook Groups, we’ve rounded up the best tips teachers across the nation have to offer.

These tidbits emphasize the importance of creating a balanced life outside of school, finding mentors and building meaningful connections with students to cultivate mutual motivation and engagement. Read on for a motivation boost. 

Be patient

“I learned that teaching requires a lot of patience and a lot of planning. You have to prepare 
for the unexpected, especially when you're teaching at a younger grade level. I also learned that it is so important to have differentiated teaching strategies at hand because you never know which student will have a hard time understanding the content.”

Caitlyn Bermudez, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher  

“This profession is a marathon, not a sprint. Very rarely will you be able to bear witness or even savor the fruits of your labor, but rest assured, the impact that you have on the students that you have an opportunity to work alongside will reverberate for generations to come.”

Joseph Dziuba, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher

“I’ve worked many jobs, and most you can see what you’ve accomplished. I paint for a friend in the summer, and it’s nice to leave work and be proud that you painted three bedrooms that day. And can physically see the work you did. Teaching is not like that most days. I take the small victories when they happen. And in a few years, you’ll bump into old students who will say how great your class is or how much they learned.
It’s the long con I always say.”

Reddit user Neddyrow

Create meaningful experiences outside of teaching

“We are all going to have slumps. Sometimes mentally, sometimes physically, and more often than not, they are intertwined. But having a positive experience outside of the classroom leads to me being happier in the classroom.”

Reddit user Snuckerpooks

“Cars, I wrench and visit racetracks. Find something else to balance life. Don't eat, sleep and breathe the work. You perform worst being so saturated.”

Reddit user kuribasan

Find a mentor
 

“There are so many aspects to teaching that are not fully taught in school, so I think it's really important for new educators to have a strong mentor who can help them navigate ALL the facets of teaching and managing a classroom environment.”

Matthew Ryan, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher

"New teachers are the lifeblood of our education system. By providing them with adequate training, professional development opportunities, and mental health support, we can empower them to create positive learning environments where all students can thrive. This requires a collaborative effort from school administrators, teacher preparation programs, and mental health professionals. Investing in the success of new teachers is an investment in the future of education."  

Sylvia Jankowski, Rutgers Alternare Route teacher

“I believe that mentorship is a critical component in the new educator’s success. The mentor serves as their go-to person and their support system whenever they need help navigating their new teaching career. The mentor is that shoulder that the mentee can lean on and cry on when they need it.” 

Assumpta Foy, Rutgers Alternate Route mentor

Make connections

“A lot of times, students ask when we will use the information. The biggest takeaway is that students will be more engaged if a teacher decides to make those modern connections.”

Darnell Hutchins, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher

“I appreciate the opportunity to provide ways for students to link and apply STEM knowledge with real-world contexts and help to illustrate the connections between learning and the real world. Since I teach a lot of ethnically diverse students, I love to help them overcome cultural barriers and norms by encouraging them and informing them about different STEM opportunities."

Musarat Merchant, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher
 

Pace yourself

“I feel like there’s a lot of energy at the beginning of the year to go as quickly as possible, however, I need to pace myself so that no student feels overwhelmed or left behind. My main job right now is to create a positive learning atmosphere that will keep the students engaged.”

Michael Vincze, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher

“One of my biggest classroom management issues was that we didn’t always get through the lesson plan and I would get really stressed out about that. What I learned at Discovery is that when it’s time to end class, you end class. If there isn’t time to finish a lesson, it will have to happen the next day – it doesn’t help for me to stress myself about it. In general, I learned not to be so hard on myself as a teacher. You do your best and if something doesn’t go as planned, you learn from it and move on. That attitude helped relieve a lot of anxiety for me.”

Martha Jones, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher

Prioritize self-care

"Teacher burnout is very real. The best way I’ve found to manage it is to prioritize my health by using my insurance benefits, exercising, eating well, normalizing mental health therapy, and making time for fun on the weekends.”

Jenel Anderson, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher
 

“I use all my sick days. This includes working from home all day when report cards are due, so I'm reducing the number of all-nighters while still working and parenting to write them. (We have three rounds of report cards here each year, and they're lengthy. As a homeroom teacher, it's been a struggle, but mental and physical health is a huge part of surviving the deadlines.)

Also, along those lines, if you need time off and are deeply burned out and unhappy, speak to your doctor. Your real life is not your home life. Our jobs aren't meant to put us in this place. Take care of yourself bc you deserve it!”

Reddit user Ok_Craft9548

“Good ol’ fashioned eating healthy and exercising is at the top of the list. Nothing beats the feeling of taking care of your body by eating right and exercising when you can. Even a walk or jog at the beginning or end of the day can make a real difference. Creating a daily routine of exercise – no matter what kind – is a great stress reliever.”

Katherine Post, Rutgers Alternate Route teacher

“Create a routine with little rewards and celebrations to keep you going. Making goals and focusing on them. Example: On Wednesday mornings, you play a certain playlist before work. On Friday, you and some colleagues order lunch together. On Monday, you wear a shirt with a message to highlight.”

Facebook user Malika Michelle

“Therapist, yoga, meditation, hiking and dance classes to regain confidence and power. Even martial arts.”

Facebook user La’Daska

Reflect

“It's important to get a moment of solitude where you can isolate and just really feel and understand why you're feeling how you're feeling. I think when you just try to keep pushing through, it becomes overwhelming. I'm not an educator, but I just imagine we all just need time to deal and process uninterrupted.”

Facebook user Jackson

"The joys of working with young minds come with many other less pleasant realities--paperwork, reports, assessments, meetings, to name a few. Such requirements can lead many teachers to a path of feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and stressed. And, it’s completely normal....Realizing that you’re not the only educator who feels this way can be comforting. It can also be  your first step to becoming more mindful."

Tara V. Lisciandro-Hornich, New Jersey high school teaching veteran 
 

Set healthy boundaries

“It is also ok and in fact good to set up boundaries. Make your lunch time your time, for example. It is easy to burn out in this profession, and unfortunately, there isn't anyone looking out for us, so we have to set those boundaries up ourselves.”

Reddit user Catsnpotatoes

“To avoid burnout, I removed Google Suite/Google Classroom apps from my smartphone. On Sunday evenings, I check the LMS on a work laptop briefly in case there are urgent issues.”

Reddit user Yabakunai

If you’re considering following your dream of teaching, Rutgers Alternate Route can offer you the support and training you need to succeed. Be sure to follow Rutgers Alternate Route on Twitter and sign up for Alternate Route’s monthly newsletter for more information and stories from the field of education.