A lighthearted talk on a serious issue of teachers' burnout syndrome. 24th IATEFL PL Conference in Krakow

1. Burn the burnout
Marcin Stanowski
XXVII LO im. T. Czackiego w Warszawie
24th IATEFL Poland Conference
Kraków, 18-20 September 2015

2. What man actually needs is not a tensionless state
but rather the striving and struggling
for some goal worthy of him.
Victor Frankl, 1992

4. It’s not about burnout!

5. ‘Quality in Language Education in Various
Educational Environments’
IATEFL Poland 2015

8. "Ślubuję rzetelnie pełnić mą powinność nauczyciela
wychowawcy i opiekuna młodzieży, dążyć do pełni
rozwoju osobowości ucznia i własnej, kształcić
i wychowywać młode pokolenie w duchu umiłowania
Ojczyzny, tradycji narodowych, poszanowania
Konstytucji Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej."
Art. 15. ślubowanie nauczyciela mianowanego
Dz.U.2014.0.191 t.j. - Ustawa z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r. -
Karta Nauczyciela

9. "I vow to honestly fulfill my duty of a teacher,
educator of youth, strive to fully develop the
student's personality and my own, and educate
the young generation in the spirit of love for the
Fatherland, national traditions, respect for the
Constitution of the Republic of Poland. "

10. So help me,
Me

11. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI),
a scale measuring burnout
Emotional exhaustion…
…is feeling tired and fatigued at work
(it can result in absence from work).
Burnout components

12. Burnout components
Depersonalization...
... is developing a callous/uncaring
feeling, even hostility, toward others (either
students or colleagues).
The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI),
a scale measuring burnout

13. Reduced personal accomplishment ...
...is feeling you (the employee) are
not accomplishing anything worthwhile at work.
This can lead to a lack of motivation and poor
performance.
The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI),
a scale measuring burnout
Burnout components

14. Stages of burnout
• The Honeymoon
• The Awakening.
• Brownout
• Full Scale Burnout
• The Phoenix Phenomenon ??

15. Medical conditions resulting
• insomnia
• extreme tiredness
• heart diseases
• depression
• drug/alcohol abuse
• mental breakdown

16. Intrapersonal symptoms
• no longer caring what happens as a result of your
efforts
• taking more time to get less done

17. Interpersonal symptoms
• distancing yourself from colleagues and/or students
• an attitude shift to the cynical
• hostility
• taking more time to get less done
• contagious disease (spreads onto colleagues and students)

18. Burnout scale

19. Long term coping strategies
Change: job, methods, attitude,
Start with your body!
Don’t you dare to diminish yourself!
Start planning FUN in the classroom!
Observe and be observed!
Learn something/develop skills.
Be a ship with many anchors!

20. Don’t you dare to diminish yourself!
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”

21. What to do in the classroom?
Have fun!
Do drama!
Use the bodies!
Use your voice!
Dance!
Sing!
Tell a joke!
Relax!
Stretch!
Be lazy, do nothing!
Let the students
grade some of the
assignments!

22. Mime role plays
Give each student a role to act out but tell one
of them that they’ve lost their voice.
Tell this student what situation he or she has
to act out, but don’t tell the other student what it is.

23. Charades

24. Positive psychology warm ups
• Compliments
• Three things you are thankful for
• Three things you have succeeded in
• Something good that I am going to do today is…

25. Dream game

26. Compliments
• What I like the most about you is… because…
• Never have I seen such a …

27. Bachata

28. TPR yoga

29. All ideas above
have potential to ease stress leading to burnout,
induce positivity,
are not just 'FUN' for but also use English at its finest.
are designed with students in mind,
yet bring so much joy to a teacher,
cater for Multiple Intelligences

30. Feel the flow

31. And rise from the flames…

32. React! Help your colleagues!
Invite them to IATEFL conference!
Listen to them!
Empower them to stand up!

33. Thank you very much
for your attention!