Teacher Burnout is an All-Too-Common Challenge, But Ready-Made Resources Can Ease the Burden and Reclaim Much-Needed Time for Educators

History Studies provides a ready-made kit for history and social science teachers. The Great Depression in the USA, Britain, & Australia is a resource for teachers and students to undertake a comparative study of the Great Depression in 3 countries. An original and unique study.

Whether state made or made by businesses, ready-made teaching resources for school classrooms can help alleviate teacher burnout. Made-for-purpose units of work available to teachers and schools, free up teachers' time for the many other demands on them.

It's important to acknowledge the issue and challenge of lesson preparation. Behind every lesson is a mountain of work done in "spare time". Even more demanding is grappling with a new subject introduced into a school, implementing it, then teaching it. Daunting. How often do we hear anecdotal evidence of teachers burning out after 10 years? It's no wonder.

The Hidden Burden of Lesson Preparation

Firstly, what time exactly is being eaten up by lesson preparation and units of study preparation?

• Before school: Preparing materials before students arrive.

• After school: Gathering resources for lessons

• Evenings: Planning lessons and doing corrections

• Weekends: Spending personal time researching and lesson planning.

• Recess: Last minute preparations before classes

• Lunchtimes: Organizing materials and resources

• Mid-year "holidays": Correcting student projects and forward planning

• End of year "holidays": Reading the following year's books and planning units of study

What does lesson preparation involve?

For history teachers, lesson preparation involves many aspects: balancing time, hours spent researching, ensuring material and ideas meet the demands of the curriculum, organizing learning materials and resources, and corrections. To add to the complexity, lesson preparation is done while completing extra-curricular activities and meeting the demands of home life. Altogether, it's stressful and better support and greater provision of teaching materials is needed.

One Solution: More Ready-Made Resources

It's easy to talk about better worlds, and better this and that, but one solution is ready-made resources. But how is change made to introduce more purpose made resources into teaching?

Making Change Happen: Practical Steps

Begin dialogue in the vast web of contacts in education. How?

• Act as an individual and as a member of the Social Science faculty

• Social Science faculties within schools have great comradery amongst its teachers: friendships, looking out for the well-being of each other, sharing resources, curriculum planning, and formulating lessons. As a faculty, share the need for change within the school amongst teaching staff, teacher-librarians, the principal, and in the school district amongst other schools. Discussion has to start somewhere and will get the issue out.

• Try to get other departments on board: English, Science, Geography, Business Studies, and so on. Encourage dialogue. Their needs and wants are similar.

• Communicate with businesses making educational materials

• Communicate with your government education department. Emphasize it's all about, in the end, the students - better teaching, better learning, and better schools.

• Keep the issue going

• Persistence is the key - change takes time

• and remember, if it's worth changing, it's worth fighting for.

Importantly, it's your life, your job, your school, your taxes being spent, and your right to have a say about better support and teaching resources for teachers. What's more, you may even be able to reclaim your weekends!

Also, and importantly, what do you think?

How has lesson preparation impacted your teaching experience?

How could ready-made resources help alleviate burnout in your school or classroom? Share your thoughts - I’d love to hear them!

I hope you have found this blog, "Teacher Burnout is an All-Too-Common Challenge, But Ready-Made Resources Can Ease the Burden and Reclaim Much-Needed Time for Educators" a good read.

If you would like to have a look at my website, History Studies, it has a ready-made social science history kit on it, The Great Depression in the USA, Britain, & Australia: a comparative study.

I hope you enjoyed the read!

Interested and would like to know more? Please email or call.

Andrew D. Warnett, B.Ed., University of Melbourne

History Studies

Email: andrew@history-studies.com

Website: https:/www.history-studies.com

Mobile 0466 078 169