Admin After Hours
Listen on APPLE | Listen on SPOTIFY
Introduction
Hi, and welcome back to the second episode of our Educator Series. I have Lindsay Morhart back with us today and I’m excited to dive back into this conversation we’ve been having about educator burnout, and the evolving role of parents in the system. In this episode, we address the changing dynamics, discuss the impact on teachers, and explore ways we can work to prevent burnout in our educators.
The Changing Role of Parents
Before delving into educator burnout, Lindsay and I discuss the evolving role of parents in the education system over the years. We both reflect on the involvement of our parents being minimal, unless a teacher-initiated contact. Despite teachers spending most of a child’s day with them, their opinion has decreased in parents’ eyes, and behaviors often show that they don’t think what the teacher says is important or accurate, leading to more stress on the teacher’s end.
Parenting Challenges
Tevi and Lindsay candidly discuss the challenges parents face today, highlighting the fear of letting kids fail despite the importance. Tevi admits her guilt in this aspect, and both emphasize the need for children to experience failure as part of learning and growth. The conversation also touches on the societal shift where parents often blame teachers for their child’s struggles.
Building Resilience in Kids
Lindsay advocates for encouraging kids to sit with their emotions and learn from failures. They discuss the societal trend of recording and sharing mistakes of others for attention and likes, impacting both children and adults negatively. The hosts emphasize the importance of allowing kids to fail, fostering resilience – not the bounce back definition, but being ok with sitting with the emotions - and learning from mistakes.
Humanizing Teachers
Lindsay stresses the importance for teachers to be authentic with their students’ parents. Parents need to recognize that teachers are human too, dealing with their own families and challenges, while also helping grow and educate our children. Communicating from shared experiences helps build understanding and support for both educators and parents.
Recognizing Burnout in Educators
We delve into signs of burnout among educators, including noticeable changes in body language, energy, and the emergence of cynicism. Lindsay emphasizes the need for leaders to create positive culture within schools, fostering an environment for fun and support. “I can’t work in a place that’s not fun. If I’m not laughing, I am not surviving,” Lindsay shares. We talk about tools for learning the strengths of our team and utilizing them to support a healthy culture.
Supporting Burned-Out Educators
We discuss the importance of feeling heard, seen, and valued in the workplace, touching on the challenges educators face, sharing personal experiences, and encouraging admins to be attentive to the red flags indicating burnout. Touching on what causes a culture of one-upping, which leaves team members constantly striving to outdo, rather than settling into their strengths and thriving there.
Encouraging Vulnerability
Lindsay and I underscore the value of vulnerability, both for parents and educators. Sharing personal stories, Lindsay advocates for seeking help when needed, emphasizing the importance of mental health resources available to parents, families, and teachers. She offers valuable advice for educators feeling burned out, emphasizing the significance of acknowledging that it’s okay to not be okay. “I feel so lucky that I was able to recognize when my emotions were irrational.”
Conclusion
I know so many people are going to glean so many nuggets of value from the experiences she shares and the wisdom she imparts. Thank you for listening and thank you to Linds for joining us. We’ll talk again soon, and as always, don’t forget to live your lives lit! 🔥
Resources
StrengthsFinder 2.0 | EN - Gallup