Our Careers as Marathons

Many people enjoy running. Runners learn to pace themselves for their runs. Participating in marathons, though, takes running to a different level. Somewhere along the way, in a marathon, many “hit the wall,” as body and mind seemingly reach the boundaries of endurance and the dream to finish successfully becomes a moment-to-moment nightmare. It becomes a struggle just to keep moving forward.

How many of us working in IEPs, whether it be teaching, coordinating, or directing, find ourselves hitting that wall? Instead of working through the agony in minutes or hours, as marathoners do, our struggles may take months or years. If that has happened, then we would be wise to take heed, reflect, and take action to make the changes needed. If that scenario resonates with you or someone you know, perhaps this short article can provide a few resources and strategies to help.

What Is Burnout?

We all have bad days now and then, but what happens when the problems are deeper and longer-lasting? “Burnout is far more than feeling blue or having a bad day. It is a chronic state of being out of synch with your job, and that can be a significant crisis in your life" (Leiter & Maslach, 2005, p. 2). “Burnout is not an event, but rather a process, a chronic syndrome that becomes progressively worse” (Brock & Grady, 2000, p. 4).

What Are the Symptoms of Burnout?

Brock and Grady (2000) further discuss five types of symptoms that may resonate with IEP professionals who have had them or have worked with others who have.

1. Physical symptoms include chronic fatigue; physical ailments; avoidance of eye or physical contact; and alcohol, drug, or food abuse.
2. Intellectual symptoms include information overload, poor concentration, lack of alertness, lack of creativity, and inability to meet deadlines.
3. Emotional symptoms include feeling overwhelmed by demands, anxious, tense, irritable, impatient, angry, alienated, and not in control.
4. Social symptoms include acting rude, having no time for others, and avoiding social gatherings.
5. Spiritual symptoms include feeling threatened by others’ needs, experiencing a breakdown in personal values, desiring change or escape from the situation, and feelings of despair.

Questions for IEP Professionals to Reflect on

1. Have you ever felt that you were getting close to being burned out?
2. Have you ever seen faculty, staff, or other colleagues getting close to burnout?

If you answered YES to either question:

• What seemed to be the cause of those feelings?
• How have you or others dealt with the situation to make it better?
• What other ways of dealing with these situations do you think might be helpful?

Each of us has different stressors that contribute to frustration, fatigue, exhaustion, and burnout. Given those differences, each of us needs to look within to investigate both the causes and the possible strategies to help us overcome the frustrations.

How Can We Keep Our Flames Burning?

What follows are a variety of strategies and tips and resources that may spark your own solutions that fit your particular situation.

1. Take a burnout or work-life survey and reflect on the insights gained. Various surveys can be accessed through a Google search. Leiter and Maslach (2005) have done much research and have designed several surveys.

2. Take “four steps to take control of your work-life” (Leiter & Maslach, 2005, pp. 34–38):

1. Define the problem.
1. What area of work-life is a problem?
2. What are specific problems within that area?
2. Set objectives. Make very specific choices, be positive, be practical.
3. Take action. Engage in self-development activities, take initiative.
4. Track progress.

3. Set 5 minutes aside at the beginning of each day to meditate or read something positive. There are numerous books with short chapters full of insights and reflections.

4. Clean and reorganize your office, personalizing it anew, with meaningful photos and artifacts. Purging old files can cleanse the mind as well as clean the office.

5. Check your doctor for physical causes (e.g., low vitamin D, low thyroid).

6. Focus on and track yourself as you seek better nutrition, exercise, and sleep. Whatever the causes of your frustration may be, refocusing on your body and mind can refresh you and help you deal with other stressors better.

7. Question assumptions at work. Seek to look at work issues in new ways and from different angles, including from the perspectives of others who may cause you stress. Part of hitting the wall is getting stuck in looking at issues from only one angle.

8. Take short breaks during the day, perhaps to walk around the IEP, campus, or neighborhood.

9. “Do something, anything, today that moves you toward your goals. Take that first step, even if it is a small one. You’ll be heading toward the person, or place, you want to be” (Holmes, 2005, p. 187).

10. “For one week jot down the positive things that happen in your life every day. After just a few days you’ll start to get into the habit of actively recognizing them as and when they take place” (Holmes, 2005, p. 189).

11. “Simplify your life. Ask yourself what really needs to be done" (Singer, 2010, p. 156). Related to that is asking what really needs to be done and if you really need to be the person doing it. Teachers can use much time and energy to design the perfect lessons, but there are times when the perfect short-term lesson can be the enemy of your long-term personal and professional well-being. Similarly, administrators can often get involved in all sorts of matters that end up draining them of their reserves of energy.

12. “Watch comedies on TV, and go to light-hearted fun movies. Avoid the sky-is-falling world news reports” (Singer, 2010, p. 158). Although this may seem simplistic at first glance, consider this: While on the way to the hotel for TESOL 2012, one of the presenters met a writer who focused on tough subjects from bullying to genocide. She briefly reviewed the strategies in our presentation and stopped at this one. She then noted that after writing a book on genocide, she couldn’t write anything again for months and months. Instead, she heeded this strategy as a way to filling up her reservoir of energy. There are times that we must change our ways to survive the burdens we face.

Get Started Now

We work in a wonderful field, but like many others, it is filled with changes and issues that present personal and professional challenges. How we face those challenges will determine how long and how well we will be effective professionals who continue to enjoy the work. Make a change and enjoy this day!

REFERENCES:

Brock, B. I., & Grady, M. L. (2000). Rekindling the flame: Principals combating teacher burnout. Thousand Oaks, CA. Corwin.

Holmes, E. (2005). Teacher well-being: Looking after yourself and your career in the classroom. London, England: RoutledgeFalmer.

Leiter, M. P., & Maslach, C. (2005). Banishing burnout: Six strategies for improving your relationship with work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Singer, J. (2010). The teacher’s ultimate stress mastery guide: 77 proven prescriptions to build your resilience. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Keith Maurice is the director of the University of Texas at Arlington's English Language Institute. He has a PhD from Florida State University. He has taught, coordinated, and administered programs in Japan, Thailand, Florida, and Colorado. He has presented at TESOL many times over the years.

Barbara Hoekje is director of the English Language Center (ELC) at Drexel University. The ELC is accredited by CEA and is a member of the consortium of University and College Intensive English Programs and the American Association of Intensive English Programs. She is a member of NAFSA Region VII.

Bruce Rindler served as the associate director at the Center for English Language and Orientation Programs at Boston University for more than 20 years. He remains on the faculty at Boston University, teaching ESL and training teachers in the MA-TESOL Program. He also works as an ESL program consultant.