Burn-Out Prevention Tips

As marching band season comes to a close and the stress associated with the rigorous pace mounts, many of you may be suffering symptoms of career burnout. Most career teachers have been or will be there at some point. The point where you question everything. Why am I still doing this? I don't enjoy this anymore. I'm tired. Those are just a few of the many symptoms. Teaching can be very rewarding and frustrating at the same time. If you find yourself on the down side and asking these or similar questions, try some of these suggestions to get some relief.

Get a hobby. Find something you enjoy that takes you completely away from your work world, work crowd and out of your comfort zone. When you find something that interests you, immerse yourself in it with as much passion and dedication that you can commit to. In the end, this new aspect of your life will take you down new roads and lead you to different perspectives about what and why you do what you do. And no, this hobby can't be music/band related. The goal is to take a portion of your life in a totally NEW direction.

Divide and Conquer. Are you guilty of believing that in order to get something done right, you must do it yourself? If you are, then you know how demanding such tasks can be on your time and how this leads to unnecessary stress in your life. If you have an assistant or multiple staff members, it is imperative that you clearly define the roles of each individual. Not only will this take the load off of you, but the new responsibilities gained by your staff will add meaning and importance to their roles that will show confidence in their abilities. Don't be afraid to assign tasks to student leaders in your ensembles. The trust you put in them will build stronger relationships with them and foster leadership skills that will allow you to ask even more of them in the future.

Prioritize. Sometimes you just have to walk away from what "has to be done today" and realize that it will still be there tomorrow. Many goal-oriented individuals have a strong sense of "checking everything off the list" each day before they can truly relax and feel that they have accomplished all they needed to accomplish. While procrastination can often be a sign of lack of motivation, there are times when it is necessary and healthy. If you have a great deal of things to get done, try writing them all down in one list, then make new prioritized lists with appropriate timelines. This allows you to focus on what is immediate and important and shows you what truly can be accomplished down the road. It will also afford you the opportunity to better organize and manage tasks so that they might be completed more efficiently.

Don't Isolate Yourself. It is so easy to retreat to the band hall or band office and fail to interact with professional peers. Everyone needs a sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to bend from time to time. The perspective you will gain from talking with a non-band/music colleague will give you new insight into your frustrations, concerns, etc. Developing friendships outside of the music world will give you the space you sometimes need.

Strengthen Rapport with Your Students. Are you doing this for them? Do they come first? Do you like being around them? Can you understand their perspective on things? Can you relate? I have to admit, I became a band director because I liked band. I didn't become a band director because I liked kids. That was never a factor in my choice to be a teacher! But along the way this slowly changed without me even realizing it. Developing a strong, yet professional relationship with your students will keep you feeling younger, more energetic and more excited about what you are doing. The sense of cooperation that is established when student/teacher "hit it off" and have mutual respect for each other make the job so much easier. It is YOUR job to make this happen. Go the extra mile to build appropriate, meaningful and sincere relationships with your students that will last long after graduation.

Be a Time Manager. Accomplishing as much as possible in as little time as possible is essential to avoiding burn out not only for you but your students as well. Nothing is worse than being involved in a long, non-productive rehearsal/activity. HAVE A PLAN for every event; especially those that involve other people's time outside of the normal school day. Streamline your activities and multi-task. Every activity that takes time should be evaluated carefully to see if it is being completed as efficiently as possible or even if it is necessary. It's easy to fall into the "this is what we have always done before" rut without realizing there is a better, more efficient way.

Get Physical. Find some type of physical activity and do it on a regular basis. Running, working out, walking, swimming, team sports, etc. Find something that challenges you physically. You may not like it initially, but after you get your body conditioned to it you will find that most days you feel better after performing it. There is no other better stress reliever than vigorous physical activity and your body will thank you for it someday.

Family/Personal Time. No one ever said on their death bed "I wish I had spent more time at work." Designate a minimum amount of time each week to spend with your family or if you are single, yourself. You don't even have to have a plan on how to spend the time. Keep in mind that by doing so, you are possibly affording your students and their parents the chance to do the same.

Fake It! Sometimes the enthusiasm just isn't there. We've all been there, but letting that emotion win and sending that type of message to your students gets you nowhere and will become the norm if you let it. In situations like that, I have found the best thing to do is to fool myself into feeling better by faking the energy that I'm not feeling. In other words, pick yourself up by picking up the pace, the energy level and activity of what you are doing until it comes natural. That might be five minutes or five weeks later but sometimes the hardest person to convince is yourself. Regardless of how you feel, fake it for the sake of those around you that are ready to do much more!

Successful teachers all have peaks and valleys in their performance as well as in their individual perspective on what they are doing. Teaching certainly provides more than its share of frustrating moments but the key to survival is to power through the tough times by keeping everything in balance and perspective. If you try some of the things above, it is my belief that you can avoid long term burnout. Best wishes!

Kirby Swinney graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1982 with a degree in instrumental music education and retired in 2014 after teaching band for 30 years in the Oklahoma communities of Weleetka, Dewey, Choctaw and Shawnee. While at Dewey and Shawnee, both band programs earned their first ever OSSAA sweepstakes award and in 2013 the Shawnee Band Program earned its first ever double sweepstakes award when both concert bands earned superior ratings at the state level contest. Kirby's marching bands were consistently rated superior at regional competitions and were also consistent top twelve finalists at the OBA State Marching Band Championship Contest.