Here's how you can sustain your passion and motivation as an educational leader amidst burnout.

One of the signs of burnout could be when you wake up in the morning, you may not have enough mental energy to start your working day.

One time at work, after two straight weeks of working long hours, early morning till late in the night, trying to beat tight deadlines, I found myself experiencing very long hours of tiredness. I couldn't get myself to wake up in the morning. I also had constant headaches in the middle of the day. I had to take a few days off work to get a thorough rest. The doctor told me to take a rest because I was suffering from burnout

In my experience as an educator, we often fail to recognize the extent to which our personal lives and time are consumed by our work. Waking up in the middle of the night to address student inquiries is just one example. This tendency to be constantly available can contribute to burnout, especially for educational leaders who face particularly demanding roles. Hence, it becomes increasingly imperative for them to prioritize setting clear boundaries between their professional and personal lives.

As a passionate teacher and educator, its not uncommon to find myself so engaged in helping students with their work, and going that extra mile to prepare my lessons and engage parents. In my experience, i learnt to separate me-time and school or student time. This includes having two phone numbers , one for work and the other for personal matters only. Setting the boundaries has helped me to get time to rest and attend to my family. It has also given the opportunity to develop my self by learning new skills.

This is especially critical for new teachers who can quickly become overwhelmed by the workload without knowing how or when to seek support. As a novice educator, there's a steep learning curve, and relying on the guidance of peers, mentors, and other professionals is invaluable. However, it's vital to initiate these discussions early on, before performance begins to suffer. Delaying addressing burnout until it impacts your effectiveness could lead others to perceive it as merely an excuse, rather than a genuine issue needing attention.

One thing I have found helpful is to collaborate with my colleagues in our department. Doing projects together and making each other aware of what each us is going through has really helped us to minimize burnout. we are able to help each other and when one of us is overwhelmed, we can easily cover for them as they take a break

One way that has also helped us to avoid burnout is to embrace new ways doing our work of teaching. For instance, using technology such as internet televisions in our lessons. This, in my experience, excites the learners because they are able to research in groups and give me the answers. they also develop the global perspective in learning. This made our work easier as compared to the old lecture method(teacher centered method) which was so tiresome.

• Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate small successes and milestones. Recognizing progress can help maintain a positive outlook. • Focus on Student Impact: Remind yourself of the positive impact you have on students' lives. Their growth and achievements can be a powerful source of motivation. • Creative Outlets: Engage in creative activities or hobbies outside of work to rejuvenate your mind and foster new ideas.