How to Prevent Teacher Burnout Before It Starts

You know those teachers who never seem burned out? No? Okay, how about the ones who are always burned out? Yeah—that probably hits closer to home. (And hey, it might even be you right now.)

I’ve definitely struggled with burnout—especially during high-stress times like right before STAAR testing (shoutout to my Texas teachers). But over the years, I’ve learned how to protect my peace by focusing on two key things: setting boundaries and planning ahead.

Let’s talk about both.

1. Set Boundaries (and Stick to Them)

My classroom door is always locked during my conference period. It took some time, but I’ve trained my students and coworkers not to interrupt unless it's truly important. If someone needs me, they message me—and they wait for a response. Students also learn pretty quick that I won’t answer the door.

This doesn’t work 100% of the time, but it prevents 90% of those little interruptions that break your flow and steal your planning time. One quick knock might only take a minute, but regaining your focus? That costs you. And if you're not protected, your students miss out, too.

Can’t do this in your classroom? Be harder to find. Work from a different room if you can. Your planning time is sacred. Defend it like your sanity depends on it—because it does.

2. Say No Without Guilt

Teachers are often pressured into doing things outside their job description. Yes, even grown adults get peer-pressured.

Here’s what works for me:

• “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you.”

• “That’s not something I can take on right now and give 100%.”

You don’t need to give a long explanation or apologize. If someone presses for a reason, it’s okay to say:

• “I’m just not able to.”

• “My reasons are personal, and I’m not comfortable sharing.”

If they keep pushing, that’s a them problem. Keep your boundaries. Don’t give in. The moment you open the door a little, people start walking right through it and they will continue walking through it.

3. Protect Your Peace

Saying no takes practice. If it feels uncomfortable at first, that’s normal. Remind yourself: you are not the superhero of your school. You don’t have to save everything and everyone. If you don’t take something on, someone else will—or it just won’t happen. And that’s okay.

Your peace matters. Your time matters. Protect both.

4. Plan Ahead (Even Just a Little)

A failure to plan is a plan to fail. (Yeah, I know it’s cliché—but it’s also true.)

Planning ahead keeps me from falling apart. I don’t wait until Monday morning to figure out Monday’s lesson. That just adds to my stress.

Here’s what I’ve been doing:

• I started building a yearlong curriculum last September.

• I focused on locking down one semester first—lessons, warmups, quizzes, homework. (for you this might be one week, and that’s ok!)

• I chipped away at it slowly—week by week, piece by piece.

Not there yet? Start small. Pick stories or texts you love and write lesson objectives. Then, draft a few sentence stems or questions, and sort them by rigor:

• Recall/Remember

• Understand

• Apply

• Evaluate

• Create

Even having a basic structure gives you something to build on next year. That’s the trick—reuse and refine. Stay in the same content area as long as you can. Save everything. Dust it off next year and tweak it. I spent years switching grades and reinventing the wheel for every class and new school year, and it was wasted time. [If you’re looking for a framework to begin planning a curriculum, I have another blog post dedicated to that here.]

Final Thought: Check In With Yourself

Stress doesn’t always show up as panic. Sometimes it’s just constant tension in your jaw or snapping at someone for no reason. Take time—daily, weekly, monthly—to ask yourself:

• How am I doing?

• What do I need?

• What can I let go of?

You can’t pour from an empty cup. So protect your peace, plan ahead, and say no when you need to. You deserve a school year that doesn’t burn you out. Don't be afraid to use lessons from other teachers who have already done the hard work! You can check out all my lessons here.