A Teacher’s Guide to Managing Stress and Overcoming Burnout

Danielle Nuhfer, a 20-year veteran teacher and first-time author, addresses teacher mindfulness and wellness in her new book, The Path of the Mindful Teacher (John Catt Educational). Outside the obvious need to better take care of the teacher’s emotional wellbeing and avoid (or at least recover from) burnout, there is a trickle-down effect at play. “Teachers’ self-care and wellness funnels down to our students,” she stresses, pointing to how administrators are starting to better recognize the importance of social-emotional stability across school environments.

The impetus for writing the book came from Nuhfer’s personal experience with burnout earlier in her career, which resulted in spending the past decade studying mindfulness, and working to combine mindfulness practices with teaching expertise over the past five years. Nuhfer recognized she wasn’t alone in experiencing increased stress over the first several years of her career, observing that many teachers left the profession altogether after no more than five years. She became her own self-advocate, researching wellbeing principles from other professions and philosophies in hopes of giving teachers support to avoid going it alone on their journey. In her book, she aims to guide teachers toward better self-care that results in increased optimism, an improved outlook, and ultimately, long-term job satisfaction. “I’ve realized how invaluable retaining teachers can be to the culture and climate of a school. I think the only way that we’re going to do that is if we offer support from the beginning,” adds Nuhfer. 

As you listen to the interview, think through the following questions, and consider the ways in which adding self-care principles can help in managing stress, finding work-life balance, lessening burnout, and increasing professional satisfaction:

1. How have you noticed stress and burnout affecting your performance in the classroom and in your personal life? Are you open to overcoming the stress and chaos by initiating a step-by-step approach to better wellbeing?

2. How is your school addressing teacher wellness and do you believe you would have benefited early on in your career if self-care practices were part of your early teacher training?

3. As you prepare to return to the classroom in the 2021-22 school year, what pandemic-related stresses do you feel need to be addressed for all educators?

4. What is the hardest thing as a teacher to accept about committing to mindfulness and wellness? Do you feel there is not enough time or does the practice feel “selfish”? Are there methods to adjust your mindset to allow self-care into your life for lasting positive change?

5. Danielle Nuhfer introduces the Four Noble Truths of Teaching in her book and describes them in the interview. Are you interested in better understanding and adopting these principles into your life and teaching practices?

Learn more about Danielle Nuhfer’s book, The Path of the Mindful Teacher.

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