“Teacher Burnout Is Real — and School Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore It”

Right before I walked away from the classroom, a teacher stopped me in the hallway.

“Are you really leaving?” they asked.
 “Yes,” I said. “And it took me two full years to make the decision.”

They looked me in the eyes and said something that still lingers in my spirit:

“Ten years ago, I woke up and realized I hate what I’m doing. But I’m less than seven years from retirement. So I just keep going.”

Then they smiled, told me they were proud of me, and wished me well.

And while it was a kind and vulnerable moment, my mind went in 2,000 directions.

What if this person teaches my child one day?

Are they showing up with resentment, with detachment, with love?

Are students feeling the emotional weight of a teacher who’s just passing time?

What kind of culture have we created where someone can say “I hate what I do” and feel powerless to change it?

Honestly, my thoughts ranged from compassion to concern to quiet panic.
I wondered what made them stay. I wondered if they could ever feel connected again.
I wondered if I could have helped.

Out of all the things teachers shared with me before I left, that moment hit me the hardest. Because while their vulnerability was real… so was the resignation.
And I still wonder what it’s costing them and their students - every day.

 
 Leaders, It’s Time to Pay Attention

Do you know what’s really happening inside your building?
Not the walkthrough version. Not the PD feedback form version.
The truth. The emotional reality of the people you lead.

Or have you started “going along to get along”?

Because the truth is,  teacher burnout doesn’t begin at exhaustion.
It begins at misalignment. In isolation. At subtle, compounding wounds that go unseen.

And if your staff is burnt out, no program, data point, or observation cycle is going to fix that.

I've seen first-year teachers walk in with hope and walk out with exhaustion and the quiet resignation that comes when support is surface-level instead of truly tailored to their needs.

And while that reality is hard to watch, it’s not inevitable. When leaders commit to hands-on, customized professional development with genuineness, they plant seeds of confidence, resilience, and growth that can transform a teacher’s entire career and, in turn, a school’s culture.