What are the causes of student burnout and what can parents do to help reignite a love of learning?
If you pay attention to the news, and in particular news about K-12 education, you have probably read (or heard) that teachers are leaving the profession in droves; they are burned out. Many educators cite the pandemic as the the proverbial straw that broke their back. Following CDC guidelines, dealing with the controversy of masks, and yo-yoing again and again between at-home and in-school instruction broke many teachers.
Understandably.
But students are hurting too. And, quite simply, they- like their English and Algebra and kindergarten teachers- are burned out, too. For many of the same reasons as their teachers, as well as a whole slew of reasons that are more children-specific.
There is a huge- Mariana Trench deep- difference, though, between teacher and student burnout: teachers are free to leave and pursue other occupations. K-12 students must stay in school and fight through all the demons that so many people are currently battling, while trying to keep their heads above water.
Student Burnout defined
What exactly is student burnout? In the article “Educators and Students Are Burned Out. These Strategies Can Help,” Harvard Business Publishing defines it like this: “it presents as a combination of three symptoms: exhaustion (a depletion of mental or physical resources), cynical detachment (a depletion of social connectedness), and a reduced sense of efficacy(a depletion of belief in oneself).”
Parents, does your child look or sound like any of these three descriptors? Are they exhausted? Do they feel less or no connection to their friends? Do they feel like school is just too hard?
Here is the catch: the pandemic did not provoke or cause these symptoms. Students have been struggling with these critical issues for years. The pandemic only shone a 10,000 watt spotlight on the problem!
What causes student burnout
A study by research.com revealed what teens are concerned about:
The study also found:
- Seven out of ten teens in the U.S. (between 13 and 17 years old) have named anxiety or depression as a major problem among their peers in the community.
- 75% of U.S. high school students expressed boredom, anger, sadness, fear, or stress while in school.
- On a 10-point scale, where normal values for adults are 3.8, American teens rated their stress rate at an average score of 5.8.
- Three quarters (75%) of American high schoolers and half of middle schoolers described themselves as “often or always feeling stressed” by schoolwork.
Students with learning differences tend to get whacked even harder. The excellent website understood.org lists some reasons as to why. First, they work harder than their peers to achieve a similar result. Next, their schedules tend be busier than their peers due to getting additional help or therapies. Finally, they may struggle with attention and just take longer to complete an assignment.
Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, found that in addition to grades, course work, and time management, students were particularly stressed about lack of sleep. Pope thought that remote leaning would provide opportunities for students to catch up on sleep, but her research found that 43 percent of the students reported sleeping less, and about 5 percent said they were getting less than four hours a night. Overall, kids reported being more stressed than before the pandemic began!
Strategies to combat student burnout
As documented above, student burnout tends to come from exhaustion, a lack of social connections, and/or a loss of one’s belief that they can succeed. A good first step for parents is to decode which symptom or symptoms their child is suffering from. From there, try the following strategies to combat student burnout.
Practice self care
We wrote extensively about the importance of self-care for children here. Start by creating a routine in the morning before school and a routine for after school, which will develop predictability and ease anxiety. Mix in some exercise to get the heart rate up and focus on establishing a sleep schedule.
Create healthy habits
Creating healthy habits can begin with monitoring your child’s diet. Recently we wrote about the importance of a balanced diet and its contribution to academic performance. At least in your home, you control the supply line of food, so ensure there is an abundance of healthy choices available. Additionally, encourage/demand a prescribed sleep schedule. Teenagers ought to be getting about 10 hours of a sleep a night. And as mentioned above, moderate to vigorous exercise will pay dividends with mental health.
Play games
If your child is suffering from burnout, there is more than likely an absence of fun in their lives. A great way to combat the feeling is from playing! Play can take many forms, from good old- fashioned board games like Monopoly and Sorry to card games like Uno. Psychology researcher Peter Gray argues that as opportunities for play decrease in children, it contributes to a rise in anxiety and depression. He argues that anxiety and depression strongly correlate with peoples’ sense of control – or lack of control. Researchers have studied play and arrived at a fascinating conclusion: the opposite of play is not work, it is depression.
Practice mindfulness
The website mindful.org defines mindfulness as the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. This has become increasingly difficult in our perpetually digitally connected lives. Encourage your child to disconnect! Benefits of mindfulness include improvement in emotional regulation, memory, and cognitive function; better grades; increased focus; improvement in both relationships and physical health; and reduced levels of anxiety and stress. Check out this article for simple suggestions to practice mindfulness.
Stay connected to their social network
Children are wired- all humans are wired- to want to connect. The pandemic has put a huge crick in people’s ability to meet in-person. While everyone’s social networks have been disrupted over the past two years, children especially have been hit hard. If your child has struggled with maintaining their friendships due to the pandemic, or some other reason altogether, encourage them to reconnect, and model this in your own life, as well. Remind your child about how to have conversations, how to take turns, and about the importance of listening.
A final word
After two years of a pandemic that disrupted all of our lives in unimaginable ways, people are burning out. Children can and do burnout too! Typically a parent will see extreme and prolonged exhaustion, a socially isolated child, and declaration that school is simply too hard. It is also important to acknowledge that children have been struggling since way before the pandemic arrived; it just blasted a Halogen bulb on the issue. By practicing self-care, developing healthy habits, incorporating some game time and play, and reconnecting to their social networks, children can beat burnout.
If you suspect your child is suffering from burnout, please contact Jennifer Disch at Engage the Brain to discuss ways a Learning Coach may be able to assist you child to reignite their love of school and learning.