By Shantel Patt — August 6, 2025

Let’s be honest — the system is exhausting.

The to-do lists don’t end. The expectations keep piling on. And somehow, you’re supposed to keep showing up with a smile, even when you’re running on fumes.

If you’ve ever stared at your computer at 10 p.m. wondering how you’ll get through the next day…

 If you’ve ever sat in your car before school and needed a few deep breaths just to walk in…

 If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I really keep doing this?”

You’re not broken. You’re burned out.

 And you're not alone.

Burnout in education isn’t a buzzword. It’s a reality. It’s what happens when your care outpaces your capacity — when your desire to do good work collides with a system that often forgets you’re human.

And here's the hardest part: you're probably really good at what you do.

 You care. You show up. You pour yourself into your students.

 Which means you’re more vulnerable to burnout — not because you're weak, but because you’re strong enough to keep going long past empty.

But here’s the truth:

You can’t give what you don’t have.

 You can’t serve your students well if you’re running on survival mode.

So what do you do when you're burned out but still want to stay?

Start small.

 Breathe.

 Unplug.

 Say no.

 Ask for help — from your admin, from your people, from yourself.

 And most importantly: give yourself permission to stop pretending you’re okay when you’re not.

Burnout is real. But so is recovery.

 And this space? It’s here to remind you that your well-being matters.

So today’s lesson?

You're allowed to rest. You're allowed to reset. You're allowed to come back to joy — not when everything is perfect, but right in the middle of the mess.