PREVENTING SCHOOL BURNOUT

ARNOLD M. DIMALANTA

A research in the 1980s has identified that there are four stages of burnout: enthusiasm, stagnation, frustration and finally, apathy.

We see this everytime. Eager students who suddenly don’t have the mood to go to school; active students who suddenly find their lessons boring, for some reason. It happens everywhere.

What we can do, with the help of parents, is to keep the children’s motivation high. There are a number of students who can handle both academic and extra-curricular activities well. In fact, these students tend to perform well. But when the activities start piling up, this is when we see the problem. They lose sleep, are less focused and worse, irritable. Take time to talk to re-examine their schedule or commitments.

It may be that a usually attentive student may find school boring. This may not be because of information overload, but not feeling challenged enough. This is the opposite of the first example. This student may have a lot of time on his hands for an extracurricular activity on the side, or an on-campus program. This can make a student feel as though he has a personal investment in the school.

If a student is very active, chances are their anxiety levels may be high and this can lead to exhaustion. Parents with high-stress, high-energy kids should have daily coping strategies for burnout. They should teach their kids to stop, relax and change direction.

Remember, severe burnout can have physical, emotional and academic consequences. This makes it hard for adults to distinguish burnout from more serious issues like depression.

So, slow down together. Families should aim for at least a few meals together, and just talking and laughing together. This can go a long way towards personal renewal.

-oOoThe

I at Mancatian Elementary School

author is Master Teacher