Burn out for teachers is rather easy these days. I am a teacher, and I can honestly tell you that I had NO IDEA OR CONCEPT as to how difficult the career would be. Sure, I knew it would be challenging, require my "all", and a LOT of work. But what most people don't see about the teaching career until they enter the profession is all the "behind the scenes" stuff that occurs outside of the classroom. Here's a list of what I think causes teacher burn-out::

1. The politics. You wouldn't believe the backstabbing that goes on! You also wouldn't believe the sheer volume of poor administrative decisions that take place, constantly impeding the job and making it more difficult on a daily basis..

2. The pay. I have a masters degree that cost me 40 grand. It was required to teach in my State. I am also required to take additional college-level courses beyond my degrees in order to keep my job- at MY expense! My district starts Master's degree candidates out at $35,000 a year, and it takes YEARS to get to at least 50 grand. The stress level of paying bills, having a life and well.... sometimes even being able to afford groceries is immense!

3. High-stakes, State testing that is often developmentally inappropriate causes many qualified, talented teachers to leave the profession. My students take a SIX HOUR State exam at the end of each year. The preparation for that is grueling!!!

4. As much as I adore teaching my students, I must say that keeping their attention in a world of video games, TV, Ipods, cell phones and anything else that distracts them is an absolute challenge. Often times, I feel NO support from their often manipulative, micro-managing parents.

5. Summers off? It's a myth. Don't buy into it! People forget that TEACHERS DONT GET PAID FOR TIME OFF IN THE SUMMER! What they also don't realize is that any good teacher spends those mere 6-8 weeks preparing for the next year, taking required classes, realligning curriculum or WAITING ON TABLES, BARTENDING, TEACHING SUMMER SCHOOL, LANDSCAPING etc. etc. just to make a little extra cash.

Why do it? Believe me, I often ask myself this question. It is indeed a spiritually rewarding career, if not financially. There's a whole other list as to why we do what we do. But believe me, burn-out is often inevitable.