An Interview with the Burned In Teacher, Amber Harper

Being an Educator

Amber didn’t grow up knowing what she wanted to do with her life
She went to school to be a nurse
That didn’t work out, so she got her degree in education
And ending up being super passionate about it
She’s always advocated for the underdog
And that’s a big reason why she keeps coming back to education
Amber has left education twice due to burnout, but has always returned
She has taught several different grade levels
In 2018 Amber left education and worked on Burned-in Teacher
But after three years returned to teaching

Making Connections

Feeling the connections with students and other teachers is important
Amber strives to be more than just an academic teacher
She wants to help her students through life, decisions, emotions
Remember that student behavior is not about you,
But is a reflection of something deeper going on
This helps Amber stay calm when dealing with these behaviors
She has classroom meetings throughout the day to bring everyone together
And also tries to connect with her students individually

Teacher Burnout

Many teachers are perfectionists and people pleasers
And trying to save everyone and shoulder all the burden is a recipe for burnout
Burnout is not your fault, but it is your responsibility to recognize it in yourself
A lot of expectations in the profession are unattainable or unrealistic
Burned-in Teacher was born out of Amber’s burnout
Which first started when she began teaching first grade
She felt there was no collaboration with her team
After many years, the feelings she’d been repressing came to a bursting point
She knew that something had to change
Burnedinteacher.com was inspired by a summit Amber attended

Self-awareness of Burnout

Learn to work through the burnout and the challenges instead of fighting against them
When struggling with burnout,
Look inwardly to build self-awareness and see if you need to change
and/or see if your environment needs to change
Addressing and finding solutions to burnout is not one-size-fits-all
There are different personalities and types of burnout
Reflecting on what brought you here is step one
Think about if you can be your best self in your current environment
There’s no shame in making a change
If you use your burnout as fuel to fire you up, the possibilities are endless

Mindset shifts

Instead of thinking that things are happening to you as a victim,
Acknowledge that these things are happening and think about your next move
You can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results
Don’t view burnout as a life sentence of misery,
Instead see it as an opportunity to change your life

Interested in supporting a child?

https://www.patreon.com/BurntOutEducator
100% of the proceeds donated to the Burntout Educator will provide therapy for a child in the public school system.
Not therapy capped at a certain number, but an open-ended relationship with a highly qualified therapist in the BHC network.

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Credits

Executive Directors: Jennifer and Ryan Savage, Melissa Bentinnedi, Bridger Falkenstein
Hosts: Jennifer Savage, Melissa Benintendi, and Bridger Falkenstein
Filmographer: Tyler Wassam
Podcast Producer: Bridger Falkenstein
Podcast Editor: Jamie Eggert
Show Notes: Jamie Eggert & Jordan Murray
Original Music Composers: Bridger Falkenstein and Caleb Boston