Softening the blow for new teachers

In Episode 118 of Class Dismissed we talk with Chase Mielke about ways new teachers can keep their flame for educating ignited. After a decade of reflection Mielke compiled a list of what he calls his five "Passion Stokers" for educators.

* Find a positive tribe* Curate the good, don't hoard the bad* Forgive* Own your present and future* Craft your calling

Mielke, who has been teaching for over a decade in Michigan is quick to acknowledge that many teachers will fight burnout at some point and he believes much of that burnout will come from something other than students.

"The main cause I think stems from a lot of conflicts and perceptions that a are adult-driven rather than student-driven," says Milke.

Mielke says a lack of autonomy or respect, colleague conflict, and struggles connecting with parents are leading causes of teacher burnout.

Practice what you preach

Mielke, who authored "The Burnout Cure: Learning to Love Teaching Again", says there was a time in his life that he considered quitting teaching himself.

He had been teaching for 8 years but he says he felt so bogged down by extra stuff. Ironically, he was teaching a positive psychology class and he decided to double down on what he was teaching. In a way, he was counseling himself when he was writing the "The Burnout Cure."

"It was like, what were that things that have help me? What were the things that I've talked about a lot. And how do I put those in language that any teacher could use to help them reestablish their love."

Much of Mielke's notoriety in the education community stems from a blog and video he produced back in 2014.

The high school teacher and instructional coach found himself unable to sleep one night and wrote: "What students really need to hear." The post has been read around 4 million times and the corresponding video (below) has been watched almost a million times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O7v4EJjx-g

To hear Mielke talk in depth about each of his five "passion stokers", listen to Episode 118 of the Class Dismissed Podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcasting app.

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