The Struggle is Real: Teacher Burnout and Student Behavior Challenges

Have you ever found yourself feeling overwhelmed and burnt out as a teacher, especially when it comes to managing student behavior? If so, you're not alone - 70% of teachers agree that behavioral issues and concerns have increased since the 2019-2020 school year. In this episode, we will dive into the causes of this behavior spike, how to know what to do in the classroom, and all about nervous system regulation for teachers AND students to overcome these behavior challenges.

Exploring the Impact of Burnout and the Need for Effective Strategies

Whether you're a seasoned teacher struggling with burnout or a new educator seeking proactive approaches to behavior management, this episode will provide you with valuable insights and practical strategies to beat behavior burnout and reclaim your joy in the classroom. Our special guest, Rachel Nye, is here to chat all things behavior burnout with us.

Rachel is a special education teacher, certified trauma professional and behavior interventionist. Providing teachers with tools to make serious behavior change with challenging students is her passion. Rachel believes behavior management needs a rehaul and she’s here to give you what you need to make trauma informed, holistic behavior management easier and more fun. When she’s not jamming out on behavior interventions, she's enjoying life as a new mom!

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Excited to welcome Rachel and discuss her background and expertise.

[0:04] Alright, I am super excited to welcome Rachel back to the show.

Hey, Rachel, thanks for coming back. Hey, so happy to be here.

Yeah, so I gave a brief introduction before we started, but I would absolutely love it if you just tell a little bit about you and your own words, how you help teachers and your background and whatnot.

Introduction and Background: Helping Teachers with Student Behavior

[0:24] Yeah, of course. So hey, everybody. My name is Rachel, and you can find me at Safe Space Teaching, and I help educators just like you guys who might be feeling a little bit burnt out, who might be feeling a little bit stressed about student behavior.

I make it so much easier for you to tackle those big behaviors in the classroom, utilizing the right interventions and strategies and trauma-informed practices so that you can leave all of the stress at work.

Yes. Yes. And I know so many teachers who really struggle with that.

So how did you get into doing the behavior stuff online and really helping teachers do that?

So I, from year one as a special education teacher, I was thrown into a middle school behavior classroom and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

Very stressed out. It was a really interesting first year of teaching to say the least, especially at the middle school level where they're smelly and, you know, they're sassy.

But I ended up loving it, and I ended up really thinking about, like, okay, how do we figure out what's happening below the surface of these behaviors?

[1:27] Because I was with a lot of old school teachers at the time in my district, and it was very much that control-based thinking.

And so I kind of went on a mission to figure out what's below that, right?

Like what's below, what's under the surface of these kids and this sassy behavior?

And so it led me to finding some really great solutions and trauma-informed practices and restorative practices and understanding more about the physiology of our students that were in front of us and where those challenging behaviors came from and why they're manifesting the way that they do in the classroom.

Transitioning to Online Business and Creating Resources for Teachers

[2:03] where I had a baby that took up.

[2:04] Every ounce of my energy. And so I decided to start an online business, which I think many of us did.

And just like an online Instagram, that turned into helping other teachers with behavior.

I was sharing some things, and then I really wanted to create online resources for teachers.

And so I did. And I have a couple of courses and some hubs of resources for teachers.

And it's turned into a wonderful place where I meet people like you, Brittany.

And it's, you know, I've really been able to connect with so many educators that have found my resources helpful.

[2:39] And that just like means the world to me because I think we do a disservice to teachers in the classroom by not teaching them about how to deal with behavior.

And they have to find resources on their own. So unfortunately that's a problem that exists, but fortunately there's people like me and like Brittany and all of us that can kind of help our fellow educators.

I know, you know, as a fellow special educator, I get like tons of questions about behavior, more so recently than like ever before.

So I had to like check it out. I was like, okay, what are the statistics on this?

Like, is it really that, or are we just, are we just kind of just feeling it more, you know?

So 70% of those teachers, they say it's crazy. And on TikTok, I saw this huge increase in teachers saying, okay, well, behavior is the worst that it's ever been. Have you noticed that as well?

Or is that just kind of like, we just feel it? You know what I mean?

Impact of Media Consumption on Behavior in the Classroom

[3:52] I think it might be a little bit of both for sure. I mean, I think that sometimes when things are at our fingertips, when we have so much information when we see what's happening in other people's classrooms.

I think that kind of clouds what's happening in our classroom too.

But I do also think that realistically behavior is worse because unfortunately we live in a society of instant gratification.

We live in a society of way too much media consumption.

Our students have.

No patience. They have no ability to really engage socially because they're on their phones, because they are, you know, we dealt with the pandemic. We're still dealing with the loss of social skills and academic skills. There's so many things that our kids are coming to school with, so much baggage. And not to mention, us as adults have more stress. We have more on our plates. The economy is, you know, up in arms all the time, and everybody this and that's happening in politics. And I mean, there's so much stress and we have so much, that we are dealing with on a daily basis that our capacity is really diminished over time.

And I think that unfortunately, though it's manifesting in our children, it also is coming from us too, because we're giving that to kids and we're projecting that onto them. And.

Teachers' Burnout and the Influence of Social Media

[5:10] We can debate for days about how we fix that. But I definitely think that the manifestations in the classroom are that kids are a little bit more disrespectful. Kids are experiencing a little bit more difficulty regulating their nervous systems because they're always on, right? So I definitely think that behavior is an issue and it's probably not going to get any better. It's probably going to get worse before we figure out.

Yeah. You know, I did a podcast episode on how our smartphones, even as teachers, affect our burnout. We are constantly consuming tons and tons of media. And when we feel bad, we often like pick up our phones and we start scrolling just because that's how we're choosing to, like, ignore the problem. We're like, OK, we've got this in front of us. We don't have to pay attention to it. And so I think that is impacting our kids too, because they're constantly on their phones or on their tablets or things like that. And my husband's like, he's like.

[6:12] Social media is the bane of his existence like he hates social media, but he understands why I'm on it You know what I mean?

Differentiating Normal Behavior Challenges from Serious Behavioral Issues

[6:19] And so I think I think you're you're hitting the nail on the head with how Students are kind of feeling that and why that's kind of happening, But then you bring up the point about you know teachers. They're, They're struggling with their regulation and so I love that you kind of bring the two together to kind of mesh those together and And with so many students kind of displaying these behavior issues from your perspective, like how can teachers really differentiate what's normal or typical behavior challenges like of kids post-pandemic and then more serious behavioral issues, that might require that intervention?

Differentiating Levels of Behaviors and Intervention Needs

[7:02] So I think when we take a step back from leveling behaviors, right?

Because we can level all of our behaviors. I like to do it just like three, two, one.

Like, what's the most pressing? What's our like level three?

Oh my gosh, this kid is like trashing my room on a daily basis.

They're physically aggressive.

Those are gonna be your, okay, everything stops. Like stop the press.

We need to intervene right this second.

I think everybody knows that, right? But those lower level behaviors, whether a student is identified or not, like you and I are both special ed teachers, right?

So kids don't come to us unless they're in the referral process for, they've already been referred and they indeed qualify for special education support. And a lot of times that's including behavior support. Whether a child is identified or not, whether they're tier two, tier three, if they're exhibiting behaviors, I think any behavior needs an intervention. It's the amount of support that that intervention requires and.

Importance of Interventions for All Behaviors, Varying Support Levels

[7:58] How in-depth we go with the intervention that's going to differentiate whether or not it's a student who might need a really solid full-on behavior plan or an FBA, or just your student that just needs some extra little love in the classroom and some targeted interventions because they have some lagging skills.

But those lagging skills are not detrimental to their ability to interact socially or their ability to really access the curriculum. Yeah. Yeah.

So, like, and I hear teachers say all the time because, like, I'm trying to teach you how to make this more efficient.

I'm trying to teach you how to fix this burnout. They get burned out because they're having to deal with these behaviors and they're like, oh, now I've got to put an intervention in.

Like, I don't even know where to start with that. And that's kind of where you come into play.

You're like, hey, I've got you on this.

Like, I can help you figure this stuff out so that it's not overwhelming you.

And so I think more teachers need to know that you exist because there's that.

Collaborating with Parents/Guardians for Challenging Behaviors

[8:57] But then I've also heard a ton of teachers say, well, this is like the parents' job.

Like we can't get the parents involved in their kids' behavior.

Do you have any tips on how to, from a behavior specialist perspective, like how do they effectively communicate and like collaborate with their parents or their guardians of their students who really are exhibiting some of these challenging behaviors.

Breaking down barriers with lack of parental support

[9:24] So I totally and completely hear that. I have been up against what felt like a brick wall of lack of parent support with so many of my students over the years.

And the one thing that I will say that I kind of made it my mission, while I was in the classroom working with these families was to get the parents on board.

It was to literally like chisel down and break that barrier.

We have to remember that if our students are exhibiting really big behaviors, if it's a manifestation of trauma, likely the family has a trauma history as well.

Or, and or really, it could be educational trauma. They might have had a really bad experience with the teacher.

Some students come into school not knowing how to do school.

And unfortunately, we don't necessarily have great systems in place for those kids.

And sometimes, our school system can make it seem like that's a bad kid.

They might be labeled. And parents and families are rightfully so worried about their kid.

And I think that we need to kind of step away from the thinking that we're two different hubs, right?

Like there's the parent side, and then there's the education side.

And the education side, whether you mean to or not, we often, and I'm totally guilty of this myself, think that we know better because we have more experience. We have the degrees.

We see that child every single day, all day long.

And I feel like us thinking about changing that narrative and welcoming the parents in instead of going to them and telling them all of the time, this is what's happening, this is the bad stuff, this needs to stop.

We need to start just including them in the conversation.

Changing the narrative and including parents in the conversation

They're parents of little babies who probably are driving them nuts on the weekends, too.

And they're going to love them fiercely. And they're going to love them in their own way.

And we have to remember, too, that just because a parent isn't parenting the way that you would, it doesn't make it wrong.

It just means that it's a different lived experience. And we have to stop putting so much blame and shame and even just judgment on the way that other people parent their children.

When we do that, we get so much better results from our parents.

Oh my gosh. I love what you just said.

That way of thinking, that needed to be heard by somebody. That needed to be heard.

So I love what you just said. I mean, because it's true.

Like, we often think that we're the expert on that.

And the parents are often like, this person's the expert. So one of the things that I have really talked to teachers about when I've talked about these kind of things, is to use more personable language. Like we often use like some really big terms, and they're not familiar with that. So they're like, I don't know how to, I don't know how to collaborate with you. And so really, not dumbing it down, but really bringing it down a level so that it's not all these educational terms or any of that kind of stuff to really get those parents involved and see you as a person and develop that relationship not just with the child but with the parent too.

And I just, I love what you said.

We can't judge.

Lee, and yeah, just to give you guys another example of something, I remember just very vividly, I had a parent that was very resistant to giving us information. And this was of a student who was very, very intelligent and yet had very big behaviors in the classroom, like aggression.

Understanding and addressing parental concerns and fears

I was like, Jesus, just like the dang form. Like we just want to help it. Right. Like That's my internal narrative.

And then I kind of flipped the script and I said, let me just ask her why she's scared of this.

Like, let me just call her and just ask what's going on. So I called her and I literally just said, Hey, I know that you're refusing to do this and I'm just curious what makes you so nervous about this?

And she said, I just don't want it to follow him for the rest of his life.

I just don't want people thinking that he's not smart because of this.

And we had probably an hour long conversation and I probably couldn't charge because it It was like a therapy session.

I said, this is elementary school.

Like none of this goes anywhere. Like if you choose to give these records to somebody, then great. If you don't, like nobody's gonna be giving it to Channel 3 News.

Like you don't have to.

So these are sealed records. Like this is not public knowledge.

Nobody needs to know.

And so she ended up signing the form and we ended up getting some good data from it.

But I think sometimes we're so hesitant to break down that education barrier and that facade that we have of being quote unquote professional, when really we need to just remember that everybody's fearful, everybody has their own story, and sometimes we just need to connect as humans.

Balancing individual behavior issues with the needs of the whole class

Like teachers burnout from just handling sometimes one of the kids and then feeling the guilt, of not focusing on the class as a whole. Do you have any tips or like strategies for teachers who are facing this kind of predicament.

The Challenges of Teaching in a Classroom Setting

Like, I've never been a general ed teacher.

I have had small groups and one-on-one, but I have seen, obviously, my kids in classrooms where the teacher was stressed out, where they were like, how am I going to be taking data all day long on this student when I have 20 other kids that I am responsible for?

And I get that struggle, and I really do get it.

I first thought is, one, the work that you put in on the front end with these really intense behaviors pays off tenfold on the back end.

So sometimes it's just like, you know, Brittany, you and I were kind of talking about the chaos of like business and being busy and trying to say like, oh, it's a full season right now instead of saying busy.

And sometimes we need to remember that we can't always do it all and that's okay.

Balancing support for different groups of students

Kids who will do well in school without interventions will still do well, even if you're not necessarily right there with them.

The kids that need your support need your support. And that doesn't mean that you're not giving those other kids what they need, but you're just doing it in a different way.

And there are some days where you might pay more attention to one group than the other, and you can't do it all.

And I think that we also have to shift that mindset of putting it all on the teacher because we can't.

So a couple of things that I would say.

One, utilize your team and utilize your supports. If you have a parent in your classroom, if you're lucky enough to have that, utilize them.

Utilize them for building that relationship with your target student that has those big behaviors.

Utilize them for running small groups with your heavy hitters as a whole.

Or utilize them for those higher kids when you want to challenge them a little bit, so that they get a little bit of love too.

Utilize them and try to empower them to take on more in your classroom.

I think sometimes we forget that para support, If we take some time to train them, they can do amazing things. Another thing that I would say is really assessing what you're doing and why.

Assessing interventions and utilizing data effectively

What about interventions? We need to be thinking, if an intervention is being utilized with the student, you utilize that intervention for a couple of weeks. If it's not working, then you scrap it. Don't keep doing what doesn't work. You need to find something else. And if the intervention is working, then you shouldn't be up against that problem of trying to manage your time a little bit, like, chaotically in the classroom, because it should be seamlessly supporting that student.

Yeah. Oh, gosh. That's some good stuff. That is some really good stuff. I know that a lot of teachers don't have a para or a teacher assistant, especially if they're gen ed teachers.

Don't have that in the classroom. But I think, really, having that support from the whole staff and working as a.

And oftentimes, they, they are afraid to do that because they're afraid to show that maybe they're not, they're, they can't handle it all. And really shifting that mindset from, Hey, I need help, and I can't do it all to, like, really being able to do that. And so I think, I think you kind of hit the nail on the head with that. You know, you're one of the amazing presenters. I'm so excited to have you in the free Summer Self-Care Conference. And your presentations going live on the third day of the conference. Can you talk a little bit about what you're going to be covering in that presentation, like about priming yourself to really beat the behavior burnout and what teachers can look forward to in your session.

Importance of Regulating Nervous Systems in Education

Because I don't care how good your interventions are. I don't care how good your plans are.

Like things are going to happen. Your kid's going to have a bad day.

And we need to make sure that we are primed and ready to support that student when it happens.

So that's what my session is about. Yes, I'm really excited, too, because I know that a lot of teachers are – they do struggle.

They struggle with handling behavior, with this uptick in behavior, with our dysregulated nervous systems, especially if you're a teacher who's in burnout, like your nervous system is dysregulated.

And so when you're coming into the classroom and you're dealing with students who have dysregulated nervous systems, then you have that, you, you have more. It's like compiling more and more and more. And so having the strategies to do that, and with your session, I think they're going to really find a lot of support and.

Teacher's Strategies and Trauma-Informed Teaching

You can read the blog, you can find some programs and resources, all of that is there.

And then definitely check out the session because I am also giving away, um, some freebies there.

So I can't wait. I'm excited. I'm excited.

Well, thank you so much, Rachel, for coming on to the show again.

I could have you on the show once a year for the rest of forever, probably.

So just, it'll be a yearly thing that we do.

I'm here for it.