Avoiding Burnout

Barbara L. Brock is a professor of education at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She has held a variety of positions in education, including education department chair, director of school administration, elementary principal, and K-12 teacher. She presents nationally and internationally on topics of beginning teacher induction, leadership succession, teacher and principal burnout, and educators with disabilities. She is coauthor with Marilyn Grady of Principals in Transition: Tips for Surviving Succession, From First-Year to First-Rate: Principals Guiding New Teachers, Rekindling the Flame: Principals Combating Teacher Burnout, Avoiding Burnout: A Principal’s Guide to Keeping the Fire Alive, and Launching Your First Principalship. She has published in a number of journals, including The Journal of the Mid-Western Research Association, Educational Considerations, Connections, Clearinghouse, and Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice. She received her bachelor of arts degree in art education from Briar Cliff University, a master of arts with a specialty in school administration from Creighton University, and a doctorate in administration, curriculum, and instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Marilyn L. Grady, is professor of educational administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). She is the author or coauthor of 23 books, including From Difficult Teachers to Dynamic Teamwork (2009) with Brock, Getting it Right from the Start (2009) with Kostelnik From First Year to First Rate (2007) with Brock, 194 High-Impact Letters for Busy Principals (2006), 20 Biggest Mistakes Principals Make and How to Avoid Them (2004) and Launching Your First Principalship (2004) with Brock. Her research areas include leadership, the principalship, and superintendent-board relations. She has more than 175 publications to her credit. She is the editor of the Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. Her editorial board service has included Educational Administration Quarterly, International Studies in Educational Administration, International Journal of Learning, Rural Educator, Journal of At-Risk Issues, Journal of School Leadership, Advancing Women in Leadership On-Line Journal, Journal for Rural School and Community Renewal, International Journal of Learning, and Journal for a Just and Caring Education. She is the recipient of the Stanley Brzezinski Research Award, NCPEA’s Living Legend Award, the Donald R. and Mary Lee Swanson Award for Teaching Excellence, UNL’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and UNL’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Status of Women.Grady coordinates an annual conference on women in educational leadership that attracts national attendance and is in its 24th year. She has been an administrator in K-12 schools as well as at the college and university levels. She received her bachelor’s degree in history from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, and her doctorate in educational administration with a specialty in leadership from The Ohio State University.

"As I read this book, I found aspects of myself—my personal and professional behavior—on almost every page! I was able to put the coping strategies in the book to immediate use with little effort and great results! A must when our time is so limited."

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the Authors1. Meeting the Dragon: Getting AcquaintedGood and Bad Stress: A Matter of PerceptionStress ToleranceCommon Sources of StressNormal StressThe Burnout SyndromeBurnout and RustoutSummary2. Provoking the Dragon: Stress TriggersInternally Generated StressThe Contributions of Gender to StressEthnicity and StressWorkplace FactorsSummary3. Confronting the Dragon Within: Mental RestructuringPlanning for Life′s JourneyCharting a CourseGetting Rid of PerfectionismSlowing the PaceAdjusting the LensDiscarding Trivial StressorsPutting Worries in PerspectiveFocusing on SuccessSummary4. Housebreaking the Dragon: Altering Personal BehaviorsTaking Care of Yourself: Health and SpiritualityFeeding the SpiritSharing Time With FriendsMaintaining Good HealthSummary5. Harnessing the Power: Capitalizing on Work StressRecognizing Excess StressAdapt to the SettingLaugh and Encourage LaughterSummary6. Shrinking the Dragon: Using Time EffectivelyThe Time CrunchWork OverloadTrain Office StaffDo Important Things FirstOne Bite at a TimeSummary7. When You′re the Dragon: Learning People SkillsA People BusinessPersonal PowerDevelop Communication SkillsConflictSummary8. Changing Dragons: Career RenewalCareer StressProfessional RenewalRevising a CareerChanging CareersSummary9. Making Friends With the Dragon: Taking Care of YourselfRealizing Your ImportanceSummaryResource A: Responses to StressResource B: Realities and PossibilitiesResource C: Stress Reduction--An Outline for Personal ChangeResource D: Model Action PlanReferences