Lessons Beyond The Classroom: Healing From Teacher Burnout and Growing Into Motherhood

Teaching was supposed to be my dream job. Instead, at times, it nearly broke me. Between burnout, anxiety, and learning how to be a mom for the first time, I’ve had to reprioritize and make some changes. 

I began my first teaching contract in September 2018, fresh out of university that spring. My education program had drilled into us how rare it was to land a contract in your desired town, so when I did, I was ecstatic. I was eager and ready to take on middle years, even though my training was in high school. I figured I could rise to the challenge. What I didn’t know then was that teaching itself wouldn’t be my greatest challenge ahead.

That first year was magical. I had a wonderful group of students, threw myself into every extracurricular, and worked tirelessly to prove myself. I survived and felt like I had finally found my footing.

Year two started even better. I had strategies, resources, and confidence. And then…the pandemic hit. Overnight, teaching went online. Those months of April through June were a blur of stress, trial and error, and constant troubleshooting. But amidst the chaos, I discovered my passion for educational technology, a spark I would later chase.

Years three, four, and five were a rollercoaster of small highs and exhausting lows. Pandemic teaching stripped schools of everything kids loved. Sports, clubs, community. And teachers felt that loss too. On top of that, I had classrooms full of high needs and behavioral challenges. Most days, I was just trying to keep my head above water. Sometimes I think the masks were a blessing because they hid the shock, frustration, and disbelief written all over my face.

During this time, I also began my Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, focusing on educational technology. I told myself I was balancing it all, but in reality, the weight was crushing my mental health.

By spring 2023, I was nearly broken. I felt like I was walking on eggshells with certain students, constantly bracing for outbursts. Add to that the endless to-do list of lesson planning, marking, report cards, parent emails, and, of course, preteen drama. My burnout seeped into my personal life. My anxiety, body image and food struggles, perfectionism, and exhaustion spiraled. I had nothing left to give when I came home. Therapy and medication were my last options. 

I started online talk therapy, began working with a weight-inclusive dietician (shoutout to Sydney and Monique at Food To Fit Nutrition, you ladies truly saved me), and started taking sertraline daily. These tools are still part of my life today, and they continue to keep me grounded.

Then came year six. I hoped for a fresh start, but instead faced many of the same challenges: high-needs students, provincial teacher strikes and and becoming pregnant for the first time. I was close to walking away from teaching altogether. Why am I doing this? Is this really what I signed up for? But what I couldn’t see then was that this tiny human would become my greatest teacher.

I was terrified of pregnancy and motherhood. I wanted kids, but actually making that leap took time and a lot of inner healing. Social media does a great job at showcasing the horror stories of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood. Honestly, it scared me. But I took the risk, and I’m so glad I did.

Maternity leave saved me. My daughter saved me. I know that sounds dramatic but deep down I needed time away from the classroom. I’m endlessly grateful for that year with her. She helped me slow down, heal, and rediscover myself. I fell in love with exercise again, starting from square one, literally relearning how to sit up after a C-section. I learned to appreciate what my body could do instead of constantly criticizing what I could no longer do. Shoutout to Sam at Wilkie Wellness and Cass at Level 10 for their incredible mommy-and-me and child-minding classes. Through it all, I kept up with therapy, medication, vitamins, and a lot of grace.

Now, back at work, I’ve stepped into a new teaching role that finally feels sustainable. I support middle years students with math and writing and teach a few prep subjects. Best of all, I get to leave work at work (for the most part). When I walk out the school doors, I can focus on my family. This new role has boundaries built in, and it gives me space to breathe. I can’t help but think to myself “what did I do to deserve this role?” But I have to remember that I am deserving of peace and opportunity as well. 

I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know this. I’m grateful for every step of this messy, exhausting, beautiful journey. I have a support system, I have self-worth, and I finally have clarity on what matters most.

Thank you for reading my story. It means the world to me.

-Kat