Why So Many Teachers Are Burned Out Right Now

Teachers Off Duty

Bored Teachers

Comedy, Stand-up

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Teaching didn't burn us out - everything around it did.

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This week Bri, Anna, and Jessica dive into one of the hardest parts of the profession, TEACHER BURNOUT. From the nonstop chaos of the school day to the whirlwind of the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour, they unpack what burnout really feels like when you're teaching all day and still carrying the job home in your head and heart.

They share personal stories about student behavior, wild sub situations, safety scares, grading marathons, and the invisible mental load teachers carry while trying to stay "on" for their kids. The conversation highlights how teachers are expected to be entertainers, counselors, and classroom managers while running on empty and still worrying about their students' lives outside of school.

The crew also reflects on school safety, teacher pay, and the emotional toll of always being on high alert, especially in a world where teachers are too often dismissed when they speak up. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, exhausted, or unseen as an educator, this episode will make you feel understood, remind you you're not alone, and give you a chance to laugh through the chaos with people who truly get it.

Listen now & don't forget to subscribe!

Follow your hosts:

Briana Richardson @HonestTeacherVibes

Anna Kowal @ReadAwayWithMissK

Jessica Hawk @MyTeacherFace

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	It's one of those things where when we say we're burnt out, it's not just the workload.
0:05.0	It's the mental, too.
0:06.0	It's the energy that is around us that surrounds us constantly as teachers.
0:12.0	We had a sub asleep. She still comes back to sell.
0:15.0	She's got a job.
0:16.0	Just wake her up.
0:18.0	Move to the next room.
0:20.0	Hey, babe, the bell rang.
0:21.0	Now, I would say, I ain't seen her this year.
0:23.7	But last year, they let it see multiple times.
0:25.8	They went there and wake her up and she said, well, I have sleep apnea.
0:27.9	Okay, well, you still going to have to wake up.
0:29.4	Sleep apnea.
0:30.4	And he, again, he was one of my students that, he was high as a kite.
0:33.7	And he starts reaching in his book back. See? And immediately, you know, sometimes the teachers are like, oh, dang, like, am I being dramatic? Right, yeah. Right. So in that moment, we could, neither one of us could help it. We both, like, tensed up because, like, is he about to... It is just constant chaos, and that's why I love my job. You're just constant chaos. Right. Because it is constant. Like I love the chaos of it all so much.
0:55.0	What the average salary was in 1992 when I started nationally and it was $35,000.
1:00.0	My first paycheck, I cried. Hey guys, welcome back to Teachers Off Duty podcast.
1:21.2	I'm Anna Kowal, aka Aretaway with Ms. Kay.
1:24.5	I'm with my girls today.
1:26.3	Okay, second line of Spanish. Snap, queen. Tell them who you are, ladies. And I am honest teacher. My mom was not as good as yours was. I'm going baritone again. I try to give us one. And on my teacher face. I love it. Can you show them the teacher face? Because it really is, come on.
1:45.4	Yeah, I think you should be.
1:46.3	Why I got to go from a smile. I'm sorry. Oh, my face scares me. So fast. So fast. But like in a good way. And I can hold it. I feel like you could genuinely teach a class on that face. Thank you. Yeah.
	...

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