There comes a time in every special educator’s life when writing IEPs leads to feelings of being burned out. And trust me, IEP writing burnout is real.The constant pressure to make sure your students’ needs are addressed in detail with the appropriate accommodations and interventions can weigh on even the most experienced of teachers.
So, what do you do when you are burned out on the paperwork?The suggestions from seasoned special education teachers we asked ranged from practical to light-hearted, but all of them acknowledge the fact that teacher burn out is real.
Instead of waiting until the week before (or day of!) when the IEP is due, start early. Take a look at all of your IEPs for the year and create a schedule where you begin work on the reports a month in advance.
The more time you give yourself, the easier it is to manage your caseload and give each IEP the attention that it deserves.
Check out this snippet from a live training inside the TII membership on how to avoid teacher burnout:
The membership also provides guidance on Having an Organized IEP Process, which can be challenging for anyone!
By joining the membership, individuals also gain access to an extensive library of over 13,000 pre-written IEP goals, empowering them with a wealth of options to support their students’ unique needs.
Learn more and become a member of The Intentional IEP today!
Instead of worrying about IEPs all year long, suggest creating an IEP Season where all IEPs are written and meetings held within a two-month time period.
While those eight to 10 weeks will be intense, it means that you do not have to deal with that aspect of your job for the remainder of the school year.
Sometimes having a narrative paragraph from a general education teacher about the student’s performance and behavior in the classroom can make your job a lot easier. Instead of trying to remember present level information for all of your students, you will have a supporting document that provides that glimpse into students’ progress. It makes writing the IEP easier and more accurate.
You can find a general ed survey (and a parent survey) in the IEP Toolkit.
While it may be tempting to bring the IEPs home to work on, if you are feeling burned out and stressed, leave them at home.
If you need to stay an hour or so after school to get your work done, or come in an hour early, that is better than bringing it home. You need the separation between work and home life and not bringing paperwork home is the first step.
Teacher self care is very important, and this is also a great way to avoid teacher burnout.
Use these parts of the IEP Toolkit to help make writing annual goals easier when you join The Intentional IEP. Join here, or click on the image above.
Take the time to do something that energizes you like a walk, run, or yoga practice. If reading in your backyard hammock rejuvenates you, go for it.
And rest assured that sometimes a little chocolate and a glass of wine can be the perfect end to a perfectly stressful day. Taking care of yourself means that you are better able to take care of your family and your students.
As the saying goes, put your mask on first.
If you are facing IEP burn out know that you are not alone. You are not the only one who has felt it and are surely not the last one to ever feel that way. Manage your time the best that you can and have realistic expectations for yourself. You can (and will) get through this!
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