Re: [LM_NET] HIT-->Suffering from Burnout (Reformatted to .txt format)

[Deb Waugh <deb.waugh@YMAIL.COM>]

I received many wonderful and helpful responses to my target. Many thanks to all 
who responded. Obviously, not all of the advice is right for me, but the very 
things that didn't fit what I needed may be just what you need!

I am going to use excerpts here instead of copying the entire messages sent (some 
people did not wish to share all their thoughts with the whole list) and list those 
who helped at the end of this hit with the exception of those who asked that I not 
post their name.

My target was:

I am very enthusiastic about librarianship and being a librarian...except when I'm 
at work. I'm in total burnout there. This year I didn't even enjoy picking out and 
buying new books which is usually one of my favorite things to do.. I'm hoping that 
by returning to LM_Net and other library networks that I'll gain some more 
enthusiasm, but I'm looking for more tips on recovering from burnout. In 
particular, right now I've got a principal that I can't stand (and the feeling is 
mutual), I don't like to go to the teachers' lounge because I don't like crowds, I 
miss a lot of days of work, and I guess I just feel alone. Appreciated, but alone. 
I like the kids--a lot--but other than interacting with them I can't seem to work 
up any feeling of interest in the rest of the job. I'm very disorganized, the whole 
library is a mess, and if it wasn't for two student assistants who have taken up 
the slack almost nothing would be getting done. I don't respect myself
 because I know I'm not doing a good job, and that seems to just create an endless 
cycle of misery for me.

Responses:

Time for you to find a new job. The Universe is speaking loud and clear to you, 
time to pay attention. And you aren't really enthusiastic about librarianship. You 
make that clear in your email. But there will be others who are. Give them a 
chance. Take a leave of absence and see if that makes a difference. Maybe a change 
of venue would help. 

[I received another message from the same person later that same day.]:
 
I sent that off kind of quickly, so it may have sounded a bit blunt?  :)
Once you let yourself know that you really aren't that happy, you will open 
yourself up to either finding a new place to work, which sounds like one of your 
biggest problems, or looking in another direction. Surely after 30 years you should 
be at the top of the scale for retirement by now? I have been through times when I 
have had a principal that I didn't meld well with and it impacts your whole day 
somehow.
Now, trying to keep insurance is another thing. That is important. 
I just want people in librarianship who love to be there, and that's not to say the 
person replacing you won't feel the same way you do at some point, but it is hard 
enough these days to keep librarians hired without adding to the mix one who isn't 
happy. I heard librarians lost jobs in my district this past year solely because 
they were not well liked at their school. So I want people who aren't happy in 
their jobs to get out and let others in. Plenty of people looking for work these 
days.
Shoot, if i had 30 years in, I -would- have my 80 points for retirement and I would 
be looking around to see what else might be available for me to do. But I have 4 
more years before that is even a possibility and I am praying I will be able to 
keep my job at least that long, and longer is I still feel like it. I don't have 
another income so I do have to work at something. 
It's a lot to think about, but start thinking about what you would do it you could 
do any job? Oprah says to follow your passion and the rest will fall into place. :)
But life is too short not to be happy at something you have to do for such a big 
part of your day. Snd you deserve to be happy, don't you? :)

Wow, that is a very brave request. If anyone gives you a hassle for feeling the way 
you do, please don't let it get to you. I think what you wrote is incredibly 
courageous and honest.

I hope you get lots of useful suggestions because you are NOT alone in your 
feelings. It is a really hard place to be, knowing that your heart is partly there, 
but not completely there. 
Compiling this HIT will be a real service to the whole group, thank you.

I start out each day by telling everyone I meet that it's a beautiful day. Pretty 
soon I start believing it myself.

If I didn't know better, I would think I had written this post! I am feeling the 
same way! I wish I could help, but I don't know what to do except keep going back 
to work day after day. I keep hoping for some kind of miracle, but it hasn't 
happened. Our district seems to think that technology integration specialists and 
literacy coaches are the way of the future. It doesn't matter how much I try to do 
to demonstrate my knowledge of both areas - I am still the black sheep. If I try to 
collaborate, they take the credit; if I try to do it myself, I get NO support. Once 
in a blue moon, I'll find a teacher who will let me do a little bit, but not often. 
I look at people like Joyce Valenza and feel so inadequate. I really don't know the 
solution, but at least I think I am in good company if you are feeling the same 
way. I have always admired the contributions you have made to the listserv and the 
ideas you have written about! )

[A note from me: Several people picked up on the clues that I might be suffering 
from depression. (Time to get my meds adjusted. -g-), and I agree with them on 
that. You always need to consider this if you are feeling burnt out, and see your 
doctor about it even if you're not sure! There's no shame in being depressed. It's 
a clinical disease that can be treated, not a weakness! The message below is one 
example. (There are several more along the same lines, but I decided not to include 
all. I have given the authors' credit.)]

I think you are very brave to have written that email. I think I'm having a bit of 
it too, myself. I can't imagine having a hate-hate relationship with my principal 
which must weigh heavily on your days.
If I were you, I'd go see my primary care physician or ob/gyn and ask him/her to 
put you on a low dose of prozac. You'd be surprised how much it boosts your mood. 
Once you feel better about life you may begin to enjoy your job again.
The alternative is you force yourself to interact with your teachers, either one on 
one or in a group, asking them how they are doing, what's new in their lives, etc. 
and NOT focusing on your feelings. If anyone asks just say you're working through 
some stuff and change the subject back to them.
Do you have a website? What about putting some energy into your creative side and 
showing who you are, what you stand for in the library, photos of your room, etc. 
It might give you the incentive to clean up and make it look great (for the photos).
What you don't want to do is let your feelings get on the rumor mill at your 
school. I'm sure you're avoiding this but you know how that is.

[Another side note from me: Prozac is not your only option for an antidepressant. 
It may not be the best choice for you, and if so, your doctor can try you on 
different meds until you find the right one.]

I too have had terrible principals, but I outlasted them. Usually you have enough 
privacy in your own library that you can make it your own world. It probably isn't 
a good idea to post bad feelings about your principal when you have your signature 
with your school attached to it. [Me: Oops!]
I've been a librarian for 34 years now and will be retiring at the end of this 
year. I have loved every year (some more than others). Yes, the teacher;s lounge 
can be a very depressing place to be...but you don't have to go there. Figure out 
what makes a good day for you & do the best you can to create it.

Sounds like you need to set up an organization scheme to get you back on track. 
Maybe your two student assistants can help you tackle the job. The good news is 
that you still enjoy the kids. That is the most important part. The other "stuff" 
is not as important! 

Write a To Do list. Microsoft Outlook has a great To Do List function that sends 
pop-up reminders at the appropriate times, so you can take your mind off 
less-important tasks, at least for now. Less mind clutter equals more productive 
work.

Organize paperwork. Plastic bins and file folders are your friend.. Splurge and get 
yourself some attractive ones that brighten up your work space. Label as many 
folders and bins as you must, and find a system that works for you. Perhaps 
separating by due date works best ­ simply work on papers from the file with the 
nearest date. Maybe it would help to separate by project. Either way, stacks of 
paper everywhere with no rhyme or reason will slow you down each time you have to 
search for and gather what you need. (Do the same for e-mails in your inbox. Create 
folders for messages relating to specific projects or topics for ease in searching 
and reference..)

Tackle unwanted projects first. That way you aren't dreading them, which can slow 
down your day.
  
Clean house. Toss anything that hasn't been used in a year - paperwork, emails, 
books, equipment - anything and everything that is causing clutter, chaos, and that 
overwhelming feeling of being burned out.

Happy New Year! Put on some happy music and dance around the library with the kids. 
Hold contests for straightening shelves or selecting books. Enjoy yourself. Life is 
too short to sweat the small stuff..

I am quite concerned. Based on what you have said in your letter you don't have 
burnout, you have depression. If ever there were a cry for help, you put it out 
there. Yes, I am not a health care professional but those are classic symptoms 
right down to missing days at work. Have you talked to your physician about this or 
perhaps your school nurse?There are so many fine pharmaceuticals (this I do know!) 
out there that will help with what you are dealing. You really must see someone, I 
am really concerned for you. The loneliness can be devastating and the whole 
depression thing can be crippling and you seem to have pulled yourself completely 
inward. Having a principal we don't like is not uncommon (although I love mine but 
she won't be around forever) and while you don't like crowds even going to the 
lounge won't help your feeling of isolation. Please, please, please see a doctor 
tomorrow and please keep in touch, I will hold you in my heart.

[Note from me: Many people shared with me that they were also having problems. This 
was actually very helpful, since I replied to each and in the process found some 
positive thoughts of my own.  The one below is a good example]:

I am thinking that we are all the "victims" of our own success, so to speak. We 
have made the library an indispensable component of the school and the curriculum, 
and consequently we carry a heavy load to make sure that it continues to be a 
success. I know in the long run that I am appreciated by the administration and 
most of the faculty for what I do for them, and I would hope by the students as 
well, but sometimes when I get called in to the office because little Johnny is 
"scared" of me (translation: he doesn't do his library assignments, which are 
graded and its easier to blame me instead of realizing the student is lazy) it 
makes me more than a little annoyed that I have to adapt to 620 personalities 
instead of the other way around, like in "real life." They don't see "the big 
picture" and we make it look so easy. When I get in my funk I say to myself that I 
will cut back and do only the minimum but of course that never happens. I had even 
thought
 about asking for an unpaid sabbatical, just so I can recharge my batteries.. We 
start off in September with such good intentions and enthusiasm and by December we 
are run down into the ground.

I don't have any specific tips....I'd love to hear the suggestions that you receive 
because I think we can all use a lift. However, many times when I run into a 
situation I know that God will show me a way to deal with it. I don't know if you 
are a religious person or not, but this morning in my church bulletin was what I 
considered to be God's sign to me on what I need to do with this nagging 
aggravation that I have that I am giving so much tothis job that it is taking over 
my personal life. This is part of Mother Teresa's Prayer...I'll give you the first 
part of the prayer and the last two parts because those are the parts that I will 
be keeping in mind when I think I want to walk away from the job:
"People are often unreasonable; illogical and self-centered;
.....Forgive them anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; 
.....Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
And it may never be enough;
...Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the end, it is between you and God; it was never between you and
them anyway."
You decide what your best is.

Short of leaving your job and having to start all over again, which is a chore in 
and of itself, pick one thing to achieve each day or each week and let the rest 
fall by the wayside. It will relieve you of a lot of stress and maybe help you 
focus on what you accomplished instead of what you haven't done.
Good luck....you are not alone. June can't get here quickly enough!! (and I work in 
the library over the summer for 140 hours)

I felt so bad when I read your posting.  I actually just completed one of my 
Multimedia Schools media center columns on "staying positive." It was therapeutic 
for me to write it because I'm not feeling too inspired either. But, I am in a 
phased retirement situation now and working part time, which is very nice and gives 
me more time for my online teaching. 
Anyway --- some of the things I shared in my article are to take on a project that 
will keep you occupied for a while, hang out with educators who might have some of 
the same job challenges as media specialists (for me it's our reading and math 
specialists and the gifted/talent educators), learning some new web 2.0 tools, 
keeping a to do list, focusing on professional organization involvement, and trying 
to looking at the situation through another lens.

[Note from me: I was asked not to include the next one since the author felt it was 
too personal, but some of the ideas were excellent, so I'm including them as 
snippets below and not including the person's name in the credits.]

By putting other things in life first, I can do the best I can at school...Continue 
to enjoy the kids - set some goals during the school day...walk the building and 
say hi to some teachers alone in their rooms - pick up a few of those good new 
books you selected and read them - focus on your health and personal interests..

I really feel your pain! I have been in similar situations and it isn't fun I think 
there are two ways to go: fight or flight. If you chose fight, it has to be very 
strategic and slow. You need a plan over time that will bring the library from 
chaos to order and it needs to be in doable chunks. This should be communicated to 
the principal so he or she knows that you are the originator of the plans and 
doesn't take all the credit (has happened to me!). Then the flight part is just get 
another job with a better principal in a better situation. Those do exist. And most 
important - get a mentor! And - oh yeah - take breaks!! Take a walk. Go outside!

Being a librarian is like laundry, dishes, and eating an elephant. One load, dish, 
or bite at a time. The job is endless, so I don't sweat the small stuff. I make 
sure I meet deadlines that are under my control, or set by someone else if at all 
possible. Stuff always comes up to distract us away from the drudgery of the job, 
so make small goals, lists, what ever works. Get what you can accomplish finished, 
and don't worry about the rest. Summer is only 6 months away!
I also like to find the gems in my day and think on those things. You are very 
blessed to have aids. I am a one woman show, under appreciated by some, but love my 
kids and most of my staff, I just don't worry about the rest, life is too short! 
Find something to love about what you do everyday. Eye/mind candy so to speak. Put 
up family pictures, dogs, what ever is your passion, what gets you juiced up away 
from work and make it a part of each day at work if at all possible. Now it you are 
a rock climber, not sure your uncooperative principal would appreciate a rock wall 
in the library, but hey, if you have the space and a way to get the job done, go 
for it!

You sound depressed. LM_NET is a good first step, also good quality 
workshops--"professional food". I was in your shoes not long ago. I went to a 
licensed professional counselor for a few sessions. With my insurance, my copay was 
$15.00 a session. She helped tremendously. I also take Prozac. It was difficult for 
me to admit I needed it but 2 weeks after I started taking it I wondered why I 
waited so long. 
Good luck. Sometimes we run dry and we have to figure out a way to refill the well.

[Another side note: Just as Prozac may not be the right choice for you, and you'll 
need to try other meds, your first counselor may not be right for you, so shop 
around for a new one until you find the right one.]
 
 Hi Deb - get yourself organised, plan ahead what you want to do and how much you 
will do - set goals and work to achieve them. This is difficult when in a school 
where the environment often operates in crisis management mode.
I have attached a planning document - fill it in for your context, including your 
staffing component - so if you are it, the document has to be managable for just 
one person - you. Get ths signed off by the principal - it also outlines exactly 
what you do.
Then go to the GiggleIT Project - all free resources including the teaching 
learning program and collaborate with one English or history class - get the kids 
enthused and you will be enthused too. This is all done for you, the kids work is 
published via the IASL webiste (so you don't have to worry about this aspect 
either). Have a good look at what is currently there including the schools online 
pages.
GiggleIT Project - http://www.iasl-online.org/sla/giggleIT/index.htm
Resources - http://www.iasl-online.org/sla/index.htm
Then start saving and work towards getting time off to come to the SLAQ-IASL 
Conference in Brisbane, sunny Queensland, Australia, 27 Sept - 1 Oct to rejuvenate 
yourself, meet lots of others from around the world and a great PD opportunity.
http://www.iasl-online.org/events/conf/2010/

[An additional note from Barbara re: use of the information cited above]:
When using the planning document contain the original authors. George devised it 
for Politics and Legal Studies, I adapted it for the Library, you will adapt it for 
your library. So copyright in the footer reads: © G.Sekulla, adapted by B.Combes & 
[insert your name here].
Always include your library logo and a mission statement for the library at the top 
of each document you produce - subtle way of reminding people where it originated. 
In the middle of the footer of every page there should be JustAsk@YourLibrary: 
<your email address>
Have also attached other forms I give my students [Can't attach to an LM-Net 
message, so let Barbara or me know if you'd like copies] - same rules apply as 
above - use as you will. My advice is to get your housekeeping done first - ie. 
anything outstanding that requires doing to ensure the smooth running of the 
library, otherwise you will always be chasing your tail. You can use the GiggleIT 
project for your literacy program since it is complete - it also operates on 
creative commons so you can adapt it, only do parts of it - whatever fits your 
context. Choose one person/teacher to start with - from small successes, bigger 
ones will follow. Always display the final results - in this case point parents, 
school admin and other teachers to the IASL Schools Online web site so they can see 
what their kids have done.
 
Find an internal passion.. Something you can build into the job. Love technology? 
Design and make a news team happen or a computer club. Love writing? Get a school 
newspaper team together. Do something you like, can get the kids excited about and 
that fits the curriculum in some meager way. I know that if I didn't have the 
website, the news teams, and some other things I have built and do everyday, I'd 
have a hard time getting up some days!
Life is all about finding hidden passions in a pretty passionless world and making 
them your raison d'etre!

Deb, I saw myself when I read your post. I had two very bad stretches where similar 
things converged on me. I just kept doing "it" more, longer, and harder. 
Ultimately, my interpersonal relations in the building went down hill into burnout 
and bouts of crankiness/anger/depression. It took years before I realized that 
being an LMS is a job AND it was OK to step back and do less. I think a lot of us 
in school libraries have that missionary spirit (along with far higher professonal 
standards than most classroom teachers). I possessed it, even before I morphed into 
an LMS. We are very vulnerable to this kind of stress, most of us being solo 
practitioners, with high demands, and little institutional support. I moved from 
lower grades/solo to secondary/duo during a recession. It worked great when the 
colleague and I were simpatico. With another, it was hell...
My saviour has been trying outside interests where I am low on the learning curve. 
For me, it was quilting. I had learned to sew in college. Meeting new people, and 
learning to execute artistic and charity projects through the quilting guild 
refreshed my mind and fed my soul. I've become pretty skilled...so I've segued into 
art quilting, paints, paper crafts, a bit of jewelry and clay. Low on the learning 
curve keeps me coming back...I'm amazed at how many current/former educators I 
encounter at shops, workshops, and exhibits who do this to keep their sanity! I 
have a standing joke with an old friend "Quilting is cheaper than a 
psychotherapist" which is so true...
I love what I do professionally. I can't wait to go to work each day to share with 
a wonderful colleague. We're a ying/yang in terms of our skills and talents, but 
very unified on behavioral issues. We support each other every day...we know we're 
unlikely to get much from the management. She is very much a realist and has taught 
me to put away the library when I go home (at least some of the time).
 
If it helps you to have more personal professional support, find a colleague in 
your area and level with whom you can bond. I did that as a solo, it was very 
helpful, tho' not as easy to do pre-internet. We all need validation... You may 
learn that it's time to prepare for another phase of your career, or add to your 
skills base, or develop a particular talent....
Otherwise, take a leap into something you love. I went to a crafts camp this past 
summer for the first time in my life. Met a rather frustrated high school music 
teacher who goes to camp for a week each summer and does blacksmithing! At the end 
of the week she goes home, transformed. It works for her every year.
Hope you find a solution that works for you!
Wishing you all good things for the coming year,
Thanks for all the things you've shared with us silent readers at LM-NET

If you have a teacher's room and people put food out in there you could do it, too. 
Last year I bought a few bags of those gold Hershey nuggets and put them out with a 
card that said Thanks for all of the support you give me throughout the year - 
You're worth your weight in gold or something corny like that. It was surprising 
how many teachers thanked me - I think for noticing them that way. Take care!

Hi Deb,
As a 29 year veteran teacher-librarian at the elementary level, I've had my ups and 
downs. I looked at your website (which looks fantastic by the way!) and the 
following questions popped up for me:
Do you have adult assistants?  
Are your expectations for yourself too high? 
Can you jettison anything that you are behind on? 
Are you staying too long at work?
From my own personal experience, hormonal changes due to age can do the number on 
very well adjusted women. Not wanting to be in the Teachers' Lounge and your 
feeling of isolation suggest that you see your doctor. 
Friendships change as we get older as well. I started a small book group (contacted 
a friend who had lots of friends) that has really helped.
My best advice: Stop feeling guilty. If you do not have adult assistants, cut back! 
Get a handle on appearances - that's what the administration really notices and it 
will bolster your feelings of self-confidence as well.
It sounds like you have some able students to rely on. Ask the art department for 
displays. 
Our district librarians meet occasionally. It helps to share ideas and 
perspectives. 
Try to put a positive spin on your relationship with the principal since he 
controls the $. Don't worry that it's insincere as it's for the kids! Start with a 
smile and a positive "Good morning" and keep moving. He may soon perceive you as a 
very busy but positive librarian.
Working with kids is the most important part of any librarian's job. It sounds like 
you really enjoy that so focus on what really matters and what you really enjoy!
Two more pieces of advice - take a break from television news as it's depressing. 
NYT online is plenty for me. Look at your reading material - is it too heavy? For 
me, books like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are just right.
I have to go to the gym now because I spent the last five days eating forbidden 
foods at my sister's in Oregon. Even though I'm old, overweight, out of shape, 
disenchanted with the inequities of our society and assigned to four libraries this 
year instead of one, I am optimistic because I know that change, improvement (and 
travel!) are in my future. 
I better get my shoes on before I reach out and pick up one of the books I was 
given for Christmas.
Please take care of yourself!

Hi, I remember reading and benefitting from many of your posts. Don't be so hard on 
yourself. Seriously!
Take one aspect of your job that you want to improve. Make it better. Take pride in 
the fact that you don't need to worry about it anymore. Then take another aspect. 
Widely broadcast anything new, innovative, or that which is indicative of your hard 
work. It has taken me quite a while to blow my own horn, but the younger teachers 
need to know what your good ideas and strategies are so that they can learn from 
them.  Don't be bashful about sharing your knowledge.  If you do this, you'll feel 
like part of the gang again.
I once had a principal whose sister worked at the school and who dominated 
everything we did. Teachers left in droves. I was miserable, applied for 3 other 
jobs, and got one of them. Sometimes you have to make a bold move. It took my 
husband confronting me with "Get a job somewhere else!" for me to actually consider 
it!
Can you invite the other librarians in your district over for a fun type of 
meeting, and feed off of their energy? You have certainly given your energy freely 
in the past. It's OK to tap into somebody else's energy.
I'm pulling for you. Take care. I wouldn't stay away from school, though. That is 
just going to prolong the solution. Guess that's easy for me to say, though, right?
Don't forget to do something nice for yourself like read that adult book you've 
been wanting to read. Try scaling down the projects to more manageable steps and 
cut yourself some slack if you don't get it done because of interruptions. 
Principals are hard to work with when they don't have a clue what you do. I get my 
kudos from the kids and staff. They know what I do.
You do sound depressed to me as well.  I know if feels better to vent sometimes and 
hopefully it lifted some off of you when you posted your thoughts? I was always 
told to write things down just to get them out of my head sometimes....I hope that 
it does get better for you and a change of scenery may just be the thing! You bloom 
where you are planted and you may have done your job in your current position and 
need to spread some life (blooms) some where else ;0) 

I'm sorry to know that you are feeling as burned out as I. I don't have any advice 
for you or the group since I haven't licked this myself. [Note from me: Actually, 
she does. Read on. I have cut out some of the parts she didn't want to share with 
the group.] I've mostly dealt with it as a mental health issue (depression) and 
have found counseling, antidepressants, yoga and meditation helpful, though not a 
cure.There is always an undercurrent of dissatisfaction inside me. I feel I only 
have the ability to change myself, my attitudes, my outlooks, so I keep working 
from that angle. However, this puts a lot of pressure on me, and I'm open to 
looking at it differently. I will be interested to see what others say....I've 
tried things that perked me up in the past - time off, learning new technologies, 
taking classes, getting pets, etc.  ...
Maybe this is the dark before the dawn, and out of this, education improvement will 
come eventually.
The brightest spot in my work is a classroom teacher who is taking classes to 
become a media specialist. She has started collaborating and consulting with me as 
a result, and working with teachers is the thing that makes me happiest. Nothing is 
sweeter than helping make their teaching connect with kids. … 
I'm unhappy with the state of the world, for what that's worth. Everything is 
corrupt, blah, blah, blah. I'm trying to just work in spite of this burnout until I 
get to some other place.
I have heard about Parker Palmer, an educator who wrote THE COURAGE TO TEACH. He 
suffered from depression. It's on my to-read list. ...You are not alone, and I hope 
things turn around for you. And for me, too. :-)

How is your personal life? Is there someone who loves you without question? 
Sometimes our personal life has a great deal to do with our satisfaction at work.

I was sorry to see your post. I was in the same boat a couple of years ago. At a 
school which I really loved, kids I adored, and faculty that, well for the most 
part I worked with well. We had some administrative changes and the place started 
sliding downhill very quickly. Often I would find myself sitting in the car in the 
parking lot early mornings, screwing up the courage to go in to work. I finally 
changed schools. I know, pretty drastic, but I needed a change. And I think the 
school needed a change from me at that point too. That said, I hear horror stories 
about what my replacement is doing (or not doing). They hired a classroom teacher 
to slide into the library and work on certification. It was the easiest thing to 
do, and that was what the admin tended to do, whatever was easiest.
The new school is better, but not without problems. I had a friend transfer there 
before me. Her take was that "it's great, because you don't know enough to be in on 
all the politics and gossip. No one trusts you with that, so they don't bother you 
with it!" She's right.
I still have some problems. I'm a NBCT, I'm given to reflection on my teaching more 
than many of my colleagues. Sometimes I think that's as much of a curse as 
anything. I inherited a really poor collection, and of course, we don't have the 
money to fix it. But removing the lousy admin and particularly difficult teachers 
from my life has made it better.
I'm not suggesting you leave your school. You'll probably outlast the admin. I 
think you have to tighten your focus on doable, worthwhile teaching projects and 
try to let the other stuff slide off your back. Boy, now that I wrote that, it 
seems like really trite advice. [I didn't find it trite at all.]

I'm just starting a new project out of school - renovating a house, so I think 
having something to do that I can be empowered with will be a good thing. I guess 
sometimes you have to fake it until you make it.

I am in a new job and one thing I've noticed is that the students NEVER ask me for 
help except to refill the paper and ink in the printer. It makes for a very boring 
job! One way I've thought around this is for me to start conducting classes in 
conjunction with the classroom teachers so that students can start to see me in a 
different light, with skills beyond help with the printer. I haven't started yet 
and I know its not a novel idea, but one of my favorite things about the profession 
is the chance I get to help students with their research. Something I'm not doing 
now at all.
The other way I've thought around this is to read a really inspiring professional 
book that will reinvigorate my love for the profession (my TAR to lmnet). I'm 
hoping to get some really good responses. And because I work alone in the library, 
I have no one else to commiserate with either. [This was a common problem, 
mentioned by many. Thank goodness we have LM-Net].

Thanks again to all who responded. I've gotten some great ideas from you, and am 
feel uplifted just by hearing from you.

I hope these messages will help many who are dealing with burnout!

Those who responded included (in no particular order for reasons of requested 
anonymity): 
Kate Gallion, Rosanne Zajko, Patricia Sarles, Blythe Allison Bennett, Janet Gross, 
Angela Eaton Wilcox, Howard Strey, Ada G. Kent, Dana Luettich, Margie Jones, Mary 
Alice Anderson, Barbara Hull, T.K. Cassidy-Fleming, Colette D. Eason, Gloria 
Rhoades, Linda Hill, Susan Fuentes, Jamie Murphy Boston, Jan (n2books), Lisa 
Campbell, Barbara Combes, Mary Weyant, Marsha Filipiak, Herb Wilburn


Deb Waugh
Librarian
Graham High School
Bluefield, VA
deb.waugh@ymail.com


      

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