Project title: Preventing teachers burnout in primary schools
The project is implemented by the Personal Development Foundation "Przystań" in cooperation with Eastern Macedonia - Thrace Regional Directorate for Primary and Secondary Education as part of the Erasmus+ Program, Action 2. Cooperation of Organizations and Institutions, Small-scale Partnerships.
The partnership was formed because of the need to join the experience of the Regional Directorate in implementing educational policy, professional development of teachers and Erasmus plus project implementation with the know-how of a non-governmental organisation (Personal Development Foundation "Przystań") in the area of preventive programs and training courses aimed at the primary school community.
Genesis of the project
The WHO European Forum of Medical Associations defines burnout as a syndrome of exhaustion of emotional, physical and cognitive energy, manifested by emotional and physical exhaustion, lack of efficiency and competence. The main cause of burnout is prolonged stress. Too many duties, social pressure and a permanent lack of time to rest, makes the employee nervous and stressed.
Primary school teachers have to face not only relatively low salaries, but also a number of other difficulties, such as the demanding approach of parents, limited employment opportunities in small towns and villages, often problematic management, and a lot of time spent on extra work (checking tests, homeworks).
Teachers who cannot cope with problems connected with their job face the system, which does not offer them support.
Headmasters who do not have the necessary tools, have to deal with many problems of today's school, among which burnout plays an important role.
This situation makes both teachers and headmasters leave the primary schools.
There are many techniques and methods that focus on the symptoms connected with burnout, but creating a friendly working environment and strengthening teachers' resilience seem to be the crucial factors preventing burnout.
A good school that cares about its employees should provide them with a series of activities and meetings with specialists that will reduce the exposure to burnout syndrome.
The ambition of the project partners is to develop solutions that will contribute to the creation of an environment supporting the well-being and resilience of teachers and maintaining their motivation to work in schools.
Main goal of the project is preventing professional burnout of teachers in primary schools, including those located in small towns and villages, by developing an innovative toolkit for primary schools to create a system supporting the well-being and resilience of teachers, and maintaining their motivation to work in the teaching profession, in particular those teachers, who are at risk of burnout.
Specific objectives:
-developing standards of action to create a working environment supporting primary school teacher’s well-being and motivation
-developing standards for the functioning of the position of a burnout experts in schools
-developing tools that will enable teachers most exposed to burnout, and hence more at risk of social exclusion, to acquire skills that strengthen their resilience and maintain motivation to work in the teaching profession
-strengthening the professional development of teachers, in particular those employed in small towns and villages, where access to the training offer and participation in EU-funded projects is limited
-improving the quality of work and practices of the organizations involved in the project in an international context
Project activities
- Developing an innovative toolkit aimed at school headmasters to create a system that fosters teachers' well-being and resilience, and motivation, in particular teachers at risk of burnout and pilot implementation of developed tools in 4 Greek and 4 Polish primary schools
- Developing an innovative toolkit aimed at burnout experts to support teachers' well-being, resilience and motivation, in particular teachers at risk of burnout and pilot implementation of developed tools in 4 Greek and 4 Polish primary schools
- Transnational Project Meeting in Poland
- Transnational Project Meeting in Greece
- Training in the form of workshops (Multipiler Event) in Poland
- Training in the form of workshops (Multipiler Event) in Greece
