Is this a safe space for me to share something shameful?!? Here we go…
I was 10 years into my career as a school psychologist when I realized that burnout was nothing like I thought it was. I thought burnout was someone “phoning it in” and didn’t care. That’s not what burnout looked for me. I cared a lot. I was working every night and weekend.
Here’s what burnout actually looked like for me as an educator:
Then, one shameful day, my then 4 year old daughter handed me this picture:
Y’all. She drew a WANTED POSTER of me.
In my mind, I was “just checking this email real quick” or “getting caught up by working on a report for a few minutes.” In an instant, I realized that I was missing out on my kids’ childhood. I was missing out on my life. And I could never get that time back.
That’s when Thriving Students Collective was born. What started as a “me-search” (excuse me, research) project of how to thrive in difficult times became a professional development and learning community dedicated to interrupting the cycle of burnout in education.
And I’m here to tell you, burnout has only gotten worse. Recent studies show that K12 educators have the highest burnout rate of all professions (yep, even more than members of the military). Some cited reasons from the study:
- Three-fourths of educators had to take up additional works due to staff shortages.
- 80% of schools report that student behavior has worsened significantly in recent years.
- There have been over 400 school shooting incidents in the last 2 years.
- More that 75% of teachers have reported stress-related health issues.
And let’s be real…there’s the now added stress of the uncertainty out there with changes in policies in public education. From looming budget cuts to proposed slashes to the Department of Education, educators are once again being asked to do more with lessโฆ while carrying the emotional weight of educating an entire generation of students recovering from the disruption of the pandemic and collective trauma. And we’re doing it with a critical shortage of mental health providers. You know, the usual, but on steroids and with vital funding being cut to support students.
Itโs no wonder weโre feeling itโthe anxiety, the burnout, the โDo I even have a job next year?โ moments.
And while we may not be able to control the headlines or the decisions made in rooms weโre not invited to, we can do something powerful:
Microhabit of the Month: The Control Audit
This monthโs mental wellness strategy is simple but mighty: Do a Control Audit.
Hereโs how:
- Grab a sticky note or open a fresh doc.
- Draw a line down the middle. On one side, write โOut of My Hands.โ On the other, โIn My Hands.โ
- Start listing. Youโll be surprised how much brain space youโre giving to things you canโt influence… and how grounding it feels to name what you can.
โ๏ธ Out of My Hands: Budget decisions, policy shifts, national chaos.
๐ช In My Hands: My mindset, my daily routine, the way I support my students, the boundaries I set, making my voice heard.
The control audit is a proven emotional reset button in a world that keeps pushing shuffle.
I know it’s rough out there. I feel the stress too. And yet, I’m inspired every day by educators showing up every day and putting in the work. As I do the control audit myself, one of the things in my hands is to share burnout prevention resources to my colleagues, so here you go…
FREE Resource: Burnout Prevention Workshop
Need a little more fuel in your tank? Can’t even remember what your wellness New Year’s Resolutions were? Feel like you are putting out emotional dumpster fires all day long? We got you.
To give back to the dedicated educators, administrators, and mental health providers holding it down for our students every day in our schools and districts, we’ve decided to host a workshop series for ANY educator…for FREE!
And to keep it accessible to everyone, it’s a no book required book club–you can literally just show up at any (or all!) of our Microhabits to Thrive workshops. Sign up here for the series, which includes a free Thrive in 2025 calendar to download!
Sign up now and attend any of the free workshops throughout the year! Our next one is April 15th, 2025! No book, no prep needed, just bring yourself!
โจ Learning how to reset, recharge, and reframe in difficult times is the name of the game. Because thriving isn’t a one-time thing–it’s a practice.
You + Me in 3D
Can AI help prevent burnout? Are the robots coming for our jobs? Will students ever use critical thinking again in the age of AI?!? These are the hot topics I presented on this month across the country this month. Shout out to UFT School Counselors in NYC and Acalanes School District in California for bringing me to keynote at your AI professional development days!
Next up…I look forward to seeing my Delaware school psychologist friends at the Delaware Association of School Psychologists conference on April 10th!
April is Autism Awareness (and Acceptance) Month
Shoutout to Oakland Unified School District for partnering with our organization, Thriving Students Collective to do the REAL work of inclusion for Autistic Students, not just in April, but all year round.
Our partnership includes live professional development coupled with our on-demand Thriving Students platform where their educators can earn micro-credentials in supporting students with Autism, neurodiversity-affirming practices, and more!
Their commitment to supporting Autistic students with district-wide trainingโincluding paraprofessionals, parents, general education teachers, new teachers, special educators, mental health providers, and principalsโis exactly what every student deserves:
โ Evidence-based practices
โ Strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approaches
โ Collaboration across roles
OUSD, youโre walking the talk, and creating classrooms where all kids can thrive. We love being a part of your big mission!
If you’re a district leader interested in how we provide 360 degree neurodiversity affirming support for all students, click here to book a chat with a member of our team!
๐ฌ Cringe TikTok of the Month: School Psych Edition
Yesโฆ I did it.
I used the old age filter to show how old I feel when I talk about writing psychoeducational reports before computer scoring and AI. It was…slow. Tedious. Exhausting.
Check out the TikTok here (or on Instagram reels here).
But good news: weโve evolved. ๐
๐ธ Enter: LilyAssist. Our AI-powered report assistant is already saving school psychologists HOURS of writing time, using: โ Student-first, parent-friendly language โ Vetted templates โ Human-first, AI-assisted workflows
๐ Try it FREE for 7 days!
School psychs – Try LilyAssist for FREE for 7 days here!
District leaders – Learn how to support your school psychs with LilyAssist here!
And if youโre already a Thriving School Psych or Thriving Social Worker member, youโve got full access inside your Thriving Students learning portal at no extra charge!
Until Next Month…
Even in a world full of unpredictability, you still have power. Power to reset. To choose your mindset. To thrive in the chaos. Power to use humor and find joy in the little moments with your colleagues and students. Power to change lives and be the calm in the chaos for our students.
And as alwaysโI’m right there with you.
Keep thriving,
If youโre interested in being a part of the Thriving Students Collective community and would like more information about how to bring the Thriving Students Platform to your school or district, CLICK HERE to connect with us.
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Dr. Rebecca Branstetter is a school psychologist and founder of The Thriving Students Collective, which provides professional development, engaging online courses, and a supportive online community that prioritizes whole-school wellness and equips educators and parents with practical tools to empower every learnerโs success. She also has a TikTok account all about burnout prevention in K12 that her middle school daughter has endorsed as โCringe, but good dancing.โ
