For long time and new teachers, how to avoid teacher burnout is perhaps the top thought that they always want to solve. But with pressure, stress and routine activities in school, a majority of our teachers are left tired, uninspired and unenthusiastic even before they start their working day. This is actually a taboo that not all teachers are willing to discuss and share.

You might not know it, but you might actually be experiencing teacher burnout already. Common burnout signs that lead to such a scenario are anticipating the end of the day, the next weekend or the next probable vacation. In addition, diminished work interest, an unfinished work load and worst - quitting the said profession can occur. Little do we know that every teacher around the world is experiencing this in certain moments of their life. We may deny it but the signs are telling otherwise.

If you have been secretly experiencing this, do not fear. There are different ways to avoid teacher burnout. Try these tips and for sure it can drastically change your current state and can give great improvements towards your attitude and profession outlook.

Tip #1: Do not hesitate to ask for help. This is the hardest yet the most effective strategy to overcome teacher burnout. It is best to talk with your fellow teachers who might experience the same mixed with some colleagues who have overcome it. Manage to be open and vocal about your current situation. If you are not comfortable talking this with someone, an immediate family member can be an alternative. Share this with your loved ones like your spouse or your parent. I am pretty sure they can give you tips and ideas on how to avoid such a stressful black hole. They might even give you a hug or a kiss that can give you a quick mental boost!

Tip #2: Reserve some free time for yourself. When I say give time for yourself, it is a time away from your classroom and from the school. This can be a time that you can use to pamper yourself with the things you enjoy most. You can head up to your favourite spa or parlor and have that awaited massage, or better yet, try on a new hairdo. You can also invest this time towards a little hobby of yours. Furthermore, this can be a time for your family and friends. Stop yourself from thinking on your profession at this current state. And when you head back you will feel pretty refresh and renewed.

Tip #3: Know the reason behind your profession. New teachers are really the ones that have that enthusiastic atmosphere when they set foot in their rooms. But the longer they stay, the more dragging it will be, thereby leading to teacher burnouts. Thus, reconsider and rethink why you teach in the first place. This can rekindle the spark that you once had and can mean a great change to your current state of mind. Teaching is a noble profession. Look at it this way and you will definitely jump start a new day ahead.

There are actually more tips that you might want to add up to the initial three. But nonetheless, following the stated strategies can bring a whole new positive difference to you and your profession. Thus, avoid teacher burnouts by simply following it and for sure that certain grace a teacher must have will be evident next time you come to class.

Communication between people who have a task to achieve is crucial. And what more important job is there than educating a child? It's a monumental undertaking, but fortunately, the efforts of a few improve exponentially when everyone is working together. Plain and simple: students will be much better scholars if parents and teachers communicate effectively.

1. It might sound like an obvious concept, but it's important to make parents feel welcome to speak with you about their child at any time. Whether they call, send a note or drop in after class, make sure parents know you appreciate their involvement and willingness to communicate. If they know you will actively listen when they have a concern, they will be much more open to hearing what you have to say when their child brings home low grades or demonstrates bad behavior. And in the meantime, they just might offer some helpful information or insight into their child that will help you immensely in class.

2. Promote opportunities for communication with parents outside of class. Many parents will attend student conferences, but few will commit to going on field trips or attending class parties. Encourage parents to attend a few "fun" activities during the year. It will make everyone more at ease as you get better acquainted. Get to know parents as people. Talk to them about their life, job or upbringing. Nothing will be more helpful to a child's education than promoting communication between teachers and parents and becoming allies in the process.

3. When discussing a student's school performance with a parent, include not only things their child should work on, but also what their child is mastering or improving in. Parents need to feel that teachers are rooting for their child's success, and you should make sure they know you are.

4. Foster the idea that parents are children's first teachers by making sure they know what their child is learning at school. Helping parents find opportunities to "teach" at home will reinforce what you are teaching their kids at school. Together, parents and teachers can communicate the same concepts and ideas so children will have even more opportunities to learn. Being a team will promote good communication.

5. Let parents know right away if their child is having difficulty with a particular unit, concept or subject. The sooner parents know, the sooner they can work on those concepts with their child at home. And that may be all it takes to get their child over the hump and on to learning the next concept. This is also effective for behavioral problems. Send a brief note or make a quick call to parents when a child's behavior is not what it should be. Nothing is worse to a parent than finding out weeks later that their child has been causing problems in the classroom.

6. Offer to communicate with parents in whatever genre they prefer, whether it's newsletters, handouts, phone calls, emails or face-to-face conferences. Give parents a choice about how they hear from you, how often you communicate and what time or day is best for them. Schedule a regular output of notes, newsletters and phone calls to ensure parents receive all the information they need.

7. If you don't feel your school's mode of communication is effective, talk with your principal about updating the system. If you aren't happy with the current system, chances are other teachers aren't either. Communicating your concerns will benefit not only your own class, but the entire school and parents, as well.

Preschool is the ideal time to develop and enhance students' understanding of written and spoken language. The letters of the alphabet are the basic building blocks that lie at the heart of communication, both spoken and written.

Preschool students should be encouraged to develop concepts of print, alphabetical awareness and phonological awareness - these concepts are the cornerstones on which to build reading skills.

Preschoolers should be encouraged to love reading and feel happy and confident about the reading process. For this to occur, you must ensure that all students grasp the basic concepts, regardless of individual ability level.

As a class, your students will begin to associate words with pictures and understand that letters have very special shapes, sounds and names. They will learn that these letters form words and that these words have meaning. Reading is the next vital step.

The following activities can be used to interactively teach the ABC's.

1. POWERPOINT ABC's

PowerPoint presentations can be used to encourage visual learning skills and to help students begin to make the connection between letters, sounds, words and pictures.

Create a PowerPoint presentation. Each slide should contain a letter of the alphabet. After each slide include five words beginning with the letter, and five corresponding pictures of the words that you have chosen. Students read the letter together, the teacher sounds out each of the five words phonetically and the class reads out the letter that each of the words begins with. Students are then shown a picture of each word.

2. HUMAN ALPHABET

In this activity students learn the shape of each letter by creating the shape with their body.

Divide students in to groups of three or four.

Students will need a large clear space for this activity so move desks and chairs out of the way.

Have a fun version of the ABC song playing. Stop the music and call out a letter.

Each group must quickly lie on the floor and form the shape of the letter. If a student is not needed they can help by calling out the letter when asked.

3. THE NAME GAME

Children write their name on a piece of paper. The teacher shows the class a large flashcard with a particular letter of the alphabet written on the flashcard. When the letter is shown, students must cross that letter of their name from their card.

When all possible letters of the first, middle and last name are crossed out, students call out 'THE NAME GAME'. As each student finishes they earn a reward point or a sticker. As students become more confident, familiar sight words can be used to play the game.

4. Big A, Little A

On large pieces of Cardboard, laminate Uppercase and Lowercase letters. Divide students in to groups and have each group match the big A with the little a, the big B with the little b and so on.

5. A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS

Show students a range of images and have the students call out the letter that the word connected to the image begins with.

Useful Computer Lessons...

Teacher tube has many video files containing teachers and students rapping the ABC's. Download these files on to PowerPoint, if you have access in your classroom, or, play on a laptop or computer to your class.