[MUSIC] Hello, again. In the last video, we mentioned the term, teacher burnout and explained that many ESL teachers leave the profession because they are exhausted from all of the tasks, responsibilities, and burdens, that are placed on their shoulders. You have chosen a career that can truly wear you down, and wear you out. Don't be afraid. There are many things you can do to avoid teacher burnout and revitalize yourself, again and again. Let me give you my first tip. Form a network. I remember how I was planning lessons as a young professional, and complaining to a veteran teacher named Alice. I told her that I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of creating all the curriculum for my classes. Alice turned and looked at me, stared straight into my eyes and said, Shane teaching is a team sport. It struck me how strongly she said it. I wasn't used to being criticized. And I thought she was going to simply agree with me, that all teachers, including myself, are overburdened. I was used to teachers complaining, and I guess I got into the habit of complaining myself. As a side note, another way to avoid teacher burnout is to avoid the complainers. Alice's words stayed with me all day. I thought about all the ways that teaching is a team sport. I had been thinking of teaching as something that I do all by myself, with no one to help me, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I was so wrong. There are teachers all around us that have years of experience, lesson plans of their own, and fantastic ideas. I realized that instead of complaining, if I would simply ask other teachers questions, they were quick to give opinions and provide answers. Don't you know? Teachers love to be asked their opinions about things. So, instead of complaining, I started asking. Has anyone found a good way to teach the days of the week, I said. One teacher shared a song that he learned. Another shared a colorful handout, and another shared how she used different colored dice that she threw at students, to represent each day. She even let me borrow them. Another time I asked, does anyone know a good way to teach the past tense? Once again, people were quick to help me. One teacher shared a method, another showed me a chapter in a textbook, another teacher looked through her shelf, pulled down a folder, rifled through it, and pulled out a worksheet. I began to realize that this network stuff was really saving me a lot of time. And more than that, it gave me a chance to see different ideas for my own, and helped me to know the expertise of each teacher I met. After a while, I knew who to go to see for speaking activities, Lorie, and who to help me with grammatical principles, Marie. But networking doesn't have to stop there. By going to different forums and communities on the Internet, you will find that language teachers are some of the most social creatures there are. We love to share ideas, ask important questions, and look for solutions to difficult problems. You can join TESEL communities, attend conferences once a year, and travel to different parts of the world where language teachers are. Forming a network of people, who have become experts, allows you to become more expert yourself. Not because you have all the specialized knowledge they have, but that whenever you have a question, you know exactly who to ask. This reminds me of a small story about Henry Ford, who insisted that being smart didn't necessarily mean that you know every bit of information, but rather being smart means you know how to get the information you need. He said, let me remind you that I have a row of electric push buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid, men who can answer any question I desire to ask, concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me why I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require. Think about that for a second. You can find the answer to any question you desire because you know who the right person is to ask, or the right place to look. Isn't that a powerful way of knowing things? And doesn't that make your life as a teacher a lot easier? Please remember the importance of finding friends who are smarter than you. And how wonderful it is to know that there is someone willing to share ideas anytime you ask. By the way, did you know I got some of these ideas from this video from Dr. Justin Shewell, who sits right across from me in my office? I sure did. You don't think all my best ideas come from me do you? Like I said before, teaching is a team sport, and thanks Justin. [MUSIC]