Overcoming Burnout and Reigniting Your Passion for Teaching: Part Two

Burnout is a challenge many educators face, but how do you recognize it and navigate through it? In our latest episode of The Teaching Table podcast, we talk with Dr. Aisha O'Mally, a professor at the School of Management, about her experience with burnout. She shares how the demands of teaching and workload took a toll on her well-being and how she found ways to regain balance and reconnect with her passion for education. Tune in to hear her insights and reflections on maintaining well-being in academia.

Join us as we explore the powerful role of self-reflection, empathy, and open communication in overcoming burnout. Dr. O'Mally reveals the game-changing strategies that helped her reconnect with her students and foster an engaging classroom atmosphere. From fostering meaningful dialogues on crucial topics like diversity and integrity to gradually building a supportive learning environment, we uncover actionable insights that are not just about surviving but thriving in the teaching profession. Tune in for a wealth of inspiration and practical advice that aims to help educators manage their workload effectively while preparing students for the broader challenges of life.

This is part two of a two-part series.

Transcript

Introduction to Faculty Burnout Journey

Maggie Grady 0:03

Welcome to the CATT Teaching Table podcast , where we dive into the art and science of teaching , learning and technology . Hosted by the University of Buffalo's Office of Curriculum, Assessment, and Teaching Transformation , otherwise known as CATT , and supported by the Gentile's Excellence in Teaching Fund . This podcast is dedicated to highlighting the journeys toward educational excellence . In this episode of the Teaching Table podcast , we are continuing a conversation on avoiding faculty burnout with Dr Aisha O'Malley , a professor from the School of Management , who not only experienced burnout herself at the six-year mark of her teaching journey , but also successfully reinvented her teaching strategy by diving into the world of artificial intelligence . So you said to incorporate a little bit more activities you said more experiential learning . What other things did you do in your course that you switched it around a little bit to make it more engaging ?

Aisha O'Malley 1:00

Let me see

Aisha O'Malley 1:01

You know what I kind of do , too , is I put more on them, right ? So some people may find this uncomfortable , but it worked for me . I like to joke with my students , and so I tell them . I told them , I said I have a PhD , I all this stuff I'm teaching , I know this and I know it very well . I said but you're working on a bachelor's degree , so you have to do more work . And so I give them more work , but not overwork .

Aisha O'Malley 1:40

And I tell them that I'm not trying to make this more difficult for you . I'm not trying to trick you , I'm not trying to micromanage you . I'm just trying to show you how the world works and how you should think about moving through the world, right ? So, I tell them I'm not always going to hold your hand .

Aisha O'Malley 2:03

I will have touch points and I say I am open and I have my office hours , but this is really on you . And because I'm like , I tell them this If I could open your brain and , through osmosis just the words run in and then it just plants I would love that . That's not what it is . So I tell them and I show them that this is a partnership and I explain to them if you don't do your part , my part isn't as an influential and it's not as meaningful and you don't learn as much if you don't do your part . And I think we have to have conversations around that . We have to continually remind them that you're here for a reason and help them . If they don't know what that is , have conversations about it, right ? In office hours or whatever , or even in classrooms . Why are you here ? I know this is a required class . My class is a required class . Why do you think it's required, right ? Because it's a soft skill , while it might not be accounting and finance . If you are the smartest person and have the most innovative ideas , you can't sell that , if you can't communicate your ideas effectively , you're not going to make it, right ? And so it really is about having some open

Student Responsibility in Learning Partnership

Aisha O'Malley 3:13

dialogue with them and teaching them about work ethic, right ? And what that looks like and what you get from it, right ? Like , if you do your due diligence and you come to class prepared , you read that study plan , then the assignments that I have , the lecture that I'm talking about , the activities that we do , you're able to be part of the conversation . That's engaging , that's more fun . Don't you want that experience ? Or do you want me to talk at you ?

Aisha O'Malley 3:47

And you bored . And then , when and then I told him this too I said let me tell you how this works , cause I don't know if you understand that . I said, you are students , I am the instructor , I teach you , you learn . That's your job, right ? If you are not doing your part , you get bored in class . When you get bored in class , you're more likely to pick up your phone . Or if you're on your laptop , you're more likely to go on and watch the football game that you missed last night, right ? It's easy to do that , right ? And I'm talking to them like this , right ?

Aisha O'Malley 4:19

And I said what ends up happening is then you're not engaged , you're bored because you didn't do your part, right ? Now , what ends up happening is towards the end of semester t hen you come to me and you say why am I not doing better ? Why am I not ? And I said but I can't , what can I ? And so I'll tell you week 14 , week 13, There's not much I can do because all the work has been done and assigned . Then what ends up happening is then you get an opportunity to tell the university about how you feel , how this class went , because you were not engaged , because you didn't do your part and you felt you were bored . You will then put that blame on me . When it's hard for me to be engaging with a phone or a laptop , or with you who are choosing to not learn and focus and not being committed to your education . You're choosing to do something else , right ? And so then you leave me a negative evaluation and let me tell you how that impacts me as an instructor . That impacts how my supervisor views me , and evaluations are how I get better as a professor , right ? So , yeah , it does help me and if I want to grow as far as like professionally , but also , when they I said when you leave evaluations you don't think about how that is being perceived by the instructor . Yeah , I don't know who you are , but are you saying are you saying these things to make me better , or are you saying them because you're disgruntled and you're angry , but are you angry at me or are you really angry at yourself ? Because you had an opportunity to do well and you didn't choose that . You chose the easier route , which was to not focus , right ? So I I had that long .

Aisha O'Malley 6:15

I had that conversation with them because I need them to understand what your part is in your education . This is not high school , this is college . Independent learning is what college is about , and so I talked to them about getting a planner . If you don't have a planner , you are planning to fail . Right , whether it's a digital or whether it's a handheld , you know , handheld with handwritten .

Aisha O'Malley 6:41

Find what works for you . Figure out what your study habits are . This takes time . You have to be committed to figuring out . Okay , do I work better with flashcards or do I work better in a group setting, right ? Like these are all things I can't do for you , right ? So I try to talk to them about how to do college better , but I also talk about what their role is , right ? Because we take it on as instructors good instructors , right ? Instructors that care , professors that care , we take it on , and they're not coming to class

Transparent Feedback and Ongoing Course Evaluations

Aisha O'Malley 7:15

. How am I going to get them to come to class , and they got to want to . If your class is engaging and you've done what you've done and you've prepared enough , then that's all you can do .

Maggie Grady 7:24

I love the fact that , because you're getting them out from behind that phone where they can have that voiceless review , if you will , or that critique of you that isn't holding impact , and for them , and they think that they're exactly what you said , they're either are they helping or aren't they helping . Like did they just , like rate you that way , so I'd like that you humanize that yeah and give that . You know your voice actually matters and I need you to

Aisha O'Malley 7:54

absolutely it does , and then I also do checkpoints every five weeks .

Aisha O'Malley 8:00

Okay , this is what the class has been . Are quizzes working for you ? Are deadlines working for you ? Are deadlines working for you ? Are assignments in the way that they're built ? Do you like the way the class is running ? Would you want more activities ? And I tell them . I said I am the final decision maker , of course , but if you don't tell me , this ain't working .

Aisha O'Malley 8:20

How are we going to change it .

Aisha O'Malley 8:21

So I don't wait until course evaluation . I am checking in with them throughout the semester because I can't change your negative view unless I get that feedback Right . And while it may not be anonymous , I do ask them . I'm like this is your time . If you want something to change , tell me now , because I can make those changes now . So I give them feedback , that space to say , yeah , well , I don't like I've changed due dates , like Saturday is a hard due date . Or I remember one class you know they're like well , you know Sunday is a bad day because it's , you know , sunday night football , right . And I'm like , ok , I get it All right , so we'll do it Monday , right , so I'm willing to work with them Right , so this doesn't have to be a miserable experience for both of us .

Maggie Grady 9:12

Right , you should all enjoy it , right ?

Aisha O'Malley 9:14

Yeah , we can all enjoy it ,

Maggie Grady 9:15

you can enjoy it . So I love all of those strategies . I love that you took the initiative to better yourself so that you could better the students .

Aisha O'Malley 9:26

Yeah , it starts within .

Maggie Grady 9:27

It does

Aisha O'Malley 9:28

it really does ?

Aisha O'Malley 9:28

I think we kind of forget that sometimes .

Maggie Grady 9:30

Yeah , it does .

Aisha O'Malley 9:31

You got to look at yourself .

Aisha O'Malley 9:33

It's hard , right , it's hard to look in the mirror , but when I did , oh my god , it transformed me .

Maggie Grady 9:39

Yeah

Aisha O'Malley 9:39

I went through a transformation the last six months and I've been telling everybody , because I feel so good about it , like that's why you knew I was like , let me tell you . I want to talk about how I'm doing this class and I want you to help me . But let me tell you how I've gotten to this point and it really has changed the way that I talk to them , the way that I even , the way that I connect with them , the way that I connect with my colleagues , the way that I listen and the way that I'm more open-minded , the more I am diverse with my perspective and I use inclusive pedagogy and I've researched inclusive pedagogy . I'm researching diverse pedagogy , right , because I know this will make me a better professor and my students want a better experience .

Maggie Grady 10:23

Yeah , yeah , so I do . I think like the underlying overall

Personal Transformation and Inclusive Pedagogy

Maggie Grady 10:29

type of you know comment that we want to make is not to feel that it's a negative reflection on yourself

Maggie Grady 10:36

And I love that you were able to overcome that , because sometimes exactly what you said , it's your own mind that is taking you down . So you know you're a good educator . You just have to get out of whatever it is .

Aisha O'Malley 10:51

Absolutely, as long as you give your space to be prepared for the semester , you give yourself some space to think about not just the content . The objectives , right ? My bigger objectives . I want them to be more effective communicators , verbally and written , right ? That's the bigger picture . So you got to connect what you're doing in the classroom to the bigger , and you can't forget it . You got to remind yourself about that , because then you get lost in the minutia of it and the timing and it becomes daunting and you get stressful . Make it easy for yourself , right ? But as long as you're prepared and you've done your due diligence . No , you are a great educator . Absolutely , give yourself , pat yourself on the back . But if you don't take that time to reflect and you don't take that time to listen to your students' voice and listen to your own self , you won't get better , right ? And it'll just get harder and you'll get and you won't stop to address that burnout

Strategies for Overcoming Faculty Burnout

Aisha O'Malley 11:56

. And so I'll tell you a few strategies for burnout as well .

Aisha O'Malley 11:59

Is I give my space , I give my time myself , space away from teaching, right ? On the weekends , even if it's just for like three or four hours I go for a walk , or I'll go out for lunch with a girlfriend , or I Netflix and binge . I make sure I take some time to decompress from the week and then it's not until I've done that that I really try to dig in . Now , don't get me wrong , this is not easy and it's gonna take practice . But you can't come from a space of judgement and how you're moving through this . You got to give yourself grace and you got to offer the way that you offer others empathy . You got to offer it to yourself .

Aisha O'Malley 12:43

So don't beat yourself up . Just give yourself that space to grow, right ? It's really important . And give your mind other ways , like read Outside of reading for class , right ? Like pick up a book and just read for pleasure, right ? Those things are really . And get a massage Listen , once a month I get a massage , right ? Because I carry my stress up here and if I'm walking around like this , I'm like , oh yeah , it's time .

Maggie Grady 13:12

Yeah

Aisha O'Malley 13:12

right ?

Maggie Grady 13:13

I love all of that . I love that the strategy , and give yourself a little bit of leeway .

Maggie Grady 13:19

It's , it's

Aisha O'Malley 13:20

give yourself some grace , because nobody else will

Maggie Grady 13:22

no

Maggie Grady 13:23

do you have any final thoughts that you want to share with our listeners ?

Aisha O'Malley 13:26

Figure out what support you need, right ? And what support can your department provide, right ? Professional development was key , but also , I think what also was key was I had a very supportive team and I have a very supportive supervisor . She allowed us to incorporate a new platform . She introduced us to Lumen One , because we have books textbooks , and we know the struggle with textbooks Costs a lot of money . Students don't have a lot of money and so this was a free , open access , right ? And I was like oh , and then I looked at it and it was so comprehensive and it was diverse , like the pictures that they use , the names that they use . It was very inclusive . It included daily lecture affirmations and I was like , oh yeah , this is all me and I took it on and I incorporated it and I'm using it currently and I love it and it's helping me again to be that professor that I want to be, right ?

Aisha O'Malley 14:31

I love the affirmations because

Finding Support and Integrating Affirmations

Aisha O'Malley 14:33

I think , also , being teaching for so long , I realized that students they lack that self-confidence . Of course they do . They've only been on this earth for two decades at the most , right ? So they need that , they need that guidance . You have value . Even though it's been two decades , that's still a long time . You have value . You have value Even though it's been two decades . That's still a long time . You have value . You have experiences , especially our students today , who are going through a lot more than I would say maybe I did when I was growing up . And so these differences and these things that you bring to the table add value to the classroom and any space that you're in .

Aisha O'Malley 15:10

So the affirmations like today I can work hard , right ? I am getting smarter , right , these things , and you take it for granted , but I make them say them with me . I say them first and then I say I tell them , say it out loud , and if they come to me and they sound , I am smart , I'm like uh-uh , this is not the 7.30 , I just woke up . Voice , this is the gusto , I believe it . That's why it's affirmations . I believe it , I know it and I want to hear each and every voice and they go and they say it with me and I see them smiling and I see them connecting with me .

Aisha O'Malley 15:48

And so when you are able to give yourself that time to figure out the support that you need , then you can go to your department chair , right , supervisor , and say I need some more support , right ? And you won't know what they'll be able to provide unless you tell them . So don't be fearful of saying I need a little bit more . I need , I need a little bit of space . And you know I was able to get a couple course releases because I took on a couple different projects , so that allowed me that space to not teach .

Aisha O'Malley 16:20

You know four and five classes . I was able to find some space for one semester . I'm not teaching so much , right , and you know our teaching faculty . We have a heavy load that we teach and so I'm talking to them figure out what support you need , because there's so many different opportunities and resources that are out there . But you don't know if you don't , if you don't seek out help and you don't say what it is you need . And that was super important for my journey .

Maggie Grady 16:52

For me it would be . I don't want to be embarrassed .

Maggie Grady 16:54

It would be an embarrassment and I think that you got to get over that and once you do that ,

Aisha O'Malley 16:57

that is holding you back from having a stress-free , more enjoyable experience in teaching, right ? It's not embarrassment , like we all . I think we all have to come from this human perspective . One of the things that I like is I'm perfectly imperfect .

Maggie Grady 17:12

Yeah , I love that .

Aisha O'Malley 17:14

Right Like I have a T-shirt . I live by it . Right , like we all are .

Maggie Grady 17:18

Sure

Aisha O'Malley 17:19

we all are , so give yourself that space .

Maggie Grady 17:22

Yeah , yeah , thank you again for joining us . Thanks for sharing your journey , your insights , your story is incredible . I love that . It is a powerful reminder and with the right approach , burnout can be managed . It can be , overcome , and the

Closing Thoughts and Resources

Maggie Grady 17:41

opportunity for growth is the key there

Aisha O'Malley 17:44

yeah

Maggie Grady 17:44

so , that kind of wraps up this episode .

Maggie Grady 17:47

So thank you to our listeners and thank you to Dr O'Malley for joining us on this episode of the Teaching Table podcast . If you enjoyed today's discussion , be sure to subscribe and leave us a review . We'll be back soon with more conversation on teaching , learning technology , all of the good pedagogical stuff and until then , keep exploring new ways to reach and inspire your students . I love this story and , as always , be sure to connect with us online at buffalo . edu/ catt that's C-A-T-T , or email us at ubcatt@ buffalo . edu Thank you again .

Aisha O'Malley 18:23

Thank you .