October 2006:  Avoiding Catechist Burn-Out

Mary Lou Rosien

It seems like the same twenty people do everything at church. They head up the committees, plan the events and teach religion. When we depend on the same people to teach year after year, burnout can become a problem among our Catechists. We need to develop ways to prevent and treat teacher burn-out.

• Thank the teachers. Everyone needs to feel appreciated. Most Catechists are taking time out of their already busy schedules to teach religion. If they feel taken for granted, they will not continue to put themselves out. Since most of us who teach have children in the Faith Formation program, we can strengthen the commitment of the other teachers simply by remembering to thank them for all they do for our kids.
• Host and attend talks for teachers. Most businesses regularly schedule in-services to educate and inspire their workers. Religious instruction programs should be run similarly.
• Spread the love. When others see how much we love teaching, they may be inspired by us to try and do the same.
• Give up control. We don’t always have to be the teacher, let the kids try it. Give them the outline and see if they can be teacher for a day!
• Play. It can be more fun (and effective) to mix up our teaching style with a little play. Try playing Catechism Jeopardy, role playing or putting on a play. I like to toss a foam heart around the class and whoever catches it has to answer a question or make a comment about what we are studying.
• Pray for vocations. Teaching religion is a vocation. We must remember to pray for others to want to take on this precious gift of teaching our young people.
• Mix it up. Try being an aid for a year instead of the teacher, or teach a different grade. It is easy to burnout doing the same thing year after year. It may be helpful to do something different to keep your own level of interest high. Remember, if we are not excited about teaching, we will not be able to get the students excited.
• Remember. Write yourself a letter stating why you teach religion. What made you want to teach in the first place? What do you love about it? Remember a student that you feel you touched or that touched you.
• Thank God for the opportunity to serve others. The fastest way I have found to get over my own burnout is to be grateful. What else could I be doing at that time that would be as valuable? Nothing. We are building treasure up in heaven. We are encouraging the next generation of Catholics. We are doing God’s work. God bless.