Cara Vandermyde

Cara Vandermyde sits with her English colleagues discussing lesson plans during an early release PLC meeting. After they are done, they discuss life and how coming back to teaching this year has been harder than ever. 

Vandermyde empathizes with them, her year having come along with a unique set of obstacles itself, but she also feels lucky for not experiencing the effects of burn out like many of her coworkers and friends at MCHS. 

Being an English teacher and Activities Director is difficult in every way imaginable. Though it is stressful Vandermyde notes that she is not feeling burnt out because of her roles in the building. “I personally have not been feeling burnt out.” Vandermyde states. “However, that is not a common story.” 

Many of her colleagues come to school feeling overwhelmed with the demands that they need to meet within the building that just seem to keep piling on their shoulders.

“What I think I’m seeing is that they seem very overwhelmed with the seemingly ever increasing demands of the job.” Vandermyde states. 

COVID-19, and the almost year of learning that was stumbled through because of it, the pressure has now been placed on teachers to get students caught up. 

MCHS has had an eventful past two years. COVID hit MCHS hard and left everyone still feeling it this year. 

This time it is not just students feeling harsh effects mentally from COVID-19. It is also teachers’ own feelings being exacerbated by the year where everything was as far from normal as things could have been. 

This year is not going to be challenge free as the MCHS staff feels the almost extreme effects of burning out like a match in the wind.