Although a great deal of attention has been focused recently on the problem of teacher burnout, very little has been done at the preservice level to prevent it. If, as many believe, burnout is most likely to occur in the first three years of teaching, steps should be taken during preservice training to help future teachers deal more effectively with the challenges and stress they will undoubtably encounter. The authors develop this rationale and identify four possible components of a burnout prevention curriculum, including 1) the development of realistic expectations, 2) the encouragement of detached concern, 3) a better understanding of classroom successes and failures, and 4) an introduction to various stress reduction strategies. F or MORE THAN A DECADE, many popular and professional periodicals have carried articles examining the growing and increasingly serious phenomenon of teacher burnout. Defined as a work-related stress syndrome, burnout is characterized by physical and emotional exhaustion, with negative effects upon motivation, attitudes, and personal relationships (Maslach, 1982). Large numbers of teachers in every area are affected (Cunningham, 1983;Gold, 1984), but according to the Office of Special Education Programs (Schrag, 1991), the attrition rate in special education is three and one-half times higher than what is found with regular teachers. In the context of critical shortages of special education teachers, attrition has significant implications for learners who have exceptionalities and for educational systems as a whole.
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