Avoiding Burnout: A Principal's Guide to Keeping the Fire Alive

"As I read this book, I found aspects of myself—my personal and professional behavior—on almost every page! I was able to put the coping strategies in the book to immediate use with little effort and great results! A must when our time is so limited." Kaye L. Peery, Administrator Springer Municipal Schools Springer, NM "School leaders are subjected to stress in all aspects of their work. Brock and Grady present a realistic approach to dealing with stress that can benefit every school leader." Ron Joekel, Executive Director Emeritus Phi Delta Kappa International Much has been written on teacher stress and how to cope with it . . . but now best-selling authors Barbara L. Brock and Marilyn L. Grady turn their expert attention to administrator burnout in this unique and powerful new "how-to" book. Avoiding Burnout presents real-world success stories from individual school administrators across the country. How do they handle stress and burnout? What can be learned from their individual challenges and solutions? Principals at all levels will learn a great deal about: The nature of stress Stress triggers and response mechanisms Capitalizing on work stress Effective time management and interpersonal skills Career renewal Caring for yourself . . . including a set of comprehensive resources that offer additional tools for self-assessment and taking action. A unique and useful new guide that offers school leaders at all levels an important opportunity for professional development and personal reflection.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. Meeting the Dragon: Getting Acquainted Good and Bad Stress: A Matter of Perception Stress Tolerance Common Sources of Stress Normal Stress The Burnout Syndrome Burnout and Rustout Summary 2. Provoking the Dragon: Stress Triggers Internally Generated Stress The Contributions of Gender to Stress Ethnicity and Stress Workplace Factors Summary 3. Confronting the Dragon Within: Mental Restructuring Planning for Life′s Journey Charting a Course Getting Rid of Perfectionism Slowing the Pace Adjusting the Lens Discarding Trivial Stressors Putting Worries in Perspective Focusing on Success Summary 4. Housebreaking the Dragon: Altering Personal Behaviors Taking Care of Yourself: Health and Spirituality Feeding the Spirit Sharing Time With Friends Maintaining Good Health Summary 5. Harnessing the Power: Capitalizing on Work Stress Recognizing Excess Stress Adapt to the Setting Laugh and Encourage Laughter Summary 6. Shrinking the Dragon: Using Time Effectively The Time Crunch Work Overload Train Office Staff Do Important Things First One Bite at a Time Summary 7. When You′re the Dragon: Learning People Skills A People Business Personal Power Develop Communication Skills Conflict Summary 8. Changing Dragons: Career Renewal Career Stress Professional Renewal Revising a Career Changing Careers Summary 9. Making Friends With the Dragon: Taking Care of Yourself Realizing Your Importance Summary Resource A: Responses to Stress Resource B: Realities and Possibilities Resource C: Stress Reduction--An Outline for Personal Change Resource D: Model Action Plan References

About the Author :
Barbara L. Brock is a professor of education at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She has held a variety of positions in education, including education department chair, director of school administration, elementary principal, and K-12 teacher. She presents nationally and internationally on topics of beginning teacher induction, leadership succession, teacher and principal burnout, and educators with disabilities. She is coauthor with Marilyn Grady of Principals in Transition: Tips for Surviving Succession, From First-Year to First-Rate: Principals Guiding New Teachers, Rekindling the Flame: Principals Combating Teacher Burnout, Avoiding Burnout: A Principal’s Guide to Keeping the Fire Alive, and Launching Your First Principalship. She has published in a number of journals, including The Journal of the Mid-Western Research Association, Educational Considerations, Connections, Clearinghouse, and Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice. She received her bachelor of arts degree in art education from Briar Cliff University, a master of arts with a specialty in school administration from Creighton University, and a doctorate in administration, curriculum, and instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Marilyn L. Grady, is professor of educational administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). She is the author or coauthor of 23 books, including From Difficult Teachers to Dynamic Teamwork (2009) with Brock, Getting it Right from the Start (2009) with Kostelnik From First Year to First Rate (2007) with Brock, 194 High-Impact Letters for Busy Principals (2006), 20 Biggest Mistakes Principals Make and How to Avoid Them (2004) and Launching Your First Principalship (2004) with Brock. Her research areas include leadership, the principalship, and superintendent-board relations. She has more than 175 publications to her credit. She is the editor of the Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. Her editorial board service has included Educational Administration Quarterly, International Studies in Educational Administration, International Journal of Learning, Rural Educator, Journal of At-Risk Issues, Journal of School Leadership, Advancing Women in Leadership On-Line Journal, Journal for Rural School and Community Renewal, International Journal of Learning, and Journal for a Just and Caring Education. She is the recipient of the Stanley Brzezinski Research Award, NCPEA’s Living Legend Award, the Donald R. and Mary Lee Swanson Award for Teaching Excellence, UNL’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and UNL’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Status of Women. Grady coordinates an annual conference on women in educational leadership that attracts national attendance and is in its 24th year. She has been an administrator in K-12 schools as well as at the college and university levels. She received her bachelor’s degree in history from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, and her doctorate in educational administration with a specialty in leadership from The Ohio State University.

Review :
 "As I read this book, I found aspects of myself—my personal and professional behavior—on almost every page! I was able to put the coping strategies in the book to immediate use with little effort and great results! A must when our time is so limited."  "School leaders are subjected to stress in all aspects of their work. Brock and Grady present a realistic approach to dealing with stress that can benefit every school leader."