It’s 9:30 p.m. A teacher checks their email before heading off to bed. Unfortunately, they’ve received a message from a parent who is angry about an interaction the teacher had with their child earlier that day. The child’s perception of the interaction is skewed, and the parent wants to discuss the situation. The email was sent at 6:30, and the teacher feels guilty for not seeing it until now.

Additionally, what is upsetting is that the child did not accurately describe the interaction, but it’s too late, because the teacher is obsessing about the situation. They are in a full-on feedback loop situation, and cannot turn it off despite all of the deep breathing they try. Their body is aching, their eyes are heavy, but the guilt of not being able to have the conversation right now won’t let them rest.

Sound familiar?

This example is all too common. It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about checking email, grading papers, or updating lesson plans, educators are being consumed by a relentless cycle of overwork that’s celebrated, even rewarded, in many school cultures. They feel like they need to give their cellphone number to parents and answer texts from their principal at any time of day.

Of course, their principal feels that they have to give out their phone number to the community, and when they receive a text from their superintendent, they feel they need to answer it regardless of whether they are having dinner with their family or at baseball practice watching their children.

This isn’t dedication, it’s toxic productivity.

The Productivity Trap in Education
Toxic productivity is the compulsive drive to be constantly busy or productive, often at the expense of well-being. We have all seen the posts on social media that say, “No one cares. Work harder.” It’s a sad statement that only exacerbates a cycle of insecurity for those who are already working too hard, and we should all care about it.

In education, it manifests in ways that appear admirable: the teacher who stays late every night, the principal who answers emails on weekends, or the instructional coach who never says no.

Beneath this facade of commitment lies a very dangerous pattern. When doing more becomes the goal, regardless of whether it’s meaningful, sustainable, or healthy, we begin to lose what made us educators in the first place: our clarity of purpose, creativity, and human connection.

Why Educators Fall Into the Trap
We once had an assistant superintendent tell us that parents in their community wanted to see teachers’ cars in the parking lot as those parents made their way home at night. It seemed strange that as one person got to go home, they wanted to see others still at work. In another example, we had a superintendent say that he knows his principals are burned out and he wanted to do something about it. Later in the conversation he celebrated a principal who works on weekends. Putting in long hours doesn’t equate to hard work; impact does.

Educators are vulnerable to toxic productivity for several reasons:

1. Cultural Expectations - We celebrate the tireless teacher who sacrifices personal time for the greater good. “You’re a teacher, it’s a calling.”
2. External Pressures - Mandates around testing, performance, evaluations, and curriculum pacing create the illusion that more effort equals better results.
3. Internal Drive - Many educators are deeply passionate. That passion, when coupled with perfectionism or fear of letting others down, easily turns into overcommitment.

Recognizing the Opportunities for Balance
We all know that there are seasons in education when extra hours are necessary. But maintaining a breakneck pace every single day isn’t a requirement for impact, it’s a recipe for burnout.

When we begin to prioritize performance over presence, we find the space to be both impactful and energized.

Consider these opportunities for reflection:

• Do you feel uneasy when you’re not working?
• Are late nights and weekend hours becoming your norm?
• Do you equate being tired with being successful?
• Have your personal relationships or health taken a back seat?
• Is it difficult to say no, even when your plate is full?

If any of these resonate, it might be time to reimagine what productivity means to you—not as more work but as more meaningful work done with clarity and care.

The Ripple Effect of Healthy Practices in Schools
When educators prioritize well-being, the benefits extend far beyond their individual needs. A culture of productivity that can be sustained based on balance creates a ripple effect that strengthens schools from the inside out.

• Morale - When rest and renewal are normalized, collaboration and joy become more present in daily interactions.
• Teacher/administrator retention improves - Educators are more likely to stay when they feel supported, energized, and aligned with their purpose.
• Creativity - Well-rested teachers bring creativity, curiosity, and deeper engagement to their students.

School communities thrive when teachers, staff, leaders, and students feel connected and cared for, as opposed to burned out and exhausted.

How can schools create a balanced culture?
Creating lasting impact isn’t about doing more, it’s about having impact, and sometimes, that means going deeper with less. Sustainable productivity allows us to maintain excellence without sacrificing mental health and well-being.

Here are some positive steps educators and leaders can take:

• Clarify Your Priorities: What brings the most value to students and our own growth? What can be streamlined, paused, or de-implemented?
• Protect Your Time: Establish tech-free evenings, unplug on weekends, and honor your need for recovery. Leaders need to model this with transparency. We are all overconnected, and it negatively impacts us.
• Celebrate Deep Work, Not Just Busy Work: Highlight stories of meaningful teaching, thoughtful reflection, and team collaboration, and not just packed calendars.
• Lead with Intention: When school leaders prioritize well-being and balance, they give others permission to do the same. That leadership is transformative.
• Book Club - Consider reading the Anxious Generation as a book club and take action steps.

Sustainable productivity isn’t just possible—it’s powerful. It leads to greater focus, stronger relationships, and lasting progress.

Reframing Purpose
Sometimes, we overwork ourselves because we are trying to avoid other situations in our lives, like our personal relationships or loneliness. Other times, it’s because our identities are so wrapped up in what we do and not who we are, because we haven’t taken time to really discover who we are, so we work. Lastly, perhaps we drive ourselves into the ground because we are looking for validation from others that we are good at what we do, because internally we make ourselves feel like we are not.

No one entered education to be exhausted. We stepped into this work because we wanted to positively impact the learning and lives of students and we wanted to grow in our own learning development. In order to do that, we need to start finding better balance. Toxic productivity doesn’t serve students or schools. Balanced, intentional effort does.