🎙️ From Burnout to Breakthrough: How STEM Rekindled My Passion for Teaching

Hey there, welcome back! Today, we’re talking about something real—burnout. That moment when teaching, the thing you once loved, starts feeling more like survival than passion.

Maybe you started your career excited and full of energy, but somewhere along the way, the grading piles, high-intensity behaviors, endless meetings, and testing pressures started to wear you down.

As a principal, one of my biggest priorities is helping teachers break free from the same old routine. I was never the kind of teacher who just followed the curriculum—I was fortunate to have a mentor who showed me the power of making learning concrete, meaningful, and engaging.

One day, I decided to step outside the routine. Instead of following the scripted curriculum to a T, I infused creativity, critical thinking, and art into a lesson. I let my students explore, build, and create—and for the first time in a long time, I saw them light up with excitement. That moment changed everything for me.

So when I became a leader, it was only natural to bring that same mindset into my school. I want to see students doing, questioning, and discovering—not just sitting and listening. Because yes, listening is learning, but true understanding happens when students are actively involved in the process.

And you know what? That energy was contagious.

The excitement reignited their passion for teaching.

That’s what we’re diving into today—how STEM, when done right, can bring joy, creativity, and purpose back into your classroom.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have:
✔ Simple ways to bring student-driven, hands-on learning into any subject
✔ Actionable tips to reduce burnout by shifting the workload from YOU to your students
✔ A fresh perspective on how STEM can make teaching more fun (for you and your students!)

Let’s jump in!

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🎙️ Why Burnout Happens (And How STEM Can Help Fix It)

Burnout isn’t just about feeling tired. It’s about feeling like what you’re doing doesn’t matter. It’s when teaching starts feeling like a never-ending cycle of lesson planning, grading, and classroom management—with less and less time for the real magic: creativity, discovery, and connection.

And let’s be honest—traditional teaching methods can be exhausting.

If you’ve ever been in a curriculum adoption meeting and heard the dreaded words “fidelity to the curriculum”—you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I remember when admin used to walk through classrooms, not to see what students were doing, but to check whether teachers had the ‘right’ posters and vocabulary words on the wall. Never mind if students were engaged or actively learning—what mattered was whether the walls looked a certain way.

It was moments like that when I realized, something was broken.

And here’s the thing—if you feel exhausted standing in front of your class, delivering content, imagine how your students feel sitting there listening to it.

Here’s the shift—when students are actively engaged in their learning, it takes less energy from you to keep them motivated.

I love this metaphor—teaching should be like a tennis match. You throw out a question, and students volley back ideas, pushing their thinking. But I like the idea of those sticky velcro paddles even better. Because sometimes, students need time to process, absorb, and reshape their ideas before they can toss them back out.

Instead of being the one constantly talking, explaining, and leading, STEM allows students to take the lead. They explore, they investigate, they build, and they discover. And suddenly, your role shifts from ‘content deliverer’ to ‘learning facilitator.’

That’s a game-changer.

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🎙️ How STEM Can Bring Joy Back Into Your Teaching

When I first started integrating inquiry-based STEM learning into my classroom, I noticed something incredible.

It wasn’t just that my students were engaged.

I was engaged.

I stopped feeling like I had to control every moment of the lesson. And listen, I’m still Type A, structured, and organized—but instead of prepping endless slide decks, I started setting up challenges and giving students space to figure things out.

And here’s what shocked me—they were MORE successful.

So, how can you bring this shift into your classroom?

Number 1`: Start Small – One Inquiry-Based Lesson at a Time

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t try to overhaul everything overnight. Just swap one traditional lesson for a hands-on, open-ended challenge.

For example, instead of reading a dry passage from the textbook, ask:
“How can I bring this to life in a creative, inquiry-based way?”

Or instead of teaching weather patterns through an article or video, ask:
“How can students explore the effects of different types of weather on different environments?”

Number 2: Use Simple, Everyday Materials

STEM doesn’t have to be expensive! You don’t need robots or fancy tech to make it work. Some of my best lessons have used:
✔ Paper, tape, and scissors, Straws, pipe cleaners,pom-poms, Cardboard, beads, ice, bubbles! All of these things are low cost and can set your students up for exploration. 

Number 3: Let Students Take the Lead

This is the real burnout-buster. The more students are leading the learning, the less you have to manage every second of the lesson.

• Let them ask the questions instead of always giving the answers.
• Give them opportunities to collaborate—even when working through a complex text or math problem.
• Encourage trial and error instead of relying on you for step-by-step instructions.
• Set up reflection opportunities where they respond to and build on each other’s thinking.

When you shift from a teacher-led classroom to a student-driven one, teaching feels lighter, more fun, and more sustainable.

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🎙️ Action Steps to Bring Back the Joy

So what can you do this week to start moving from burnout to breakthrough?

1️⃣ Choose One STEM Lesson to Try – Look at your upcoming lesson plans and swap in a hands-on, inquiry-based challenge.

2️⃣ Use What You Have – No fancy materials needed! Look around your classroom or home for simple items you can use for challenges that promote creativity, innovation, and critical thinking. 

3️⃣ Step Back and Observe – The next time you run a STEM lesson, challenge yourself to talk less and watch more. Let your students take the lead and see how much they can figure out on their own.

And remember—STEM isn’t just about science and technology. It’s about teaching kids how to think, problem-solve, and explore the world in new ways.

When you start seeing learning through their eyes—when you see that spark of curiosity—it reignites the passion for teaching you’ve always had.

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🎙️ Call to Action: Let’s Bring the Fun Back!

So, what’s one way you’re going to bring hands-on, student-driven learning into your classroom this week and ditch that burnout? I’d love to hear from you!

📩 DM me on Instagram @TheLearningProjectJenn and tell me:
“What’s one small shift you’re making to bring the fun back into your teaching?”

🚀 Looking for ready-to-use STEM challenges? I’ve got something for you!

Download my FREE STEM Shift Quick Start Guide—packed with simple, low-prep lesson ideas that will instantly boost engagement! Grab your copy here.

🎙️ And don’t forget to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode packed with easy, powerful STEM strategies!

Because when learning is fun for students, it’s fun for us too.

Let’s bring the joy back to teaching—one STEM challenge at a time! 🚀✨