When you teaching 60 students a week,
from 3:30 - 9:00 pm, weeks after weeks throughout the whole year, even you are patient and passionant about teaching and music, you probably will feel the burning of teaching, honestly, it gets old.

What will you do to keep a healthy attutide in this situtation?

Hi,
First thing to do is to cut back your workload if you can afford it. There are only so many hours of good teaching a week in any teacher, and you may need to scale it back a bit in order to stay positive.
Doing something non piano related like walking or playing tennis for a few hours will help you get your mind off the load for awhile so you can re-attack your work.
I also play gigs at night on the weekends where my students can come see what I have been teaching put to use. Great way to socialize and keep everything moving forward.

Been there, done that...
and burned out.

I would also suggest having something else in your life that you are passionate about to help balance things and maybe cut back to teaching 3-4 full days.

Roberta

Network with other piano teachers.

Take vacations.

What others said about having non-piano interests.

Read the "Smelly Student" thread, and count your blessings.

Can't affort to cut back, I have to have 55 students weekly and year around to even be able to afford the basics to stay alive.

I have found that practice and exercise in the mornings gave me great deal of energy, so that I can survive with the endless students from afternoon to evening.

I am required to be in 3 performances over the year with the school that I am working for, don't want to increase that.

Teaching is not very glmaoures as I initially thought, next life, I would consider doing something very different.

I love teaching, but I did get very burnt out a few years ago! I used to teach about 50 students a week, plus theory classes at a university as well as starting my own music company. (I also had a young family of 3 children and a very patient husband)

Needless to say, I got burnt out! I took a 2 year break in teaching so that I could focus on my family and traveling for my business and that really seemed to do the trick! I now limit my studio to 10 students a week with each student getting a 40 min lesson 3 times a month and a 1 hour group lesson once a month. It has been HEAVEN!!! I'm back to loving what I do.

I also run everyday and have become passionate about running. I've completed 3 marathons in the past year and a half and can't wait to do more. Running is my therapy!

I'm also very active in my MTNA chapter which keeps me in touch with local peers.

Good luck! I remember well how you feel. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Charlene

Ah, you work in a "music academy."

Do you have a secondary instrument, like violin or guitar? You can start teaching group violin in your home. That might allow you to cut back a little.

Either that or start group tutoring K-5 Math. and English.

yeah...music academy in which teaching involves getting paid to hear them practice, displine, offer tips on how to practice, rather than talking about music.

I think, the best thing music teachers can do is to work for themselves. In fact, that's what I think in general, that everyone should work for themselves.

So start off slow. Teach one or two students at home and see how it goes. You never know.

Get inspired, get in a position to tolerate a little risk, be OK with the fact that you're gonna be OK eating tuna out of a can for a few meals a week, or that you're not gonna be getting a new pair of jeans for a year. It's OK!

I refuse to eat tuna out of a can for few weeks, or no shopping for several years.

I think music is a wonderful subject, either teaching or performing, somehow this society looks it very differently, from 4 years of teaching experience, I feel ppl just in general doesn't respect their piano teacher as their doctor or lawyer, why? what's the difference between these ocuptions? we are an elite group that has special skills.

Working for yourself sounds like a good idea, however until you get to the details, that you have to face your students as their teacher, the payment collector, the scheduler, the recital organizor, and on top of that, trying to be their friend too, it gets way too complicated than you anticipated initially.

If teaching is your only income, excludes the occasional paid performance opportunities you may have throughout the year, starting with 1-2 students and see how it goes is going to eat you up, especailly nothing else is going slow, rent, gas, food, insurance, it is going to tear you apart.

I feel the burning of teaching, I want to maintain a healthy mental stage where I don't think it too negativally, one thing that comes to mind is that at least I am not worried when students tell me that they are off to vacation for 2 month, and I will be panicing for the loose of my 2 month income and despiratly to fill the hole.

Ah! Understandable. I can only encourage you, not make you. Dispel those doubts princess! Get rid of that Hermann's head naysayer sitting on your left shoulder.

1) You're worth it.

2) You will be OK.

3) Don't be afraid if you don't have "things." They're only things.

4) You have your music, your soul, your sense of self, your confidence.

Control your destiny! You're worth it!