Lesson Objectives

• Reflect on how learned helplessness impacts your career and mindset as an educator.

• Understand why learning and growth are key to reclaiming control and job satisfaction.

• Explore two actionable paths: change your situation or change your mindset.

Do Now

Think about a time when you felt stuck in your teaching career. What made you feel that way? Was it the system, external circumstances, or your own mindset?

What We’re Discussing Today

Learned helplessness is a powerful concept that keeps many educators stuck in positions that make them unhappy or bitter. Let’s break it down:

1. Helplessness—that overwhelming feeling of having no control.

2. Learned—a pattern of behavior developed over time, often enabled and reinforced by others or by external forces.

While the system plays a role, today we’re focusing on what we can control: our own role in getting to where we are.

If you’re feeling unhappy, frustrated, or stuck, there are two actionable options:

1. Change what you’re doing.

2. Change your mindset.

Either path requires learning and growth. Whether you want to create solutions to improve your current situation or transition to a better role, learning is your key to moving forward.

I Do, We Do, You Do

I Do: My Own Experience with Feeling Stuck

I’ve been there—feeling like the system is too big to fight, like my voice doesn’t matter, like I’m stuck in a role where my creativity and skills are wasted. At one point, I realized that waiting for someone else to fix the system wasn’t going to change anything. I had to choose: accept the situation as it was or take action to change it.

In 2018, I chose to leave. You know what finally pushed me to take the leap? I worked as a camp director that summer and met some of the most brilliant and fearless high school students. As I experienced their unapologetic pursuit of excellence, I realized that I had been stuck in this isolated negative feedback loop for years.

Existing. Complaining. Yet doing absolutely nothing about it.

So I left. I briefly made a terrible decision and took a position that was not the right move. But then I had the opportunity to take a district office position at a large school district. I walked into the interview knowing I had a lot to learn, but I knew I could learn anything quickly.

I interviewed with the confidence of someone who had nothing to lose. I knew I was not the most qualified candidate. But I also knew it didn’t matter because my potential outweighed my experience. This was when my mindset shifted.

I focused on learning. I built new skills, took on high impact, low commitment tasks over and over, and developed strong work relationships. That learning gave me the confidence to take ownership of my role and, eventually, my career path. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

I was able to break free. Anyone can do it with the following steps.

We Do: The Path to Taking Charge

Here’s how you can break free from learned helplessness:

1. If you choose to change what you’re doing:

• Focus all your energy on learning skills that allow you to create solutions.

• Look at the problems in your role and ask, “What can I do to fix this?”

• For example, if paperwork is overwhelming, learn how to automate repetitive tasks. If communication is a struggle, explore tools to improve collaboration.

• If you have outgrown your role or outstayed your welcome, start planning your exit. Upscale your LinkedIn, upgrade your resume. Start networking and apply to any job that a) excites you, or b) takes you one step closer to something that excites you.

• You don’t have to find the perfect next role. You need to find better. You should always be earning or learning.

  

2. If you choose to change your mindset:

• Shift from feeling like a victim to feeling empowered.

• Focus on what you can control: your attitude, your boundaries, and how you approach challenges.

• Practice reframing problems as opportunities for growth or learning.

• Consider building a side business. Sometimes dissatisfaction is a result of stagnation. Work on a project that excites you.

Both paths require one critical ingredient: learning. Whether it’s learning to create solutions or learning how to adapt your mindset, growth is the key to reclaiming control of your career.

You Do: Take Action

This week, take one small step:

• Identify one area of your role that makes you feel stuck.

• Decide whether to change the situation or your mindset.

• Set one learning goal to help you move forward.

Think-Pair-Share

• Think about 3 things you can control in your current role.

• Pair up with a colleague to discuss areas where you feel stuck and brainstorm solutions or mindset shifts.

• Share your progress and insights with other Edumators. Let’s support each other in taking charge of our careers.

Exit Ticket

Ready to learn and grow? Join the FREE 30-Day AI & Automation Email Course for Educators to learn how to build solutions tailored to your needs.

Let’s stop feeling stuck and start building the careers and lives we deserve. Together, we can break free.

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