READFIELD (WGME) -- Some schools in central Maine are adjusting their schedules to help teachers avoid burnout.
Inside the classroom, the pandemic is taking a toll on teachers.
“It’s difficult,” Readfield Elementary Principal Jeffrey Boston said.
“People are super stressed out, they’re tired,” RSU 38 Superintendent Jay Charette said. “I’ve never heard the word ‘burnout’ and now I’m hearing the word ‘burnout.’”
Charette says two teachers have quit this year due to being forced to switch between remote and in-person learning.
“Specifically saying things like, ‘I just can’t do this anymore,’ and that’s frightening,” Charette said.
This week, 26 students in the district tested positive and about 100 are in quarantine.
“It’s kind of like every time you think you’re over the hump, something comes up,” Charette said.
The district is now adding seven early release days for teachers to plan ahead and focus on their mental health.
Boston says it’s important they support their teachers in this way.
“It gives an opportunity for teachers to take a breath, work with each other,” Boston said.
Other districts nearby, like Winthrop, are doing the same.
The superintendent there says in an email that they’ve added early release days each Wednesday.
That starts in just two weeks.
“We know how important keeping kids in school is, and I know it’s a big ask for communities to do that,” Charette said.
The first early release day will be December 22.