This article discusses teacher burnout which scholars define as a condition caused by depersonalization, exhaustion, and a diminished sense of accomplishment. A psychological model of how stress leads to burnout describes it as a syndrome resulting from teachers' inability to protect themselves against threats to their self esteem and well-being. In this model, teachers' coping mechanisms are activated to deal with demands. When those coping mechanisms fail to stem the demands then stress increases and threatens the teachers' mental and physical well-being, ultimately leading to teachers quitting or burning out. Because many of the conditions that determine teacher effectiveness lie outside of their control and a high level of continual alertness is required, teaching is a high-stress job.