Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

7-1-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Curriculum & Instruction

First Advisor

Pierre Lu

Second Advisor

Ignacio Rodriguez

Third Advisor

Janine M. Schall

Abstract

The purpose of this autoethnographic study is to understand and examine teacher burnout and resilience through my lived experiences from a traditional high school classroom teacher to virtual school counselor in the South Texas border region. Using Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands Theory and Christina Maslach’s Burnout Theory as guiding theoretical frameworks helped me analyze and reflect on how burnout, identity reconstruction, and institutional pressures shaped my professional and personal identity. Transitioning from classroom teacher to virtual school counselor placed me in a new professional role while giving me the opportunity to reconstruct my identity as an educator. This transitioning shift gave me the opportunity to move between languages, expectations, and professional identity. This autoethnographic study uses reflective narrative inquiry to help me connect my lived experiences and understand that burnout is not caused by the individual but is a response to the structural pressures of the borderland’s expectations. Aside from examining burnout, I also reflected on how resilience and hope can develop after transitioning to a different professional role. Overall, this autoethnographic study further explores tension, identity, and growth in an educational space.

Comments

Copyright 2026 Clarissa Ann Botello. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3409002832

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