Teachers have long been recognized as a professional group at high risk of burnout. Through the lens of three "snapshots" of teachers from Serbia, we explore the role of contextual factors in shaping teacher wellbeing and burnout.
The first snapshot, taken in 2010—ten quiet years after the so-called October Revolution—revealed that teachers perceived their profession as hardworking, energetic, reliable, sincere, honest, and intelligent, as assessed by an adapted version of the Jennifer Aaker Brand Personality Scale. On a higher-order level, teaching was characterized by uniqueness, modernity, and excitement. Teachers were moderately satisfied with their jobs; although salaries were perceived as low, they were rarely cited as a reason to leave the profession.
The second snapshot, from 2023, followed a tragic school shooting in which ten people were killed. Preventive measures introduced afterward imposed additional responsibilities and emotional demands on teachers. Using the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), we identified low to moderate levels of burnout across the sample.
The third snapshot, from 2025, captured the so-called Students' Uprising—a period of widespread public protests triggered by the collapse of a newly refurbished train-station canopy in Novi Sad that killed sixteen people. This political turmoil further reduced teachers' job autonomy, increased administrative workload, and heightened job insecurity—particularly among those employed on temporary contracts who participated in protests. Job insecurity was significantly associated with burnout, while perceived organizational support served as a protective factor. However, political polarization within schools deepened divisions among teachers.
These three moments illustrate how shifting social and political contexts continuously shape the wellbeing of teachers. We argue that the decades-long cascade of systemic collapse—symbolized by the fall of a single railway-station canopy—reflects a broader disintegration of dignity and wellbeing within the teaching profession and raises questions about career sustainability