1. 80% of educators indicate that burnout is a serious problem.

Yep, there’s no doubt about it. After three years of pandemic teaching, overwhelming workloads, and large class sizes, we’re burned out. Many of us work into the night and on weekends just so we don’t fall behind. With 80% of teachers saying burnout is a serious problem, we need to seriously reevaluate teacher workload, schedules, and pay.

2. 55% of educators now indicate that they are ready to leave the profession earlier than planned.

Why are so many teachers who previously considered themselves career educators leaving? It could be the lack of support, the constant work, and struggle with student behavior issues. When schools and districts are losing educators, they need to be reflective in order to make a change and retain the people who will make an impact on their students.

3. 80% of educators say that taking on more work due to unfilled job openings within their district is a serious problem.

Staff shortages are a problem. Teachers aren’t the only ones leaving education. Custodians, paraprofessionals, and cafeteria workers are also leaving schools. Teachers are picking up the slack in trying to make up for these lost staff members. Even instructional coaches are having to fill in for teachers because there is also a substitute teacher shortage. Educators often aren’t able to do the job they’ve been hired to do.

4. 78% of educators say that low pay is a serious issue for teachers.

Can we pay teachers more? It’s no secret that teachers aren’t paid well. What’s interesting about teachers’ salaries, however, is that they vary across the country. And there are even some instances where teachers make less in certain states, but they’re required to do more after contract hours. We need uniformity around teacher salaries across the country, and we also need to value teachers’ time. Let’s give our teachers a wage that they can actually live on comfortably.

5. 76% of educators feel student behavioral issues are a serious problem.

We’ve always dealt with student behavior issues, but many teachers feel behavior issues are on the rise. What we need to alleviate this burden is support from administrators. School and district administrators should make every effort to make sure classrooms are balanced and that support is offered for challenging behaviors. It’s hard to teach when you’re trying to manage misbehaviors all day long.

6. 76% of educators feel that lack of respect from parents and the public is a serious problem.

There is a lack of respect. How many times have teachers heard, “Oh wow! You get summers off!”? What most people don’t know is that teachers work over the summer to make up for their inadequate salaries. Teachers also have to handle mistrust from parents and the public. Books are being banned, lessons are being censored, and curriculum is being dictated by school boards all because the public doesn’t trust teachers to make decisions about them on their own. Let’s not forget to mention the overwhelming amount of helicopter parents that infiltrate our schools thinking that they know more about education than educators. When teachers are being restricted on so many levels and autonomy becomes obsolete, it’s no wonder so many are leaving the profession. If we listen to our teachers’ voices and rely on their experiences, our schools will be a much more positive and inviting place.

7. 92% of educators support hiring more support staff.

We need more support. Not just administrators, but with paraprofessionals, playground aides, and other adults around campus. Support staff doesn’t only support the teachers, they also support the students. School districts should take a look at their funding and use allocated funds to get support from qualified individuals—not more computer programs.

8. 84% of educators support hiring more counselors and school psychologists.

Most educators support hiring more counselors and school psychologists. Some school districts have laid off counselors during a time when more counselors are needed. Not only do students need more support, but teachers also need the help of counselors to support their students. Hiring more counselors and school psychologists can help to create a more positive school culture. Counselors can visit classrooms, teach lessons about social-emotional awareness, and be one more trusted adult for students to rely on.

9. 94% of educators want more student health and behavioral support.

Since we’re seeing so many more challenging student behaviors, it’s evident that students need more health and behavioral support. Students need explicit instruction in how to handle emotions, how to deal with problems in social situations, and so much more. In today’s world, students are coming to school not only to learn academics, but also how to handle their emotions. Supporting students in these areas can help teachers have more productive learning time in their classrooms.

10. 87% of educators support less standardized testing.

It’s understood that state testing is a federal mandate, but why do districts add more unnecessary testing to teachers’ already jam-packed schedules? If the district-mandated testing isn’t helping to inform instruction, then it has to go. We’d be much better off having more time to implement instructional strategies than giving a test just for the sake of giving a test.

11. Only 10% of educators would strongly recommend the profession to a young adult.

Teachers are so unhappy that they wouldn’t recommend teaching as a profession. How can we get others into a profession if those currently teaching are telling them to stay away? Teachers are warning others that teaching is not an easy profession and that it’s not for everyone. Twenty-two percent of teachers surveyed said another reason they’d warn others to stay away is because the compensation and benefits are not sufficient.

12. Only 30% of teachers are satisfied with their current position.

Adapting instruction due to the pandemic, while also keeping up with lesson planning, grading, student behaviors, and professional development, has left teachers less satisfied with their positions. Although teachers still enjoy working with children and sharing their knowledge, they’re not happy about the stress and lack of respect the profession is subject to.

13. 65% of educators agree the bureaucracy interferes with teaching.

Administration and boards of education are out of touch with what actually happens in a classroom. They don’t know how to teach or how students learn. Teachers feel the enjoyment of learning has been sucked out of education with the need to push curriculum.

14. 78% of teachers feel symptoms of stress and depression.

Teachers have been dealing with job-related stress due to instructional changes, teaching remotely, and supporting students’ social and emotional learning. The top sources of teacher stress were related to teaching in person and remotely at the same time during the pandemic. Having more structure and guidance from the administrative level could have helped to alleviate this stress.

Reference: https://www.weareteachers.com/teacher-shortage-statistics/?fbclid=IwAR0AKOiEzSgx09yt1KfwumsvWGCyvbGvZkZgC3MxqbO5ZvKt94AvgZ7aufc

Boundaries. We all know we need them, in our personal lives and in our classrooms, but are we actually implementing them? If you are like most teachers, you’d do anything for your students, and you probably do more than you should on a regular basis. We may think we’re doing our students a favor, but overworking ourselves on unnecessary tasks is a direct path to burnout. It’s time we recheck ourselves and figure out what tasks we can give back to students. This not only empowers them to solve their own problems, as well as taking care of themselves and others, but alleviates some of the load teachers carry so we can do important things like, you know, teach! We also know that some age groups, students with special needs, and other exceptions come up. Keep helping those kids with the tasks they need. But for the others, they may be relying too much on you. Check out these 10 tasks you may not even know you are doing for students, that they can do themselves.

1. Coats, gloves, and shoes, oh my!

Anyone who has their own small child at home knows what a task it can be to get them ready to go outside. There are shoes, gloves, hats, socks, coats, and more. Multiply that by 25 kids, and you will spend until your lunch break just dressing kids.

2. Sharpening their pencils

If they don’t like sharpening them, everyone’s second choice should be mechanical pencils, not asking you to do a task that even a preschooler can complete.

3. Doubling as the school nurse

While you may be tempted to check a student’s bruise, cut, headache, bellyache, and other bumps and lumps, it’s not your job. Instead, if it’s more than handing out a Band-Aid, send them to the nurse. Let’s stay in our lanes.

4. Cooking, heating, and cutting food

With more students staying put in one classroom through the pandemic, you may find yourself eating with your students. That doesn’t mean they should be handing you their pasta to warm up for them. If you do have a microwave you allow kids to use, show them the buttons once and let them have at it! (Maybe review that no foil in the microwave suggestion though!)

5. Finding the owner of “no-name” papers

If you are still listing off students who didn’t turn in an assignment or trying to match the no-name papers with their owners, it’s time to stop. Throw them in a no-name drawer or pin them to a board and watch the kids go. If they want the points, they will find their assignments.

6. Cleaning up project supplies

Make enough time at the end of the project to give students their own clean-up time and process. Nobody should be leaving unless it’s clean, and that doesn’t mean you are the maid who needs to do it.

8. Chasing down missing work

If a student is missing an assignment, it’s their job to figure it out and turn it in. Whatever grading system you use will clearly communicate this to them. If you find yourself verbally reminding them, especially more than once, it’s time to give the choice back to them.

7. Acting as a human spellchecker

Sure, kids may act like they don’t know what a dictionary is (totally valid, it’s 2021) but they sure do know how to Google, ask their devices, or check with the classroom Alexa.

9. Carrying their stuff

You are not a pack mule, and you do not need to carry backpacks or other supplies for students. This is a great chance for them to learn to ask each other for help to work as a team.

10. Providing answers to questions they can find themselves

Just like you aren’t a human spellcheck, you also aren’t Google. If you answer each question for them, they won’t rely on each other for collaboration, and they sure won’t become the expert researchers you hope they will become by college and life beyond.

Any of these sounds familiar? Shake off that I’m-the-teacher guilt, and return the responsibility of basic, everyday tasks to your students!

Reference: https://www.boredteachers.com/post/tasks-teachers-need-to-ditch?fbclid=IwAR1xg5VZ6HBPDg68C6QbMW1l-7Bze3eCesxd10Jt0kzdNv17tgyo6FCTqZ4

1. Find a friend at school.

Perhaps the most helpful thing you can do is make a friend at your school site. Someone who “gets it” and understands that this is not just normal stress you are dealing with here. Someone you can text at any time to help you through a difficult moment or an oncoming panic attack. You want someone who will not only listen to you when you’re having a bad day but someone who can also step in your room to watch your students if you need to take five.

2. Explore available resources.

Check with your union leadership about resources that might be available through your city or county health services. For example, Los Angeles County offers free mental health services to educators. It is likely that similar services are available in your area.

3. Get professional help.

Start with an honest conversation with your primary care physician. They can refer you to a therapist or, if necessary, prescribe medication. Your PCP can be your greatest help in managing your anxiety.

4. Read some good books.

There are some great books out there that can help you manage your anxiety. A few that I would recommend are The Relaxation Response and Mind over Mood. Both offer very practical strategies.

5. Be ready for a bad day.

Depending on the severity of your anxiety, chances are you may find yourself in the middle of an anxiety attack during the school day. Or if not a full-blown attack, you are likely to have a bad day every now and then. Have a set of emergency lesson plans for those days when you’re having a bad day, lesson plans for group work or individual seatwork that students can do without you. Essentially, be your own sub for the day. This keeps your students engaged and learning, but gives you a break from being “on” all day without having to take a sick day.

6. Take care of yourself.

Your body can be a delicate ecosystem and the slightest disruptions to eating, sleeping, or exercise patterns can spell trouble. There is a ton of research that shows the importance of good sleep hygiene, proper diet, and exercise when it comes to your mental health. I know it’s difficult to do these things as a teacher; teaching is a stressful job that can keep us up late at night. But do your best to maintain healthy habits.

7. Use your sick days when you need to.

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. You would call in sick or leave early if you had a bad cold or the flu, so don’t be hesitant to take a “mental health” day (or two) if you need to. And there is no need to feel bad or feel the need to apologize for doing so. You cannot give your best to your students if you are not in good health, physically or mentally.

8. How to handle an anxiety/panic attack at school.

An anxiety attack or panic attack can happen at any time. The first, and most important thing is to recognize what is happening to you. You are having a panic or anxiety attack. Next, practice your mindfulness techniques. Take slow, deep breaths (there are a number of apps to help with this). Sit down and close your eyes for a moment, or focus your gaze on an object in the room (give students a seatwork assignment or a topic to discuss in groups while you do this). If necessary, text or call your buddy to cover your class for a few minutes so you can take a short walk or go to the restroom to splash cold water on your face.

Teaching with anxiety can be difficult, but with the right supports in place, it is definitely manageable. 

Also, keep in mind that many of our students struggle with stress and anxiety. Whether it is due to external stressors in their lives or an actual diagnosable disorder, our students are dealing with a lot of mental health issues. Our own struggles can be a source of empathy and understanding. 

Reference: https://www.boredteachers.com/post/teaching-with-anxiety-is-hard-8-tips-to-help-you-cope?fbclid=IwAR1duOshYJcdKqXp1Hep7vNZrzy91i2OypeE1VMeMZWMNUk0vsBIUloKPcQ