There’s never been a more stressful time to be a teacher. I say that as someone who worked in K-12 schools for more than 20 years, first as a teacher and then as a principal.
Educators enter the profession out of a passion for teaching and helping kids, but today, they’re leaving in large numbers. Between 2020 and 2022, about 300,000 public school teachers and staff quit. K-12 teachers have the highest burnout rate of any profession. Nearly a third are considering leaving the profession.
For the sake of the next generation, school districts and local governments need to figure out how to keep teachers in classrooms. Improved salaries would help — teachers are underpaid. But even that wouldn’t entirely solve the problem. We need to turn schools back into places where teachers want to be. Many of these institutions are no longer havens for learning. Pressure on teachers has mounted over the years as society has made them scapegoats in cultural and political battles. They face unprecedented criticism from parents and governmental officials.
Stressors are also increasing inside. Schools are growing more violent. Since the pandemic, 38% of K-12 schools have seen an increase in physical violence between students, 45% have seen an increase in threats, and 37% report an increase in bullying.
The teacher shortage, along with staff cuts, force those who remain to take on more responsibilities, mostly supervising morning drop-off, recess, or afterschool programs. Most teachers can’t afford to spend more time on the job. Already, more than 80% of teachers have worked a second job to help cover living expenses.
Burnout is a downward spiral. It drives teachers away, which increases the workload — and the burnout — of those who stay.
Of course, the elephant in the classroom is money. Local and state governments must allocate more funding to their public schools.
Instead, states like Connecticut and Utah are slashing education budgets. Tennessee, South Carolina, and Oklahoma are considering rejecting billions in federal education funding — nearly $200 billion in COVID-era federal aid is set to expire soon. In Texas, lawmakers failed to approve teacher pay increases despite a $38.7 billion surplus.
We need to increase school funding to retain teachers and attract more, but how we go about using funds is just as important. Schools should prioritize hiring assistant teachers and tutoring services.
Even schools dealing with budget cuts can make changes to support their teachers. For instance, administrators can show teachers they value their expertise by standing behind their decisions when dealing with quarrelsome parents.
It also makes a difference to respect their time. When I was a teacher, I’d often be up by 5 a.m., at school by 6:30 a.m., and home at 6 p.m., all while juggling family responsibilities — and preparing the next day’s lesson on my own time.
It doesn’t cost any money to have administrative staff take turns covering morning drop-off or lunch supervision. As a principal, I provided teachers with meals donated by local restaurants, freeing up time after work so they could enjoy dinner at home with their families.
If we care about children, we have to nurture their teachers. Too many have lost the joy of educating. By respecting their time and improving their workplaces, we can bring that joy back.
A version of this story originally appeared in the Dallas Morning News.
Emily McGinnis is the K-12 education market manager at KI, a global furniture manufacturer in Wisconsin. She previously spent 21 years as a teacher and principal in North Carolina and holds master’s degrees in teaching and school administration from Wingate University.
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