A new survey is shedding light on some real (and justifiable) concerns regarding education: teacher burnout. Conducted by GBAO Strategies for The National Education Association (which is the nation’s largest union with nearly close to three million educators), the survey shows that teachers are more burned out than ever thanks to major staff shortages, and 55% of them are ready to ditch teaching all together. Are we surprised? Nope.
First, it’s important to note that teacher shortages have been going on since before the pandemic, especially in subjects like math, science, special education, bilingual education and for substitutes. However, the pandemic has exacerbated the issue which now extends to broader roles like food service workers, bus drivers and school nurses, translating to over half a million fewer educators in the public school system than before.
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“School staffing shortages are not new, but what we are seeing now, is an unprecedented staffing crisis across every job category. This crisis is preventing educators from giving their students the one-on-one attention they need. It is forcing them to give up their class planning and lunch time to fill in for colleagues who are out due to COVID. And, it is preventing students from getting the mental health supports needed,” says National Education Association President Becky Pringle.
Now, on to the survey, which was conducted from Jan. 14-22, 2022. Unsurprisingly, 90% of members say feeling burned out is a serious problem, with 91% saying that stress related to the pandemic is serious for educators specifically. To combat the issue, respondents stated that salary raises, mental health support for students, less paperwork and hiring more teachers and support staff would all go a long way in addressing the burnout issue.
photo: iStock
As recent as this past August, just 37% of educators were planning to leave education sooner than planned. Now that number has skyrocketed to 55%, regardless of age or experience. Pringle continues, “This is a five-alarm crisis. We are facing an exodus as more than half of our nation’s teachers and other school staff are now indicating they will be leaving education sooner than planned…For all they do for our communities, educators need and deserve our collective respect.”
While ultimately our kids’ teachers will make the decision that’s best for their family on whether to stay in education, we can support them as we continue to navigate the pandemic together. You don’t have to wait until Teacher Appreciation week to show them love, empathize and give them a small token of gratitude.
You can read the results of the entire survey here.
––Karly Wood
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