Reducing Teacher Burnout by Andrea

Reducing Teacher Burnout by Andrea - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

As schools nationwide begin to return to how they were before the pandemic, professionals in education are forced to reevaluate issues in the system that were worsened by the effects of remote learning. One of these issues is educator burnout. Life during the pandemic was regarded to be demoralizing and the sudden change to online learning was challenging, especially for teachers. They were forced to transform lesson plans and undertake the nearly impossible task of keeping their students engaged under these unforeseen circumstances. This ultimately led to increased workloads that did little to alleviate preexisting stress from the profession and the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal reported that in the United States, around 300,000 teachers have left the field between February 2020 and May 2022 and this number continues to grow as teacher burnout intensifies.
Staffing shortages create a destructive cycle in which remaining teachers are charged with more work obligations in order to compensate for the loss of staff. Class sizes are increasing as students have to be redistributed to account for the lessening number of teachers. This means that it is more difficult for teachers to keep their classes on track and for each student to receive individual attention from their teachers. Along with this, more students now than ever have gaps in their learning due to struggles during remote learning. This places more pressure on teachers to deliver more curriculum than expected for one school year for students to regain the education they did not receive during the pandemic. These stressors drive more overworked teachers to seek alternative careers to restore their mental health.
Education is one of the most essential fields so I hope to see a healthier and happier work environment for teachers, some of the most integral members of their line of work. To achieve this, schools must provide more support for their educators’ mental health. Many administrations preach “self care” to their employees but do little to enforce work-life balance. Teaching tasks bleed into their off hours and contribute to their helplessness. Schools have to make an effort to survey teachers so they can feel heard and act on their concerns. Lastly, the assistance must be consistent; occasional “Casual Fridays” and occasional teacher work days are no longer enough. For educators to be able to operate well with the administration, they must feel their unwavering support. When the well-being of teachers improves, it comes through in the classroom which will spread to the students. Teachers are the heart of education and schools must take action to create a workplace where they can be the most successful.