With the school year beginning once again, new research has found that teachers are feeling the burden of their workloads already, with more than three-quarters reporting burnout before the year even starts.
For much of the last five years, different researchers have examined how educators are faring in the workplace after thousands of teachers and school staff left the industry for different careers in the wake of COVID-19 and changing landscapes.
The US Department of Education estimates that from February to May 2020, the economy lost 730,000 local public education jobs, or about 9% of the field overall.
Even worse, a majority of those workers didn’t return as the pandemic came to a close. As of 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were 567,000 fewer educators in public schools than before the pandemic.
Now, amidst staffing shortages, worries about cheating using artificial intelligence, and changing student behaviors, teachers are reporting feelings of burnout at massive levels.
A recent survey from the Connecticut Education Association found that 78% of the 800 teachers surveyed were feeling burnout.
When it comes to why teachers think their industry is facing staffing shortages, 77% said that the level of stress that comes with being an educator was a common detractor.
Even with a summer off to refresh and reset, teachers are coming into this year just as tired as they left last year.
“There is no work-life balance. Here is a silent expectation that you are always on call with the new apps like Parent Square. There’s no turning it off. You’re inundated oftentimes at 9/10 o’clock at night,” Jennifer Rodriguez, a first-grade Connecticut teacher, shared with WFSB, which partnered with the CEA on the survey.
Adam Engel, a high school and middle school history teacher in Minnesota, shared with Audacy that while he loves his job, he’s coming into this year “pragmatic.”
“I took a lot of time over the summer to reflect on what is in and out of my control. I love my job as a teacher, but there are a ton of other responsibilities that I have on my plate that makes teaching difficult. This year, I’m working on setting boundaries,” Engel shared. “I’m going to do everything that is in my power to be the best teacher for my students, but I am also trying to be super conscious about what is actually in my power.”
The survey also highlighted that 67% of educators said that there are too many discipline problems with students and a lack of respect for educators.
Even worse, educators are feeling like pawns in the political landscape, with one side making them the hero and the other the villain.
“I’m exhausted by the public perception that teachers are heroes or villains. On one side of the ideological aisle, I’m a hero that deserves so much more, but nothing seems to happen politically to look at how schools are funded and teachers paid,” Engel said. “On the other, I’m indoctrinating kids, and my job deserves to be privatized.”
But despite the high stress, low pay, disrespect, and every other issue teachers are facing, they continue to do so for the impact they have.
“I’m just a guy who teaches in his hometown. I want to teach and make my community better,” Engel said. “I want to go in and share my passion for history and how we can learn from it and encourage my students to continue the work started by people before them.”
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