Teaching is a tough job. In the past few years, it’s become increasingly difficult due to various environmental, societal, political and administrative demands.
That means our teachers are pushed to or past their capacity by families who require more and support less. They have been asked to be the parent in absentia and take on roles and responsibilities previously held by extended families, social services, communities, mental health professionals and churches. Political leaders have created additional expectations and quality metrics for public school teachers while simultaneously refusing to mandate those same stipulations for non-public schools, all under the dangerous misnomer of “school choice.”
Administrators (yes, me included) have asked teachers to “level up” and create essential standards, formative assessments and collaborate with peers during professional learning times, prioritizing that work above other commitments. They’re also expected to remain professional despite personal attacks, social media half-truths and parent group pressures to reframe and reconfigure their workload and daily schedules.
A landmark survey by the National Education Association in 2022 showed an astounding 55% of teachers were considering leaving the profession earlier than they had originally planned. Despite a more positive RAND survey just released that shows only 16% of teachers plan to leave their jobs in 2025, teachers are more likely than other similar working professionals to experience poor well-being on key indicators. The top reported sources of job-related stress include low salaries, administrative work outside of teaching, supporting students’ mental well-being and spending too many hours working outside of contract time.
Even when teachers don’t leave the profession, it doesn’t mean they’re on a solid footing. Teacher burnout is defined as “a condition in which an educator has exhausted the personal and professional resources necessary to do the job” and K-12 teachers are the No. 1 most burnt-out profession in the United States according to a 2022 Gallup Poll. Nationally, this has led to 85% of teachers reporting that their jobs are “unsustainable” with the current conditions and 30% of teachers found to be chronically absent.
Nodaway Valley and CAM schools are not immune to these pressures or statistics. Our teachers are experiencing many of these factors despite what we know to be supportive communities. Our administrators and board members are intentional about setting the conditions for success for our teachers as they set students up for success. However, we can’t mitigate the factors that are out of our control.
I am immensely proud of our teaching staff and the high standards they set for themselves. To boil it down, our schools are made by the staff that serve our students. During this holiday season, some of our teachers get a lot of love. Like Ralphie’s gigantic fruit basket in “A Christmas Story,” many of our teachers have desks filled with coffee mugs, candles and ornaments from students and families. I may not speak for all teachers, but what often means more is a simple note, email or personal discussion letting them know that they are appreciated and seen. When you have a minute between your hustling and bustling this holiday season, please reach out and thank a teacher for the monumental things they do for society and the millions of little gifts they give our kids every day.