Challenges Faced by Educators After the Pandemic

Did you have a teacher in school who inspired you? Believed in you when you didn't believe in yourself? Encouraged you to achieve things you never thought possible? I did. Guess I was one of the lucky ones. Moving to the US, I've been thinking about education a lot. With kids in both the Middle and Elementary school system, parents both here and in Singapore have been expressing their views about the relative qualities and merits of Californian vs Singaporean schools. But when it comes down to it, what really made a difference to my childhood wasn't modern school facilities, rigorous curriculum, or the abundance of after-school activities, even though they were nice. What made a difference to me were great teachers who cared. Which got me a bit worried. Since the pandemic, teacher vacancies in the US has been increasing substantially - researchers at Kansas State University found 55k vacant positions from 36k before (a 53% increase). My family is new to California, and so far I've admired the way the principals, teachers and guidance counsellors in Palo Alto Unified School District have integrated my kids into their classes. But beyond my immediate experience, the data seem to continue to point to teacher shortages and what Allan Mucerino calls the "single largest superintendent exodus in modern times", with 25% who've left their jobs since 2021 - a rate that's 10% higher than historical data. Gallup data finds that 56% of teachers are not engaged at work, where burnout from the top seems to be gushing through the ranks. This will definitely impact students - if their teachers are unhappy, what chance do they have of inspiring the kids? There seem to be 3 areas of opportunity in the data: 📌 Help teachers do what they do best in their current classrooms. School and district leaders can have more coaching conversations with teaching staff to help them discover what gives them energy and flow at work. This will elevate their interactions with students. 📌 Make it more attractive to teach. The Golden State Teacher Grant program is a step in the right direction, even if it continues to polarize opinions. Giving more autonomy in the classroom once on the job is classic engagement psychology, but it's so applicable here. 📌 Invest more in leadership development and succession planning. Even as districts struggle to fill and retain superintendent positions, more can be done to help leaders at all levels step up. More growth opportunities mean more robust leadership pipelines, more stability, and more career options for educators. Do you feel your state is doing everything it can do set children and our next generation up for success? PS: The photo is of my class in junior year of high school in Singapore, or first year of Junior College locally. Bragging rights for those who can identify the (much) younger me!

It's Teacher Appreciation Week: Let's Address the Elephant in the Room As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week in the US, it's the perfect opportunity to acknowledge that teaching has never been more challenging. As a former teacher and administrator, I now work as a consultant in various educational settings. In this capacity, I've had the privilege of visiting numerous schools, observing classes, and engaging with teachers and leaders, giving me a unique perspective on current educational trends and challenges. Lately, I've noticed a recurring theme: after a classroom observation, the teacher or assistant will approach me, apologetic about some aspect of their environment. They might apologize for students’ behavior, the "mess" in the room, the incomplete materials, or the chaos of an "off" day. My response? "Don't worry, I've seen all of this and more in my visits to other schools!" The teacher exhales, relieved to know they're not alone in their struggles. As we go deeper into the conversation, a common thread emerges: teachers are struggling to cope with the new normal of consistently challenging days. They're overwhelmed and unsure of how to turn things around. Almost without exception, they share a litany of impossible tasks and express nostalgia for the pre-pandemic era, when teaching was demanding but manageable. Every teacher I've spoken with recently has felt the strain of doing more with less - not just in terms of tangible resources, but also emotional bandwidth. The consensus is clear: the status quo is unsustainable. Teaching has never been easy, but the current demands have made it incredibly difficult for many. Teachers are facing a surge in students needing accommodations, modifications, and individualized academic and mental health support, accompanied by an increase in documentation, written communication, and new technology requirements. Without additional support for these expectations, teachers are feeling overwhelmed and undervalued. To all the teachers out there, please know that you're rock stars! Many of us who were once in your shoes see you giving your all, every single day. You deserve our support and appreciation. Don't apologize for your environment not being perfect – the overwhelm you feel is a sign of a profession in crisis, not your own failure. The unsolvable problems you experience daily require a collective response, a societal response, not an individual one. Most teachers are resourceful and dedicated professionals; if you could have single-handedly found solutions to your ongoing challenges, you would have. It's long overdue for the decision-makers to come together to address the systemic issues facing our education system. #teacherappreciation

90% of educators have said that prospective teachers look at the current workload and end up choosing another career. Demands on teachers have reached critical levels and credentialing programs are virtually empty because of it. The normal teacher work week exceeds 54 hours and only 37% of educators feel they have even the slightest of control over their schedules. This extensive and unsustainable workload - along with the continuing lack of autonomy - deeply contributes to the challenges faced by teachers these days. Every week, teachers have to: 1️⃣ Plan lessons 2️⃣ Connect with parents and administrators 3️⃣ Attend meetings that could have been emails 4️⃣ Run active shooter drills 5️⃣ Participate in professional development sessions 6️⃣ Learn new software and curriculum 7️⃣ Deal with out of control students 8️⃣ Complete grading and standardized testing There is just too much work and too little pay, understanding, or respect to put up with it. ➡ Why is anyone surprised that educators are leaving in droves and fewer are coming in to take their place now? The profession is imploding on itself. #Education #teacherretention #workload #edxit #careerchange #linkedin

Teacher turnover peaked in 2022, but a new report shows that teacher retention is still far below pre-pandemic norms. Most of us with kids in school know this to be the case from our own experience. Teacher turnover has a disruptive effect on schools. When a teacher leaves, the school loses institutional knowledge, some students lose their favorite and most-trusted face at school, and other teachers are often moved to a new grade or classroom to fill gaps. Researchers have linked the loss of teachers to lower student test scores. There are many challenges facing educators in a post-Covid environment: schools have a chronic absenteeism crisis, political tensions have found their way to school boards and classrooms across the country, teacher pay has not kept pace with inflation (and was already too low before that compounding factor), and kids, also still affected by the seismic shifts of the last several years, are bringing more behavioral problems to school. These problems are solvable. They can and must be addressed. Our future depends on children's needs being met by educators who are themselves supported by their communities. What are your ideas for what we can do at all levels -- from our own neighborhoods to our statehouses -- to support our teachers? https://lnkd.in/gdgxrTNj

The 2024 Merrimack College Teacher Survey just came out and it's a bombshell. While we are rightly focused on kids' mental health, what about the teachers? I spoke to a CMO leader last week, and she said, "We are just getting out of COVID mode from a staff standpoint. There was deep trauma, isolation, fear, and hurt, and we had to take the time to work through it." The study raises more questions than answers, but the biggest one is how can we solve the teacher shortage when 1/2 teachers are reporting negative mental health outcomes? Some other takeaways: 🔻 Job Satisfaction Decline: Teacher job satisfaction continues to drop, with only 18% of public school teachers being "very satisfied." 🧠 Connection Between Teacher and Student Mental Health: Teachers who struggle with their own mental health are more likely to say their students' mental health is negatively impacting classroom learning and behavior. 🙏 Inadequate Support: Both teacher and student mental health support are lacking. Most schools do not offer sufficient mental health programming for teachers, and half of the teachers say schools need more counselors, psychologists, and social workers to assist students. 🏫 Administrative Support is Crucial: Teachers highlighted that leadership plays a vital role in their mental well-being, but only 11% of public school teachers feel their principals provide significant support. Teachers emphasize the importance of feeling valued and supported by their school leaders. Recommendations for Improvement: 🎒 Schools should increase access to student mental health counseling. 🆘 Teachers need more mental health programming, with a specific focus on pay raises and bonuses to reduce financial stress. 🍎 Administrators should support teachers with student discipline, reduce paperwork burdens, and provide mental health days. 🍏 Impact on Policy and Leadership: Teachers recommend that aspiring administrators be trained to support teacher well-being by fostering a positive school climate, understanding the challenges teachers face, and providing meaningful support. Edtech Insiders Alex Sarlin #educators #education