Approximately 300,000 public school teachers left the profession between February 2020 and May 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Why are they leaving? Could we have seen this coming? Over the past year, many teachers have taken to social media to express their frustration and burnout for this profession. And it appears this has been coming on for some time, exacerbated by the changes brought on by the pandemic.
As we listen to teachers speak out, we find that the reasons are widespread. As a former public school teacher I know many teachers have been afraid to air their grievances for fear of retaliation. I’ve personally known educators who were punished for speaking out. They were given increased workloads, and classes with excessive behavior problems, in order to pressure them to resign. In the past, many teachers have just remained silent. However, working conditions have continued to erode, particularly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The increased workloads, and lack of safety and support, have pushed too many educators to the breaking point.
Changes due to Covid -19
When the pandemic hit in 2020, teachers were forced to learn to teach completely online, without resources and with little help in how to do this. I personally spent the entire summer of 2020 learning to make digital lessons on Google Slides to meet the required standards. It took hours of practice, watching YouTube videos and signing up (and paying for) courses on teaching digitally. No extra pay was offered. I did this on my own dime. What I discovered was that digital lessons were time-consuming to prepare and difficult to grade. I had to turn to the website Teachers Pay Teachers, and pay for extra lessons in order to have what I needed. When school started again in the fall of 2020, I spent many hours checking and grading my digital assignments. I had to wait for each assignment to load, check student work, and comment to students who needed help. Though I was home, teaching from my bedroom, I was working incredibly long hours. At the same time, I had to monitor my disabled son since his day center was closed.
Teachers were grateful they were allowed to continue working and getting paid, while other friends and family members lost their jobs. It was a very stressful time for everyone. But through the increased stress, we were relieved of other stresses of our profession. Student misbehavior was suddenly reduced to zero. Without their peers tempting them to test the limits, students settled down. It was a great relief. (This did not mean students were quietly listening and learning. Many just turned off their cameras and took a nap. With no one to monitor their online behavior, they simply tuned out.) The other area of tremendous relief was the mountain of paperwork we were no longer required to complete. There was no early morning duty or time lost in commuting to work.
Returning to the Classroom in 2021
When we finally returned to the classroom, student behavior became a monster. Students were home for over a year, then suddenly expected to return to school and follow our classroom rules. We dealt with student apathy and a sense of entitlement more pronounced than ever. Students, addicted to their cell phones, refused to give them up. Parents often backed up their kids, with one parent telling me she had paid for the phone, and I was not to touch it. Some parents were texting their kids during class without any clue how disruptive this was to teaching. And suddenly the workload was returning with the expectation that digital learning would continue. Little extra help and no extra pay was offered.
Teacher Salaries
Compensation for teachers has always been comparatively low. Average teacher salary in the U.S. is approximately $42,000 per year. And in order to achieve the highest pay, many teachers take out student loans to achieve a Master’s Degree salary. The higher salary is still very low compared to other professions that require an advanced degree. Some school districts are currently looking to a 4-day school week. While this will give teachers that extra day they need to get all their work done, it will also likely mean a decreased salary, another slap in the face to those trying to survive in this profession.
Safety
Two areas of safety have emerged that lead many teachers to feel it’s not worth the risk. Returning to the classroom with classes of 30 or 40 unvaccinated students has been scary for older teachers and those with health issues. Young people typically spread sicknesses easily in the schools. With the pandemic still on-going, (as of this writing), poor ventilation and less than responsible student hygiene, puts teachers in greater risk than the general population.
On top of that safety issue, is the increasing danger of school shootings, which are epidemic in this country. Drills to practice for the possibility of a gunman on campus, have not only terrified students, but have made it apparent to teachers ways in which we are not prepared. In many classrooms, the door can only be locked by stepping outside and using a key to lock the door. That simple fact adds to the danger for many educators in the public schools. How can any of us be truly prepared? Please don’t give me a gun. A loaded gun in a middle school or high school classroom could not be wise. And the amount of money needed to protect our schools means a rise in salary will be a long time coming.
The Political Climate
On top of everything else teachers must deal with, is the current political climate. One teacher wrote, “In the last year alone, I’ve been told I’m lazy, ‘a groomer’, ‘racist’ for teaching CRT, and I’ve endured every antisemitic attack possible.” Teachers in some states are forced to choose between teaching the truth and receiving a paycheck. Banning of books in states like Texas and Florida have added extra pressure, where teachers may be penalized or terminated for teaching or saying the wrong thing. One teacher stated on social media, “I’ve never seen teachers so demoralized”. To be attacked on all sides by the public, administrators, parents, and even students, has become just too much for many teachers.
The Bureau of Labor statistics also reported that on top of the 300,000 teachers who have left the profession, there is another 55% seriously considering a change. The issue is serious for all of us. The teachers leaving the profession are often teachers who truly care about our kids, but have unfortunately reached their limit.