It’s no secret that the demands on our schools and our teachers are growing. Over time, stress, exhaustion, and teacher burnout have all played a role in the demise of our educational system, and with the added impact of the pandemic, a bright spotlight of concern has been placed upon it. We depend on our teachers to guide, love and pour their knowledge into our children with energy and vigor, and they have gone for decades without being heard. If we don’t pay attention to what is happening and provide resources and support, we will lose them. In fact, recent data shows that 55% of educators are considering leaving the profession.
While that statement alone is sad, the ones who really lose out are our children. Research shows that the negative impact of teacher turnover on student achievement is significant. Consider this, losing a teacher during the year represents a loss of between 32 and 72 instructional days, which equates to ⅙ to ½ of the school year (Henry, 2018). This loss combined with the loss due to Covid is significantly impacting our children.
What’s more, teachers who do not leave the profession are more stressed out and disengaged than ever before. Not because they don’t want to be there for the kids, but because the environment is not supporting them in the way they need to be supported. While teacher mental health has been getting more attention in recent years, 42 percent of teachers said administrators have not made any efforts to help relieve their stress. About one-fifth said their administrators have tried, but it didn’t help.
Our children are stuck in the middle of a system that is broken and circumstances they have no control over. The situation may vary from district to district, school to school, but the burnout is real, and the message and the solutions are likely similar and revolve around three things:
Safety – In an era where political tensions run high, and administrators, teachers, parents, and students are adjusting to the post-pandemic new reality, teachers have an increasing need to feel safe. Throughout the pandemic and now coming out of it, teachers have reported threats of violence, including verbal harassment, threats, and cyberbullying, from students, parents/guardians, administrators, and colleagues.
Security – This element includes an environment of psychological safety from administrators. Teachers need to know their superiors have their backs. An environment of trust, where they can safely discuss their fears and frustrations creates the sense of security – physically, emotionally, and socially that teachers need to thrive. While we focus on these necessities for our children in the classroom, not much thought is given to the need for teachers to have that same environment to be successful in teaching.
Connectedness – Traditionally, teachers choose the profession because they have a deep desire to help others succeed. They have a deep connection to the people they work with and to their students. Covid robbed them of that connection. The separation between administration and teachers is vast, and even highly effective teaching teams find themselves so overworked and overwhelmed that they are unable to collaborate meaningfully with one another. There is a disconnection and lack of communication that leaves teachers to make assumptions about what is going on. Where there was once collaboration, teachers are operating in silos. Where there was once mutual respect and communication, there is the feeling of a lack of support and disconnection.
Even as in-person teaching has started back up, masks, attitudes, and fears about learning loss have compounded the return. These fears place added pressure on teachers who are already caught between what the administration wants, and what parents are demanding. That, along with the uncertainty of what will happen next with Covid makes it nearly impossible to focus on the task at hand – educating our children. And there is a knowledge that nothing will ever be the same again.
Be sure to read our future blogs to find hope amidst the chaos and learn ways we can effect change and help our administrators and teachers reconnect for the good of everyone – including our children.
Si siri kwamba mahitaji ya shule zetu na walimu wetu yanaongezeka. """Kwa muda, mkazo, uchovu na uchovu wa walimu wote wamecheza jukumu katika kuanguka kwa mfumo wetu wa elimu, na kwa athari ya ziada ya janga hilo, mwangaza mkali wa wasiwasi umewekwa juu yake." """Tunawategemea walimu wetu kuwaongoza, kuwapenda na kuwapa watoto wetu maarifa yao kwa nguvu na nguvu, na wamekuwa wakitembea kwa miongo mingi bila kusikilizwa." Ikiwa hatutakuwa na makini na kile kinachotokea na kutoa rasilimali na msaada, tutapoteza. Kwa kweli, takwimu za hivi karibuni zinaonyesha kwamba 55% ya walimu wanafikiria kuacha taaluma. Ingawa taarifa hiyo pekee ni yenye kuhuzunisha, wale wanaopoteza kweli ni watoto wetu. Utafiti unaonyesha kwamba athari mbaya ya mabadiliko ya walimu juu ya mafanikio ya wanafunzi ni kubwa. Kwa mfano, kupoteza mwalimu kwa mwaka mmoja ni sawa na kupoteza siku 32 hadi 72 za masomo, ambayo ni sawa na nusu ya mwaka wa shule. "Uharibifu huu pamoja na hasara kutokana na COVID unaathiri sana watoto wetu. """ Zaidi ya hayo, walimu ambao hawaiachi kazi yao wana mfadhaiko zaidi na hawana ushiriki kama hapo awali. Si kwa sababu hawataki kuwapo kwa ajili ya watoto, lakini kwa sababu mazingira si kuunga mkono yao katika njia wanahitaji kuungwa mkono. Ingawa afya ya akili ya walimu imekuwa ikijulikana zaidi katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, asilimia 42 ya walimu walisema wasimamizi hawajafanya juhudi zozote kusaidia kupunguza mkazo wao. Karibu moja ya tano walisema wasimamizi wao wamejaribu, lakini haikusaidia. Watoto wetu wamekamatwa katikati ya mfumo ambao umevunjika na hali ambazo hawana udhibiti juu yake. Hali inaweza kutofautiana kutoka wilaya hadi wilaya, shule hadi shule, lakini uchovu ni halisi, na ujumbe na suluhisho ni uwezekano sawa na kuzunguka mambo matatu: Usalama: Katika enzi ambapo mvutano wa kisiasa unazidi kuongezeka, na wasimamizi, walimu, wazazi na wanafunzi wanabadilika kwa hali halisi mpya ya baada ya janga, walimu wana mahitaji ya kuongezeka ya kujisikia salama. Katika kipindi chote cha janga hilo, walimu wameripoti vitisho vya vurugu, ikiwa ni pamoja na unyanyasaji wa maneno, vitisho, na unyanyasaji wa mtandao, kutoka kwa wanafunzi, wazazi, walezi, wasimamizi, na wenzake. Usalama <unk> Kipengele hiki ni pamoja na mazingira ya usalama wa kisaikolojia kutoka kwa wasimamizi. Walimu wanahitaji kujua kwamba wasimamizi wao wanawaunga mkono. Mazingira ya uaminifu, ambapo wanaweza kujadili kwa usalama hofu zao na kukatishwa tamaa huunda hisia ya usalama - kimwili, kihisia, na kijamii ambayo walimu wanahitaji kustawi. """Wakati tunazingatia mahitaji haya kwa watoto wetu darasani, hakuna mawazo mengi yanayotolewa kwa haja ya walimu kuwa na mazingira sawa ili kufanikiwa katika kufundisha." Uunganisho <unk> Kwa kawaida, walimu huchagua taaluma hiyo kwa sababu wana tamaa kubwa ya kuwasaidia wengine wafanikiwe. Wana uhusiano wa kina na watu wanaofanya kazi nao na wanafunzi wao. Covid imewateka kwenye uhusiano huo. """Utofauti kati ya utawala na walimu ni mkubwa, na hata timu za ufundishaji zenye ufanisi mkubwa hujikuta zimejaa kazi na kuzidiwa na kazi hivi kwamba hawawezi kushirikiana kwa maana." Kuna kutokuunganishwa na ukosefu wa mawasiliano ambayo huacha walimu kufanya dhana kuhusu nini kinaendelea. Mahali ambapo hapo awali kulikuwa na ushirikiano, walimu wanafanya kazi kwa faragha. Mahali ambapo hapo awali kulikuwa na heshima ya pande zote na mawasiliano, sasa kuna hisia ya ukosefu wa utegemezo na kutokuunganishwa. Hata kama kufundisha kwa mtu binafsi imeanza tena, vinyago, mitazamo, na hofu kuhusu kupoteza kujifunza zimeongeza kurudi. Hofu hizi zinaongeza shinikizo kwa walimu ambao tayari wamekamatwa kati ya kile ambacho utawala unataka, na kile ambacho wazazi wanadai. Hiyo, pamoja na kutokuwa na uhakika wa nini kitatokea baadaye na Covid inafanya kuwa karibu haiwezekani kuzingatia kazi iliyo karibu - kuelimisha watoto wetu. Na kuna ujuzi kwamba hakuna kitu kitakachokuwa sawa tena. Hakikisha kusoma blogi zetu za baadaye kupata matumaini katikati ya machafuko na kujifunza njia tunaweza kusababisha mabadiliko na kusaidia wasimamizi wetu na walimu kuunganisha tena kwa manufaa ya kila mtu - pamoja na watoto wetu.