Education is facing a crisis that currently seems beyond repair. Schools are facing a major crisis for having inadequate number of teachers, substitutes and bus drives. Most teachers are thinking about quitting their jobs. During the tough moments of the pandemic, teachers have been a major support system, and you may say ‘unsung heroes’ for most students. Heroes or not, they can only manage the level of stress and intensity at a certain level before they burn out.
It has been found a total of 48% of teachers considered quitting teaching jobs within the last 30 days. 34% are actually thinking of quitting the profession entirely, which is shocking. So, what is making them take such a drastic step?
It is nothing new that understaffing has become a concerning topic in the world of education, but now it has reached epic proportions. Mark C. Perna, one of the contributors and writers at Forbes, sitting around the table with superintendents from various parts of the country, has asked, “What percent of teachers quitting would create a cataclysmic drop in your organisation’s ability to educate young people?” The answer was really shocking. He replied, “One. One teacher quitting would hurt us in a big way.”
Both administrators and teachers are deeply concerned and overworked. They have experienced immense pressure over the past two years and have nothing to give anymore. They have given everything – time, mental well-being, energy and heart. They are clearly beyond tired and exhausted. The education field has always been demanding, but they are currently in a state of disaster. Educators and administrators seem to be at the end of their rope. The realm of education has always been challenging. However, today they are the perfect recipe for a burnout.
It is high time proper steps are taken to ensure teachers continue teaching like they used to because we need to understand teachers are irreplaceable.
The younger generation cannot possibly move in their career without having a proper effective connection with teachers. This is something really non-negotiable.
In fact, the majority of teachers really want to build a special bond with their students. It has always been the driving force for them to choose the profession of a teacher.
Unfortunately, due to the problems of being understaffed and overworked, many do not simply have sufficient time to show students that they hear, see, pay attention, and care about them.
Metaphorically speaking, they are cutting off the teacher’s limbs and still expecting them to carry the students across the ending line.
THE FALLOUT
So, what are the consequences of burnout? As a result, you will be able to find a significant drop in all these areas:
- A major drop in the quality of education
With more educators fleeing from the buy assignment profession, there is a huge strain on the remaining teachers. The quality of education and the amount of time that teachers use for each student are bound to get affected when there is an unhealthy student-teacher ratio. This way vestige of human connection will get dropped. It will not just hurt all students, but soon the economy and workforce also will get affected in significant ways.
- Lesser young people entering the profession
Students and teachers tend to spend long hours together, and thus there is no way their stress can remain buried. Even teachers who do not share about their stress tend to manifest it in a thousand other ways that are quite easy for young people to observe.
Since students no longer perform as they used, teachers are more burdened with helping students hit the mark.
Such prolonged and elevated stress levels among teachers are a warning for the next generation who thought of becoming teachers. Who could really blame them? Who will really want to lead such life for that kind of money?
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Clearly, the matter will not get resolved on its own. However, if proper steps are taken, one can stop the situation from worsening. Here are a few things that we all can start doing to solve the crisis.
- Taking things off the teacher’s plate
What if teachers do not have to do all their tasks by themselves? Is there going to be any change in their classroom experience? Considering the current situation, it is highly unlikely that teachers will get fired if they do not check all the boxes. What if we share some of the burdens from the teacher’s plate so they can be free and solely focus on mission-critical tasks. It is high time that administrators start thinking about how they can immediately lighten the load on teachers.
- Do not give them responsibilities more they can handle
The pandemic was a serious problem for all people. Recovering from it will take time. Returning to traditional learning will not magically solve everything and get them back to their appropriate levels of mastery. Expecting teachers to understand where students really are and help them get back to normalcy is unrealistic and overburdens them with immense pressure. They are already pressurised with ever-changing demands and policies. So administrators need to be sensible, and they should all help students boost their confidence and recover from the unfortunate pandemic.
- Start rebuilding trust
One important thing that must be remembered is that teachers need the same human connection as students. Several times it has been found that there was no human connection between instructors and administrators. It is essential to uncover the areas where trust has been compromised, and administrators should stay committed to rebuilding it.
- Raise morale along with their salary
Surely, money is an important factor that administrators must consider, especially because teachers are not paid enough for their work. However, raising morale is equally important along with money, especially for administrations working within tightening budgets. People prefer to work in an organisation where they find the culture to be healthy.
Parting Thoughts,
The problem in the education realm is not going to pass easily. At the start of COVID-19, we all thought that the virus and the lockdown were in our world for a short period of time. And we all will return to our usual lifestyle as if nothing happened at any time. However, now it is completely clear that there is no going back. What we can do is deal with our situation and forge a new path to a successful future. Education leaders should pay attention to all the warning signs and find ways to recover from the crisis. Teachers are in major fallout and need all the help they can get. So let’s start being there for them.
AUTHOR BIO: Mark Johnson is an avid reader and a blogger who writes about unleashing purpose, passion and performance among younger generations. He is also a part of MyEssayhelp.co.uk, where he provides quality assignment help solutions to digital marketing students.
