The conversation around educator burnout is at an important crossroads: Burnout is a very real issue that needs and deserves attention, but we are not likely to solve the problem by admiring it. A 2022 National Education Association survey found that 90 percent of teachers are experiencing burnout. Moreover, educators have known for over a decade that teacher burnout negatively affects teacher retention. This is clearly a problem that needs to be addressed for multiple reasons, including the fact that teacher burnout has a negative correlation with student achievement.
Throughout the 2022-23 school year, the education community doubled down on its attempt to address burnout. Nearly every major conference had a keynote or a learning strand on this issue. In my district, the keynote speaker for our opening staff meeting of the school year was Chase Mielke, who specializes in the topic. Personally, I gave more than 10 keynotes on burnout myself. Yet these efforts seem to be doing little to address the systemic issues of teacher burnout and attrition.
Meanwhile, the other often discussed threat to the health of public education in the United States is the teacher shortage. The shortage disproportionately affects rural and urban schools. Thus, those students who arguably need the most support often receive the least since many of their teachers have not gone through the certification process in their state. Two years ago, in my home state of Illinois, more than 15 percent of teacher openings were being filled by candidates without appropriate credentials. I worked with one school this year that had less than half of their teachers certified.
Educator burnout and teacher shortages are massive problems. The question is not whether these issues will impact your school, but when.
Educator burnout and teacher shortages are massive problems—and they’re not going away. The question is not whether these issues will impact your school, but when. And these issues are interconnected: Higher levels of teacher burnout = lower rates of teacher retention = harder and more competitive recruitment = increased shortages in need-based schools = more pressure on current teachers to pick up the slack = more burnout.
Changing the Narrative
At some point, something has to give. We need to work together as a profession to positively promote what I believe to be the greatest profession in the world. Acknowledging burnout and attrition and paying attention to adult SEL are great first steps, but these steps won’t change the negative narrative surrounding the teaching profession.
As we head into the 2023-24 school year, my hope is that we can band together to rewrite the narrative. There is no ignoring the problems at hand. But, if we can move the conversation forward from admiring problems to creating sustainable solutions, I believe that we can collectively exit this crossroads. We have the power to ensure education is seen as a profession of hope that changes lives rather than a profession that causes angst and burnout.
To rewrite the narrative, educators can:
Seize the Opportunity
Every single day in the classroom, the principal’s office, or the board room, educators have the opportunity to change the trajectory of someone’s life. Yet too often, we focus on the downside of this opportunity—the burden of responsibility that comes with such an incredible gift.
When we remember that we get to work with kids every day to help change their lives, the work becomes more meaningful.
It’s time we change the story in our own heads: When we reflect on the impact that educators have had on our lives and the lives of those around us, we can begin to reclaim our why. When we remember that we get to work with kids every day to help change their lives, the work becomes more meaningful.
When I was 17 years old and stuck in my house battling cancer, my calculus teacher Ron Sawin refused to let me drop his class or perform poorly. Instead, he came to my house and taught me one-on-one until I was able to grasp difficult concepts. This had a game-changing impact on me. Ron Sawin is my why. I want to do for others what he did for me.
This perspective allows me to always remember that I have the greatest job in the world.
Reclaim Your Autonomy
No matter how rigid a curriculum may be or how dictatorial a leader behaves, the classroom and the school are still places where great autonomy exists. Education is a beautiful combination of art and science: The science of education may present itself in a firm, guaranteed, and reliable curriculum, but the art is what brings life to the classroom.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators became subservient to the tyranny of the urgent and we lost much of what drew us to the profession in the first place. Reclaiming our autonomy and exercising our will to create magical moments and experiences for kids can reignite our love of the profession. At the height of the pandemic, I hit bottom. But by realizing the autonomy I had in my position as a superintendent, I was able to reclaim the work of significance I love and focus on helping grow others. By doing so, I unlocked my own bit of leadership magic.
In the vast majority of situations, far more autonomy exists than may present itself on the surface. Take advantage of this. You deserve it, and so do the kids.
Seek Joy Intentionally
Every time I sit down with a fellow leader to parse through a leadership conundrum, I am immediately energized, engaged, and excited to be there. Don’t forget why you joined the profession. Hold onto that reason. Most likely what you enjoy doing the most is what you are best at.
If there are parts of the job that bring you joy, seek them out. As a superintendent, I realized that the part of the job I loved the most—interacting with kids—was no longer on my daily to-do list. So to maximize my joy, I intentionally cultivated opportunities to connect with kids on a deeper level (for example, I hold a Senior Exit Interview with every graduating senior in my district). No longer were student interactions limited to random photo opportunities or fist bumps in the hallway. These strategic joy-seeking maneuvers are available for all of us if we choose to pursue them. Pursue them! Leverage the parts of the job you love to create a working environment for yourself that is unmatched.
Remain Unfinished
Ask friends, colleagues, and veteran teachers if teaching has ever been easy: Inquire if they think the demands, pressures, and speed of change is easier to navigate today than in it was 1990 or 2000 or 2010 or 2020.
The answer will unequivocally be no. We are constantly racing against time and progress. Even though the years of the pandemic will go down in history as unusually challenging, extraordinary challenges have always been real and present in the world of education.
The only way the job will get easier is if your personal progress outpaces the progress of the problems you will be charged with solving.
In the famous words of businessman Jim Rohn, “Don’t wish for fewer problems; wish for more skills.” Get better. Grow. The only way the job will get easier is if your personal progress outpaces the progress of the problems you will be charged with solving.
Next Steps
So, what next? Immediately reclaim your why, commit to not admiring the problem, and start changing the narrative. Our country needs a strong public education system. But for our public education system to be strong, it needs educators to be both champions and cheerleaders for the great things we are doing for kids each and every day.
