2/1/2023

Reducing Teacher Burnout: 3 Key Challenges Facing Teachers and How to Help Them Succeed

Teaching is a uniquely rewarding and impactful career, while at the same time, it’s particularly stressful. Now more than ever, school communities are concerned about the health of their teacher workforce and looking for ways to reduce teacher burnout. In addition to the pandemic itself and the strains of teaching remotely, the aftermath of the pandemic is continuing to tax educators. Stressors include students’ and teachers’ mental health, staffing issues, masking policies, political battles about what teachers can/should teach, and even fears of school violence—all, of course, for low pay.

A 2022 Gallup poll revealed that burnout rates among K–12 professionals are higher than for all other full-time U.S. employees—including healthcare and law enforcement workers. More than two-fifths of educators (44%) say they’re “always” or “very often” stressed at work.

According to The Wall Street Journal, 300,000 public school teachers and other staff left the profession between February 2020 and May 2022, and others are considering leaving. An NEA poll this year found 55% of teachers said they were going to leave the profession sooner than planned, an increase from 37% last year. And as teachers leave, recruiting replacements is difficult, which means additional burdens for the teachers who remain.

In Texas, where there has been a teacher shortage for years, 43,000 teachers retired or resigned last year, setting a new annual record. To varying degrees, this same scenario plays out in every state across the country. It is not sustainable. Education leaders must find more ways to reduce teacher burnout and attrition.

The challenges of moving forward

Systems leaders are working to better understand how to support classroom teachers immediately and systematically to retain and attract talent. With this knowledge, leaders can take steps to reduce teacher attrition, help educators become more effective, and close achievement gaps that have only widened during the pandemic.

There are many factors contributing to teacher burnout, but the Gallup poll identified a few in particular, including:

Unreasonable expectations and time pressures

Teachers are asked to wear many hats. In addition to all the instructional challenges, teachers have also had to learn new technologies and modes of instruction. They’ve worked long hours to overcome students’ learning losses and incorporated trauma-sensitive teaching practices in response to rising levels of anxiety and depression among students.

Perhaps it’s time to recalibrate our expectations of teachers. Even with new technology intended to reduce their workloads, teachers work many hours outside the classroom in addition to long days in the classroom. Mandated programs leave little time for creative learning activities. This removes some of the joy of teaching.

Unmanageable workloads

Attaining appropriate staffing levels is the No. 1 priority for many districts. That is the first step to addressing unmanageable workloads. During the last few years, principals, counselors, and other administrators have had to teach classes because of staff shortages—in addition to their existing workloads. Although some teachers have an assigned planning period during their day or week, this is unavailable to most. Not having a scheduled time to plan instruction, meet with colleagues, or even have a few minutes of quiet time to reflect on the day has consequences.

A lack of support from administrators

Teachers are feeling isolated. Without adequate support from school and district administrators, teachers feel alone in serving students, parents, families, and communities. In many school districts, teachers also lack the tools required for success. They need resources they can use in their classrooms immediately to support their students. These include evidence-based instructional materials that have been proven effective and the professional learning needed to implement them well.

Three Ways to Support Teachers Right Now

Most district leaders are empathetic and concerned about teacher burnout. They understand they have to create a more supportive and nurturing environment so their teachers experience success and joy in their classrooms. The contributing factors to this problem are significant and systemic and can be expensive to fix. Restructuring the school day, changing the school calendar, and redesigning physical spaces are options to improve teaching conditions, and higher pay would indicate a deep appreciation for the work teachers do.

However, school systems also need immediate solutions to ensure students are getting a high-quality education. Here are three steps K–12 administrators can take now to support teachersand empower them to succeed:

• Provide flexible classroom resources
• Offer targeted professional learning
• Advocate for teachers and provide a culture of support

To learn more about each of these three key strategies, why they’re important, and how to put them into practice successfully, download the free white paper How to Support Teachers Now: Three Ways to Reduce Teacher Burnout and Promote Success.