A short diary, but I think an important one.
Teachers need help. I see so many of my coworkers near their breaking point. My district has lost several this year already to burnout, and I’ve got fairly reliable scuttlebutt that at least two of our administrators have decided to throw in the towel at the end of this year. I’ve seen colleagues break down in tears during staff meetings on multiple occasions this year.
There are statewide substitute teacher shortages on top of it. Just today, for example, I know of at least 10 teachers gone in the district with no substitute coverage — other teaching staff are covering, giving up their prep periods to do so. We get paid a little extra for doing so, but it’s not a substitute for the mental break from kids or having to catch up on your own time. A few weeks ago we had to close the high school for a day because we simply got to the point where we were so short, we had to close a building down for a day.
Discipline problems are huge this year. It’s as if a lot of students, being at home due to COVID so much over the last couple of years, have lost social skills, leading to a lot of classroom disruptions, defiance, fights between students, etc. We’ve had at least one gun-related building lockdown,
And then there are the parent issues. My district has been fortunate not to have the angry crowds of antimaskers threatening board members or other parents, but then again we also have had no mask requirement this year. Also, somehow my district has escaped the “book banning” furor that has been sweeping the country, despite at least 5 districts I’m aware of within 20 miles of here having faced challenges. That, and legislators in my state are pondering introducing a bill that would essentially make doing my job a felony. And of course there is the usual selection of parents who’ve more or less abdicated their child-rearing responsibilities to the school.
During a meeting with the superintendent, one of our normally rock-solid veterans broke down in tears while telling him that teachers give and give and give to their students and districts, but we’ve hit the point where the well is running dry. Just giving us a mantra of “be sure to do self-care and take time for yourself” means nothing when you have no time to do it because you’re always playing catch up because of all the meetings and now giving up prep periods that staff have to be involved in, from staff pd, to team meetings, to extra duties. Some of our staff essentially are not getting a lunch period at this point some days.
There are over 12,000 open teaching positions in my state right now. If staff burn out and leave the profession, we’re in a position where the situation is going to domino, where no replacement will be available, leading to bigger classes, fewer elective offerings, lower quality of instruction.
SOS. The system is on the verge of breaking down.