The share of teachers who say stress and disappointment of the job are “worth it” has fallen to 42% — 21 points lower than other college-educated workers, according to a poll by Rand, a nonprofit think tank. As recently as 2018, more than 70% of teachers said the stress was worth it, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.
In surveys and interviews, teachers most often point to a stunning rise in students’ mental-health challenges and misbehavior as the biggest drivers of burnout. In the Rand survey, student behavior was the top source of teachers’ job stress.
Teaching is a relatively low-paid profession compensated for by job stability, a decent retirement and a sense of purpose. But teacher turnover reached new highs in the past two years, according to data from several states.
With more teachers leaving and others burned out, schools struggle to address learning loss and chronic absenteeism. “Across multiple data points, we see that the health and the state of the teaching profession is at or near a 50-year low,” says Matthew Kraft, a Brown University professor.
Jessica Faust, an elementary-school special-education teacher in Perrysburg, Ohio, says. “We obviously knew the pandemic would have an impact on children, but I don’t think anyone was prepared for the size or how long-lasting the impact would be.”
These are stress triggers for many teachers:
- Managing student behavior
- My salary is too low
- Administrative work outside of teaching
- I spend too many hours working
- Supporting my students’ learning because they lost instructional time
- Supporting my students’ mental health and well-being
- Preparing students for state standardized tests
- Believing expectations are unattainable
- Lacking support from school administrators
- Taking on extra work because of staff shortages
Source: Rand’s survey of 1,479 K-12 teachers conducted January-February 2024
In a recent Education Week poll, only 18% of public-school teachers say they are very satisfied with their jobs; an additional 46% say they are somewhat satisfied. The share of teachers who are very satisfied is lower than at any point between 1984 and 2012, the last pre-pandemic period in which the question was asked.
Surveys show most teachers wouldn’t recommend the profession to others. Despite frustrations, nearly three in four educators say they are still glad they chose teaching as a career, according to the Rand survey.
Another stress point: teachers have largely not been able to access the option to work from home sometimes.
What to do?
“There’s only so much you have of yourself to give,” says one teacher.
Now a former teacher, he currently works as an operations analyst at an industrial design-build firm. His new position is less intense, he says. The pay is comparable to teaching, but the job offers more opportunities for advancement.
Shain Bergan, a spokesperson for the Kansas City school district, says the district’s no-zeroes policy — a frustration for some teachers — is designed to ensure that a single zero doesn’t unduly effect students’ grades. Students receive a minimum of 40% for each assignment.
Districts should be aware of teaching stress points and proactively address teacher concerns before they choose to leave the profession.
The Wall Street Journal
