Why Are Teachers Hurting?

Hey, Teachers!

It's SHOCKING when someone on the "outside" wonders HOW TEACHERS COULD BE HURTING. How is it possible? That's a LOADED QUESTION when it comes to today's difficult educational climate.

Not sure how to cope with what's going on in your teaching world? You're definitely NOT alone.

FIGURE OUT BETTER COPING STRATEGIES. BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL WITH DR. SHEA

We classroom teachers are "hurting" for any number of reasons, but at the forefront, we're depleted, we lack a voice in the system, the system doesn't change, and we're stressed out, underpaid, overworked, and respect is hard to find. (Not to mention the severe repercussions of the pandemic, brutal discourse about best reading instruction, increased violence among youth, few resources, and discriminatory policies...)

How can you explain to an outside critic what's happening on the inside of a school, specifically, inside your classroom and personal teaching world? Can we ever be truly happy and fulfilled on the job with all the turmoil that we walk through, deal with, and integrate to press forward as educators? 

Teachers are hurting in FIVE MAIN CATEGORIES of the K-12 public school teaching experience and problem space. 

1. LOW SELF-EFFICACY

     Low self-efficacy in research is a motivational theory of learning, but in simple terms it means we have low self-confidence in addressing the tasks before us.  We don't feel capable of handling the situation, problem, challenge, hardship, or new expectation.

     This is a problem because teachers who don't feel efficacious on the job don't feel positive about what they are doing individually or collectively. 

      When we're hurting because of a lack of confidence surrounding a myriad of expectations on the job, the experience is daunting. These "low moments" or experiences can involve the basic rudimentary responsibilities of being a teacher, below-basic performance evaluations, poor teacher-student relationships, or lack of knowledge about how to approach an issue or demand. 

FIGURE OUT BETTER COPING STRATEGIES. BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL WITH DR. SHEA

2. Unsupportive Administrators

     Administrators can be unsupportive, cruel, and ruthless.  In the lightest of scenarios, administrators may be cold personalities or exude an unabashed, authoritative demeanor, but in the darkest of scenarios, some administrators bully, target, criticize, demean, humiliate, and ridicule teachers. 

     This is a problem because teachers who feel disconnected from management feel more alone and isolated, inevitably affecting overall organizational health and connectivity within the larger framework of school culture. 

      Teachers can be hurting because interpersonal relationships become more difficult. When negligent or unreasonably controlling administrators create a climate of fear, trepidation, worry, and distrust, teachers are forced back into their own tiny circles of support that aren't part of the larger school culture and can sometimes, work against it.

FIGURE OUT BETTER COPING STRATEGIES. BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL WITH DR. SHEA

3. Organizational Silence

   Organizational silence is a barrier to connectivity and flourishing in a school site.  Organizational silence is the lack of investment in human capital in the organization, meaning that in our case, teachers are not solicited for opinions, views, or decision-making related to most top-down management decisions. This can include local and state levels of policy-making.

     This is a problem because teachers who don't have a vote or a voice in the organization in which they are a part can feel devalued and robotic as practitioners, reduced to the wheels that keep a machine running. 

      Teachers may be hurting because of policies and laws they didn't want, and also because we have to adhere to those policies and laws as inherent job duties if we want to keep teaching. Policies that strip us of our voice can involve curriculum decisions, teaching approaches, books we used to enjoy teaching but can't anymore, or words we can't use with students, and the general poor relationships that brew between administrators and teachers who are afraid of being reprimanded for standing up for something that goes against what they're told to do--and accept.

FIGURE OUT BETTER COPING STRATEGIES. BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL WITH DR. SHEA

4. Feeling Unsafe

     Feeling unsafe can be emotional or physical.  With the rise of student mental health issues, increased suicidal ideation, violence, and other brokenness among youth today, the K-12 school system has become more threatening. In addition, teachers may not feel safe emotionally among other colleagues, staff, or even in the face of the students they serve.

     This is a problem because teachers who don't feel safe are coping before they even enter the school building. And this is also a reason teachers are leaving the profession. Teaching isn't worth the risk.

      Teachers are hurting when they are attacked, abused, threatened, or fear for their safety in any regard. Teachers may not know where to turn or who to talk to for support. Counseling offices are overbooked and overworked. Several administrators are doing their best to implement anti-bullying programs, trainings, and "red flag" detection strategies within their school district means, but teachers may be ill-equipped or unprepared to handle sudden school tragedy. How can you truly prepare for tragedy?

       Controversy also emerges in passing legislation that allows for staff to carry concealed weapons. And in some states, laws are passed that completely disregard the worth of a teacher's life.

FIGURE OUT BETTER COPING STRATEGIES. BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL WITH DR. SHEA

5. Lack of Incentive

     Due to all of the challenges in public education, including lack of resources, reduced funding, frozen pay scales, salaries that barely pay the bills, and other issues that block a real sense of opportunity, teachers may be apathetic about what's possible.  Teachers who were once enthusiastic may become beaten down by the system, wondering what the purpose of teaching is anymore.   

     This is a problem because teachers who don't feel they have purpose are likely not performing close to their potential as educators. This affects instruction and the overall quality of the teaching and learning dynamic.

      Teachers may be hurting because they feel trapped by their circumstances, especially teachers who have invested in several years at a school district. Feeling unfulfilled but having to go into the classroom to try to inspire, attempt to improve the health of youth today, and meet performance data demands is nothing short of conflictual. 

      Teachers who "don't see the point" are no longer really teaching. They are merely surviving, and students are losing in that process.

     Teachers may be hurting for many reasons outside of the scope of this article. And no profession is perfect or without trial and suffering to some degree. That's how we learn and grow.

      But to the outsider asking why teachers would be hurting at all, investigating what's really going on in K-12 public school these days is paramount to understanding just how sad and frustrated teachers are, and how rare it's going to be to see a new teacher today still at the same school in 20 years.

FIGURE OUT BETTER COPING STRATEGIES. BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL WITH DR. SHEA