Very few people would deny that teachers have a tough gig. Aside from becoming an expert in their subject area, they must also become adept at classroom management, crisis management, conflict resolution, active shooter protocol, emotional support, interpersonal skills, negotiation, communication, collaboration, time and resource management and a host of other in-demand skills.
Teachers must do it all—and often, for cheap.
As I speak at educational organizations around the country, I hear from teachers in the trenches—and they’re all talking about the same pain points, over and over again. They’re exhausted, they’re overburdened, they’re doing more behavior management than teaching, they’re not making enough to live. The list goes on.
Not every school puts these pressures on their teachers; I work with many exceptional administrators and superintendents who are truly in tune with what their teaching staff needs. But more often than not, a supportive work culture is the exception and not the norm for the average American teacher. In many districts, education has become a toxic workplace.
It seems a recipe for the teacher crisis to balloon beyond all help or remedy. Here are 7 ways we are basically ensuring that teaching will become an unlivable profession in just a few short years.
1. Expect teachers to do the parents’ job.
Teachers spend hours every day with your children—but they’re there to teach, not to fulfill every child’s social, emotional, mental and psychological needs. In other words, they’re not the parents of their students, nor should they be.
Parents need to be parents so that teachers can focus on being teachers. This is how kids will thrive—receiving strong parental support at home and strong academic support at school. There will always be some level of overlap, but for the children’s sake it should be kept to a minimum.
2. Blame teachers for all negative student behaviors.
Two kids getting into a fight in the hallway? Clearly it’s the fault of the teachers who were walking them from one class to the next. Write them up!
These kids might be fighting for a multitude of reasons, but a negligent teacher isn’t one of them. School leaders need to align themselves with teachers, not against kids but for them. If we care about educating the next generation, we’re on the same side. And that means no blaming or shaming when kids display problematic behaviors.
3. Put their jobs on the line for poor standardized testing results.
Standardized testing has been shown to have very little, if any, positive effect on learning. In fact, the stress it causes students and teachers is detrimental to academic success. It’s even worse when teachers are made to feel culpable for poor scores on a test that doesn’t truly reflect the learning that has taken place.
High-stakes testing ought to be abolished outright, but before we can get there, let’s at least take the pressure off teachers for results they often have very little control over.
4. Micromanage teachers (to show them how little they’re trusted).
I know of an administrator who watches the hallways via camera and emails timestamped screenshots to reprimand teachers who are a minute or two late escorting students from one class to the next. This is the epitome of micromanagement.
I recently interviewed a former teacher who had to take a personal day to attend her brother-in-law’s funeral, just a few weeks after she started her first year teaching. This teacher recounted how she had to bring a copy of the funeral handout to school to justify her time away.
Apparently this is not at all unusual; teachers must prove that any PTO they take is for a legitimate reason. Micromanagement always indicates a lack of trust. I wouldn’t want to remain in a toxic workplace like that…would you?
5. Pile more responsibilities on their plate.
I call this “killing the survivors.” Teacher attrition and fewer young people choosing the profession have made it difficult for many schools to fill the empty positions. So those who remain at their post—the survivors—are expected to step into the breach and take on the additional work.
More responsibilities, more kids, more deadlines and meetings and demands—but no additional resources provided to make it all manageable. Teachers have less and less time to forge a human connection with students, without which many students are struggling. Education as a system is killing the survivors. We shouldn’t be surprised when at last, there are none left.
6. Keep their salaries static while inflation continues to surge.
Teacher salaries vary widely from region to region, but I think most people agree they should at least offer a living wage. Unfortunately this is not the case for many teachers, who do everything from donating plasma to working side jobs to stay financially afloat.
The rapid rise in inflation isn’t helping. It’s a serious question: What do we need to do to ensure teachers are making enough to live?
7. Provide zero external support.
Teachers are adults, right? Shouldn’t they be able to handle whatever is thrown at them without any outside support? Nope. Teacher burnout is at an all-time high, but counseling and other support structures don’t come with the job.
Instead, an exhausted teacher must seek out the help they need on their own or resort to the empty promise of “self care” to solve problems that go far beyond the help of a glass of wine or a bubbly bath. It’s just not enough.
8 ways to support teachers
As I write this, it’s the middle of summer break. Teachers are taking a well-deserved respite before it’s back to school again (for those who do return in the fall). It’s a pause in the grind of the school year—and can provide a moment of reflection for school and community leaders.
If we want to reverse the trend and attract and retain qualified teachers, we must intentionally do the opposite of what’s been the norm.
1. Instead of expecting teachers to be the parent, help parents gain a sense of investment in their child’s ongoing development.
2. Instead of blaming teachers when students act out, get on the same team and work together toward constructive solutions.
3. Instead of stressing teachers and students over high-stakes testing, ditch it—or at least take the pressure off however possible.
4. Instead of micromanaging teachers, practice trusting them. (If you can’t trust them, they shouldn’t be working here in the first place.)
5. Instead of killing the survivors by piling on extra work, do whatever is possible to cut the paperwork, meetings and other demands so teachers can focus on teaching.
6. Instead of underpaying the people shaping the next generation, pay them for the work they do. Even small increases are a step in the right direction.
7. Instead of expecting teachers to handle the pressure of the role alone, build in supports that normalize both the challenges and healthy ways to cope with them.
8. Thank a teacher. That’s all. It’s not hard. But it can be very meaningful for teachers to know they are appreciated by the families and community they serve. Teachers are too valuable to lose. It’s time to pull out all the stops to make teaching enjoyable again—before it’s too late.
This article first appeared at Forbes.com on July 23, 2024. Read here.