School is finally back in session, along with a semblance of “normalcy.” As great as it is to have kids back in school, at what cost has it occurred?

Teaching has been considered one of the more stressful jobs for some time. Teacher stress comes from deep-rooted care for their students. If teachers do not feel that they have either the knowledge to do their job effectively or the resources to do what is best for their students, they worry, and the stress sets in.

“I was not prepared at all to do what was asked of me. However, my district was not prepared either. Teachers were receiving training on remote learning concepts as late as the week before it was to occur. I did not have time to learn how to do it before I was thrown into the school year.” 

~Kathy 2nd grade teacher

Last spring, parents across the country were asking themselves how teachers do this job all day. With the new school year underway across the US in various forms, KidSay asked 32 teachers from KidSay’s National Educators Panel about their most significant challenges since the beginning of the new school year. They reported on a number of important issues they worry about:

  • Last-minute, rushed development of the remote and hybrid learning platforms created by districts quickly, often incompletely.
  • Lack of a depth of knowledge in new technologies needed to teach remotely.
  • Significantly longer workdays now, compared to pre-pandemic. Some teachers routinely work 80+ hours a week.
  • Lack of time to plan and teach in-person lessons with the constraints of COVID as well as for converting those lessons for remote learning.

Stress is catching. Prior to the pandemic, a study from the University of British Columbia researchers tracked the levels of stress hormones of more than 400 elementary students in different classes. They found teachers who reported higher levels of burnout had students with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol each morning, suggesting classroom tensions could be “contagious.”

Stress impacts effective teaching. In yet another study from the American Education Research Association, researchers from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands interviewed a small pool of 143 beginning teachers over the course of a year. Those who showed higher levels of stress at the beginning of the year displayed fewer effective teaching strategies over the rest of the school year, including clear instruction, effective classroom management, and creation of a safe and stimulating classroom climate for their students, than did the teachers with lower initial stress levels.

As one educator said when asked how she was doing, she responded “Surviving, kinda’, sorta, barely.”

Teachers, now more than ever, are not feeling that they have either the knowledge or the resources to do the job they should be doing, adding to the already pronounced stress that educators experience. Knowledge and resources are essential entities needed according to UT Austin researchers, led by psychology professor Chris McCarthy.

And we hear similar comments here at KidSay from educators.

“I feel so inadequate. If it is not myself having trouble with the technology it is also the students having trouble. Although I plan on only keeping my students on for a short time, I find myself taking the entire hour trying to solve IT types of problems. I don’t know what to do. This is not how I was trained as an educator.” ~Julie, middle school teacher

“I am close to retirement. I love my students and I am trying to learn how to best keep students engaged online. I want to continue to be considered a great teacher, but I am unsure how to do so.” ~Pauline, 1st grade teacher

Opportunities to Help Educators  

Systemic changes are needed in order to ease the stress for educators, and a number of ideas and opportunities are available for strategies and solutions. This is a brand new situation for teachers and students. Three ways you can help relieve their stress and increase confidence.

First, Effective Comprehensive Technology Solutions – The world is just not ready for a large-scale, effective, remote education as of yet. In too many instances, teachers have been asked to use TOO MANY different platforms that are cumbersome to navigate.

Second, Technology and Application Training – For some educators, this was a more intuitive move, an easier transition, based on their age and experience with technology. However, for others, this curve was immense as they worked to be the best versions of themselves as facilitators of learning online.

Finally, Soft Skills Training -There is a level of new soft skills that needs to be addressed in districts for teachers to be effective. Teachers need access to training for how to effectively communicate with parents and other stakeholders, especially during times of change. Districts may be communicating using public relations support personnel, but it is the teachers who are the day-to-day communicators with all stakeholders.

The vast majority of teachers went into this field because they are “people” people and want to make a difference in the lives of children. We are all affected and tied to education in some fashion. Your own children or grandchildren may be in school, your neighbors may be educators, or you might have a relative who is in education. Even if your sector is not associated to address any of these three critical issues, at a minimum here are a couple of simple things you can do to let teachers know you support them and ease their stress for a moment in time as you show them appreciation.

  • Take time out to say thanks. Notes go a long way with teachers. Don’t forget those specialists such as PE, Music, Art and Library Media Specialists and others who are sometimes forgotten but are just as valuable and every bit as stressed.
  • GIVE GRACE – The vast majority of educators are trying hard to teach remotely, in person, and hybrid and in some cases all three, as well as answering all the questions that are being asked of them for each.

Are you in education and experiencing some of these issues or a parent who has experienced this with your own child?