Teacher Burnout Top Concern Among Fellow Educators
- By Kate Lucariello
- 10/18/22
A
national survey conducted during summer 2022 by research-based
literacy company Lexia
Learning found that the majority of educators (71%)
are worried about teacher burnout during the 2022-2023 school year,
even though most (66%) are optimistic about the new year.
The
survey was sent to a random sample of 20,000 Lexia users who logged
into myLexia during the six months prior. Results showed that 75% of
educators feel that more one-on-one time would help their students,
and more than half feel their students need specialist help such as
special ed teachers, subject-matter tutors and school psychologists.
While more than half are concerned about teacher shortages (52%),
even more (66%) are worried about the availability of non-teacher
staff support: custodians, bus drivers, teachers’ aids, substitute
teachers, etc., and whether their schools have the resources to pay
for them.
A
national survey conducted in January by the National Education
Association (NEA) bears up these concerns, with 90% of NEA members
worried that an alarming number of educators will quit their
profession earlier than planned, an exodus fueled by the pandemic. A
high percentage of these are already underrepresented Black and
Hispanic/Latino educators, the NEA survey found.
As
for solutions to the problem, a huge majority of Lexia respondents
(83%) believe that more teachers would stay for higher pay, and 71%
for smaller class sizes. Only 55% feel that schools have been
compensating teachers fairly. While most educators overall feel their
schools have done a good job investing in pandemic-induced distance
learning with digital tools and classroom technology, an overwhelming
81% worry their students will fall behind if remote learning is
reinstated, with 76% concerned that students’ social-emotional
health will suffer.
Go
here
to read more of the Lexia survey results, and here
to read more about the NEA survey.
About the Author
Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.