It’s time for a paradigm shift. Are we going to stand by and let the years of burnout smoldering deep within our teachers and school administrators continue to grow into full fledged burnout flames? Or, are school districts going to commit to supporting educator well-being? I’ve been thinking about this topic for years. Having led several different buildings and coached teachers and colleagues through many challenges and having overcome burnout myself, I know how important happy and healthy educators are to the systemic success of our educational system. Burnout was a problem before covid and after all educators have been through in the past year and a half, another back to school icebreaker isn’t going to re-energize and re-engage our educators.
What is needed is a program that prioritizes, enriches and elevates the lives of one of our society's most important assets, educators! We need to change the mindset that teachers, principals, counselors and support staff have a never ending well of energy that doesn’t need replenished. The mechanism that keeps our educational system top of the world are our compassionate, caring educators. But who has been compassionately caring about them and supporting them with the skills and tools they need to navigate the ever changing educational landscape? You can’t continued to add more programs and disjointed responsibilities without giving educators strategies to more effectively manage their personal and professional lives.
I remember when the phrase of teachers being ‘in the trenches' became commonplace and I said to myself, ‘this is not good for education’. Do you know what happens in the battlefield trenches? As a former history teacher, I do. It’s not pleasant. We need a paradigm shift to lift our educators out of the trenches and up on the pedestal as a pillar of community and a respected purveyor of possibility tasked with inspiring our young people through their educational journey. To support the change in mindset, it is imperative that we properly equip educators at all levels with the skills, strategies, action plans and ongoing coaching support to escape the trenches and return to their rightful position on the inspired educator pedestal. We are at a breaking point and we need to act now! Social and emotional support and learning isn’t necessary for only students. Educators and school leaders need it now more than ever too.
The statistics are getting worse each year. Educator burnout has been a problem as long as I have been in education (over 20 years) and I’ve watched it escalate. A March 2020 survey found that the five most-mentioned feelings among all teachers were: anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed and sad. Anxiety, by far, was the most frequently mentioned emotion. I hear the same thing from nearly 100% of the educators I coach.
I know that the increasing teacher shortage and the inability to fill positions all across the country correlates to our teachers being in the ‘trenches’ and not being provided proper support. The same is true for the substitute teacher shortage we are currently facing. What are we going to do about these issues? Think about it for a minute and hope it goes away? The reason it is increasingly difficult to find teachers to fill positions all across the country is because we have painted the job of being an educator as undesirable most recent graduates. Lack of necessary support and resources to manage and process the stress that goes along with being a teacher, counselor, dean, assistant principal, principal, and yes even superintendent is a systemic issue. Why do you think turnover for school leaders is so high? Why do over 40% of teachers leave the field within the first 4 years?
The phrase of teachers being in the trenches has a far reaching impact. The “revolving door” of teachers (and school administrators) is not just inconvenient for schools. Teacher turnover harms student achievement, discourages educators and is expensive for districts - ranging from $10,000-$25,000 per teacher depending on the qualifiers you use to measure cost.
What if I told you there was a solution to these problems? Would you be interested in a program for teachers, counselors, and school leaders that achieves the following metrics? Before we get to the metrics, keep in mind school leaders that are reading this: right now everyone is looking to you to solve this problem. This program takes the pressure off of you to solve the problem because you too deserve to participate in a powerful and meaningful program that:
Think about this for a minute. Where do you place value?
What is the opportunity cost of unhappy teachers, teacher turnover or stressed and ineffective educators?
What is the value of happier and healthier teachers, decreased educator turnover, increased educator effectiveness and more satisfied students, parents and communities?
Let's consider the school or district budget. Do the math. What revenue does your district save or generate as a result of:
Sound exciting? Sound like something you wish you could do? You can!
Here's what you should do: Bring on an innovative benefit like a bundled program offering Joyful Educator Lab and the soon to be released Joyful Educator Membership led by Lisa Imel, M.Ed., the Founder and Chief Educational Consultant of EDSolutions group. This teacher, counselor and principal centric programming appeals to new hires as a recruiting tool and appeals to your returning and seasoned educators as an added benefit and ongoing support mechanism.
Imagine the power of the 7 Powerful Practice Action Plan based on the following program modules and competencies:
Joyful Educator Lab has tremendous reviews. After attending the Joyful Educator Lab and creating a 7 Powerful Practices Action Plan first and foremost educators feel and in fact are less stressed and feel happier, inspired, valued, supported, effective and respected. This meaningful program should be used in the following settings:
Join us as we aim to re-prioritize the educator experience in our educational system! Let’s partner together so we can get our educators back up on the pedestal where they belong instead of "down in the trenches''! Trenches are no place for highly educated, compassionate, caring educators or our future generations to be educated. Uplift your educators through the Joyful Educator Lab. Educator wellbeing cannot wait. The time is now!
Check out Joyful Educator Lab to learn a bit more or better yet, schedule a Vision Call with me and I will walk you through it in detail, discuss customization options for your district, and reserve your date.
Lisa Imel, M.Ed. is the Founder and Chief Educational Consultant of the EDSolutions Group. Lisa specializes in Human Potential and efficiency, Workforce & Economic Development, and K-16 Education Strategy. Through her work with school districts, colleges and secondary and post-secondary leadership partners she ideates, creates and implements systems and structures so that you can lead a more productive, meaningful, healthier, happier, work & personal life. As a life-long educator, high-school, middle-school, and elementary administrator, teacher and licensed superintendent, she gets it. Reach out at [email protected]
Thank you for reading EdSolutionsChat (this blog) where school leaders come for inspiration!
“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.” -Marian Wright Edelman
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