Is Anyone Paying Attention to Teacher Burnout?

We recently saw a post on Instagram that had us asking, “Is anyone paying attention to teacher burnout?” 

The teacher who made the Reel (not even two months into a new school year) cited many contributors to her exhaustion: 

• Her school is short-staffed.

• She is being crushed by compliance requirements.

• Her workload is unreasonable 

• She receives no additional compensation for the many hours of work she must complete outside of the school day.

But worst of all, she says, “Nothing changes, because it’s public education.”

The team here at ELP doesn’t pretend we can solve a systemic problem of this magnitude. We provide a solution to teacher retention, not burnout. Nevertheless, we find it disheartening that addressing teacher burnout is not considered a five-alarm, all-hands-on-deck crisis. 

We did some research to understand the full extent of teacher burnout. It was alarming.

What will the world look like when all the teachers are gone? 

This question was posed by Mark Perna in an article for Forbes titled “No More Teachers: The Epic Crisis Facing Education.”

Did you know that Harvard dropped its undergrad teaching program due to declining enrollment last year? Program closures have accelerated since 2020.

As Mr. Perna wrote, “This epic crisis in education has taken time to build, and in some places it may still be easy to pretend it’s not that bad. But someday soon it will reach a tipping point where we can no longer close our eyes to the gutting of American education.”

He pointed out that our teacher shortage is compounded by the volume of teachers quitting. And is it any wonder that they continue to quit in droves? They are stressed and underpaid.

PEW research found that the number-one reason teachers can’t get to their grading, lesson planning, or other essential work: They simply have too much of it. 

RAND research quantified teacher stress and workloads:

• Compared with working adults, about twice as many teachers reported experiencing frequent job-related stress or burnout in 2024 and roughly three times as many teachers reported difficulty coping with job-related stress.

• Teachers reported working nine hours per week more than comparable working adults (53 hours per week compared with 44 hours), but they reported earning about $18,000 less in base pay, on average (roughly $70,000 compared with roughly $88,000).

• Female teachers reported significantly higher rates of frequent job-related stress and burnout than male teachers, a consistent pattern since 2021. 

• Female teachers also reported significantly lower base pay than male teachers, but there were no differences in the number of hours worked per week.

• Black teachers were less likely to report experiencing job-related stress than White teachers, but they were significantly more likely to say that they intend to leave their job at their school. 

“What can we do to start making a change? Because we are barely surviving.”

4 ways to combat feelings of burnout

Figure out what matters less

Do you have to give out formal grades for every single assignment? Your students may be motivated by hand-drawn stars or smiley faces on their papers. If they have something to work on, circle it for them. 

Bundle tasks

Doing similar tasks at the same time can make you much more productive. Instead of trying to remember to respond to emails throughout the day, dedicate a specific time each day to answer emails. 

Say yes to help

When administrators or colleagues offer help, say yes. Delegate tasks that they can do quickly, and use the lesson plans they swear by.

Use AI to help with administrative tasks

ChatGPT is not perfect, but you might find it is helpful in composing, say, progress update emails for parents. 

What to do through your union

Is your union listening and supporting you? Many are! 

Bargain for more planning time

Teachers in Portland, Ore., have a new union contract that provides “no less than 410 minutes per standard work week” with at least “one daily block of 40 minutes.” On top of that, Portland’s elementary special education case managers also will get “at least 40 minutes a day” for paperwork. 

In Lewisberry, Pa., middle and high school educators receive additional pay when their planning time dips below 270 minutes across six days; the threshold is 320 for elementary teachers.

Bargain for less work

In Eatonville, Wash., teachers are paid $13 per student per day if, say, their third-grade class exceeds 17 students. They also receive an extra period of specialist time per week. In Lancaster, Pa., the union won a 45 to 1 staffing ratio for speech-language pathologists.

Advocate to your state legislators

Virginia Education Association members are working to improve a state law that provides just 30 minutes of planning time to elementary teachers. Last year, members of the Georgia Association of Educators helped pass a Republican-sponsored bill requiring districts to provide daily planning time. 

Please share your good news!

This was a rather pessimistic article, so we would love to hear YOUR good news. 

Teachers, what is your school, district or union doing to lessen your stress levels and workloads?

Unions, what are you doing to support your teachers?