What happens when teachers lose their inspiration?
But it can’t be good news that a survey of teachers released in March by MetLife found the lowest job satisfaction numbers since 1989, with just 44 percent of respondents describing themselves as “very satisfied” with their classroom careers, down from 59 percent in 2009 and 62 percent in 2008
But a review of the best evidence on teachers’ sentiments shows that educators are not unhappy because they resent the new emphasis on teacher evaluations.
But polling shows teachers are depressed by the increasing reliance on standardized tests to measure student learning—the “high stakes” testing regime that the standards and accountability movement has put in place across the country and that Race to the Top has reinforced in some states and districts.
If you are a parent or an administration, this should be a series of red flags. Just as student success is tied to engagement, so too is teacher success. If your school community isn’t alive and thriving, then more and more teachers are going to leave. Teaching requires too much after hour work and too many sleepless nights to continue in an oppressive environment.
Teachers are resilient, but resilience doesn’t last forever. If you push to hard, teachers will start falling over from burn out and just like a series of dominoes, the impact won’t be on just one teacher.