Over half of teachers are thinking about leaving the sector early, as schools continue to struggle with employment in the pandemic
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- The ongoing pandemic is negatively impacting teachers' decisions to stay in education.
- Fifty-five percent of NEA members said "they are more likely to leave or retire from education sooner than planned because of the pandemic."
- Burnout is also a notable problem for teachers, per the survey results.
Educators are feeling burned out and are ready to say goodbye to teaching students.
That's according to a survey of National Education Association (NEA) members. The survey of 3,621 members in the union conducted from January 14 to January 24 conducted by GBAO found 55% said "they are more likely to leave or retire from education sooner than planned because of the pandemic." A memo notes that this result is "almost double the number saying the same in July 2020" when 28% reported this.
"School staffing shortages are not new, but what we are seeing now, is an unprecedented staffing crisis across every job category," Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said in a press release. "This crisis is preventing educators from giving their students the one-on-one attention they need. It is forcing them to give up their class planning and lunch time to fill in for colleagues who are out due to COVID. And, it is preventing students from getting the mental health supports needed."
While some teachers may retire, others have been leaving for new opportunities, with some searching for jobs outside of education.
LinkedIn data from November 2021 shows that teachers have recently started moving on to new roles. "During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade roles largely stayed put," LinkedIn's George Anders wrote in a new post.
"In November 2021, the K-12 teachers' separation rates surged to 66% above the levels 12 months earlier, according to a comprehensive analysis of member profile updates by LinkedIn's Economic Graph team," Anders wrote. "That's part of a broad acceleration since July 2021."
Schools are doing their best to address teacher shortages, finding creative solutions. Substitute teachers in particular are needed in different parts of the country.
As Insider's Hannah Towey reported, students at Lakeside Middle School, Memorial High School, and Millville Senior High School in New Jersey will have shortened days until February 25 because of a shortage of substitutes. At the other end of the country in New Mexico, National Guard troops and state employees are helping fill in as substitute teachers.
Similarly, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed an executive order where state employees can take time off to be a substitute teacher to address the need in private and public schools.
Burnout is also a problem, with 67% of members in the NEA survey saying it is a "very serious" issue. Additionally, 61% said stress from the pandemic was a "very serious" problem.
"When we're thinking about the forefront of our work, I think that the pandemic has obviously shed light on burnout and really understanding how, as school communities, we have to be intentional about including staff wellness and self-care activities as standards of practice," Kristy Ritvalsky, a senior training and consulting specialist at Rutgers University, previously told Insider.
Better pay could also help hire and retain teachers amid a shortage of workers.
"Public officials should seize this moment of greater fiscal flexibility to begin making the reforms needed to attract, keep safe, and retain high-quality teachers and support staff," the Economic Policy Institute's David Cooper and co-author of a new report said per a press release. "That means raising pay, enacting strong COVID protections, investing in teacher development programs, and finding ways to support part-time and part-year staff when school is not in session."
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