Are the Teachers Alright?

Teachers in the US have the highest "burn out" rate of any other profession.

Over half of all teachers are looking for a new job.

A majority of teachers report not being engaged in their jobs, leading to 2.3 million missed workdays.

Teachers aren't engaged because they don't feel like their opinions matter.

Despite all this, of the professions surveyed, teachers rate their overall wellbeing very highly, second only to physicians. Teachers say they get to "use their strengths and do what they do best every day."

Teachers are also a happy bunch. They are the most likely of all professions to say they "smiled or laughed a lot yesterday," and the most likely to report experiencing "happiness" and "enjoyment" yesterday. What's more, teachers rank No. 2 in saying they "learn or do something new" each day.

Does any of this resonate with you? These surveys were focused on K-12 educators, so maybe it's different with preschool teachers. Maybe we have a bit more autonomy and agency in our jobs, but I doubt it. Over the past decade, I've had the opportunity to meet teachers and preschool directors from all corners of the country. Everywhere I ask, "What's the number one challenge you're facing?" Almost every one of them says, "Finding teachers."

And no wonder, right? Not only are we notoriously underpaid, but we're prone to burn-out and disengagement. At the same time, there is the "happy bunch" phenomenon. These same people I talk to always tell me that they love their jobs, despite its challenges. And that doesn't surprise me. It's not an accident that we rank right up there with physicians in terms of wellbeing: everyone knows that the secret to happiness is to serve others, laugh, and to continue to learn. 

Those who have studied such things tell us that the typical child laughs some 400 times per day, while the typical adult might laugh 15 times on a good day. Laughter is an indicator of pleasure, delight, and surprise. It means we are learning. It means we are fully in the moment. We get to laugh with children for a living. 

In her book Flourish, philosopher and publisher Antonia Case writes:

The American psychologist Tim Kasser asked university students to write down their goals for the months ahead. They were also asked to rate how happy they’d feel on attaining these goals. Their progress towards these goals and their current feelings of well-being were tracked in student diaries. Interestingly, students who pursued materialistic goals — like money or fame — tracked absolutely no gains in happiness after progressing towards these goals. In fact, their sense of well-being was no higher than it was in those who failed to make any progress at all. “The implications of this for a materialistic orientation are deep,” writes Kasser. “First, when people follow materialistic values and organize their lives around attaining wealth and possessions, they are essentially wasting their time as far as well-being is concerned . . .” Kaser found the students who sought non-materialistic goals like personal growth, close relationships and community contribution displayed very steep gains in well-being as they progressed towards these goals. Kasser is in good company here: the Greek philosopher Aristotle also stressed that a happy life must involve engagement with others, not just with the self.

We should make more money. We should have full benefits. We should have more agency. Our opinions should matter. All of this is true and would go a long way toward attracting more young people to our profession.

At the same time, especially when things are difficult, when we're feeling down, when we're feeling burnt out, there are blessings to count. We make a difference. We know we do. We see it every day. We feel it every day. We get to live lives of purpose and meaning, surrounded by laughter.

Of course, we must continue to speak out for better compensation and more respect, but we can't only do it for ourselves. We must do it on behalf of others: our colleagues, the children, and their families. This is what gives life purpose and meaning.

Life as an educator can be hard, but life itself is hard, there is no escaping it. That's not the point. Engaging with and for others is. Living a life of purpose and meaning is the surest path to a life worth living.

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Hi, I'm Teacher Tom and this is my podcast! If you're an early childhood educator, parent of preschoolers, or otherwise have young children in your life, I think you'll find my conversations with early childhood experts and thought-leaders useful, inspiring, and eye-opening. You might even come away transformed by the ideas and perspectives we share. Please give us a listen. You can find Teacher Tom's Podcast on the Mirasee FM Podcast Network or anywhere you download your podcasts.

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