From a fundamental part of childhood development to being the core of sharing specialized knowledge, teachers are undoubtedly one of the backbones of society. However, the course of this profession has forever been changed by COVID-19. Digging into the effects of these changes will allow us to see the arising challenges that have led to many departures from the field. Here is a look into the shifting journey of education and how we can lead the future into an upward trend.

To start off, there were multiple positives that did come out of pandemic teaching. American Sign Language teacher Paige Friedli says, “COVID has honestly helped the Deaf community a lot. Everything became virtual so it was now visually equitable to teach through Zoom, Facetime, or a digital platform. That was quite a benefit. Having captions has also been normalized.” Teaching online shined new lights on accessibility that gave students educational flexibility. At the same time, COVID education meant trouble for many. Politico states, “Millions of students have to be supported to catch up academically and process trauma, something that educators say will take several years.” However, this work will not happen without the necessary help. Math teacher Colleen Ball says, “I have felt impacted by the lack of paraprofessionals. As numbers of students who require specially designed instruction continues to rise, it is important that there are people trained to deliver in the classroom along with the general education teacher so that everyone’s needs can be met.” The effect of lacking staff is becoming increasingly evident.

Technology itself has brought better communication and access when school returned to in-person learning but has also dragged along a lack of respect for balance. More expectations have been placed on teachers without time or compensation given. Ball shares, “I think that a societal shift should be made around the idea that ‘if teaching is your passion, it should not feel like work’ and therefore, you should not care about the salary. This mindset, much like ‘no pain no gain’ is toxic and often used by people outside of the profession to guilt teachers into accepting less and working more.” To add, educators in media are often under pressure to be perfect. Education Week says, “Teachers are caught in the crossfire of a political and cultural conflict, and it’s threatening their ability to do their jobs.” New censorships and material bans have also made their way to the classroom. They add, “Teachers in every subject area have said they’ve been accused of ‘indoctrination’ or questioned for their curricular choices.” The need to create brand new lessons as restrictions continue to pass will distract from the quality of education and diverges attention from the students who need it.

The accumulation of these factors has pushed many educators to leave. King 5 News says, “Washington state teacher attrition rates and teacher turnover overall are now at historic highs…The teacher attrition rate in 2022 was 8.91 percenr – which is more than a percentage point higher than the attrition rate after any of the previous 37 school years.” Teachers view departure as their best option. English teacher, Heidi Hutch says, “More than half of the English secondary educators I graduated with are no longer teaching, which is crazy. I think within the first few years of the profession is probably a frequent time for teachers to leave and COVID did not help that.” She shares the belief that changes need to be made beyond the educator level. Hutch adds, “For me, I hope someday one thing that will happen is smaller class sizes. One of my favorite things is building relationships with students, and that is difficult to do in a class of 34 students compared to 25. Even that makes such a big difference.” Allowing educators to thrive through playing on their strength will subsequently boost their classroom quality. History teacher Ellie Shane, emphasizes the importance of belonging. She shares, “I think the student body, the administrators, and the community do a wonderful job of showing support for teachers here at Issaquah. Also, I feel like my colleagues are fantastic to collaborate with and we have a close bond.” Another suggestion to help teachers see their long-term plan is offering growth opportunities. American University says, “Doing so not only can make them more comfortable in their role, but it can also enable them to grow stronger in the role. This in turn can prepare them to take on leadership roles in education.” It is easier for someone to choose to stay when the potential of a job can be seen.

To conclude, both the education system from within and the mentality from outside need to change in order for this profession to continue to make real lasting changes in students’ lives. We all can remember how our favorite teacher has impacted our lives. So, even if the actions are small, take part in showing you care.