Sometimes the point of qualitative research isn’t to uncover hidden truths; sometimes it’s more about adding weight and clarity to the truths that are already obvious. In the case of our most recent report, Tell Us How You Really Feel: A Teacher Sentiment Survey, none of the successes and challenges that teachers are talking about may seem particularly surprising; especially, if you are a teacher, know a teacher, or just follow one on Twitter.

What may be surprising, though, is the range of sentiments we found in the responses. The same challenge can manifest itself in myriad ways across different schools and be perceived differently by each teacher.

For example, student behavior was the most cited challenge for teachers; however, some teachers diagnosed the problem as social emotional health that relates to pandemic trauma and others said the problem stemmed from going from a very unstructured virtual environment back to the traditional classroom model. Of course neither is wrong, but it’s a subtle and important distinction as we search for solutions to the challenges that teachers and schools are facing right now.

“Our students were virtual last school year, so there have been challenges adjusting to being in person again, mainly with emotional regulation and coping skills. We do our best to incorporate SEL curriculum into our days, which helps build safety and community.”

Another purpose of these surveys and interviews we conduct is, simply, to create a safe space for teachers to speak their mind and be heard. The responses ranged in tone from crass to ebullient, but what’s most important is that they were authentic.

We found that the key to sourcing authentic feedback from teachers about how they really feel, is showing up and giving them the opportunity to speak freely.

In order to do that, we had to listen. We walked with teachers through the halls of their schools, listening to them as they scrambled from one class to another, discussing the challenges of teaching in a pandemic and the excitement in their voice as they talked about connecting with a challenging student. We didn’t carry clipboards, we weren’t administrators there to observe classroom management.

By showing up and listening from a place of empathy, teachers were able to speak openly and candidly – making our research richer and more authentic.

FINDINGS

In total, we received responses from 242 teachers. The challenges and successes were initially coded against 12 - 14 broad categories. Then those categories were further grouped into three primary challenges and two primary successes.

CHALLENGES

As schools returned to in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 academic year, teachers continue to face multiple challenges amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that impacts students and teachers. We identified three major challenges that teachers reported they are currently facing based on the survey results which include the social and emotional well being of students and associated student behavior, teacher burnout, and gaps in student learning.

Social & Emotional Wellbeing and Student Behavior

Teachers report that transition to in-person learning has been a challenge for students as they re-establish routines, schedules, and expectations after multiple months of virtual learning. Survey responses indicate that teachers are currently trying to balance the social and emotional needs of students who need to improve their emotional regulation and social skills while keeping them on track for academic growth. Responses indicate that there are multiple outside factors that are leading to behavioral issues and a lack of motivation as students experience fatigue.

“I would say that the biggest thing that I have run into this year is behavioral issues,” one respondent said. “My students just do not know how to be in a class full of students. Their social skills are extremely lacking. At times I feel more like a social worker than a teacher.”

Teacher Burnout

Survey responses indicate that teachers are also concerned about their own mental health and social and emotional well being. Teachers reported that they are struggling to navigate the nuances of teaching amid an ongoing pandemic and the required COVID-19 protocols for masking, tracking student interactions, quarantine processes, and concerns for their own health and safety. Teachers also reported that their schools are understaffed and experiencing teacher and substitute shortages, as well as understaffing in support areas like paraeducators, bus drivers and cafeteria workers. These shortages have caused many teachers to fill in for absences or accept additional responsibilities in their workload which has led to increased levels of exhaustion.

“This year has been really tough on teacher's mental health,'' another respondent said. “ There are many wonderful teachers stepping away from teaching because it's draining them and with the shortage of staff, there isn't much support. I feel so tired everyday, and I mean we have all felt "teacher tired" before, but not like this.”

Student Learning Challenges

Teachers also reported two different types of student learning loss as challenges that they are experiencing. First, students have experienced prolonged gaps in their learning during multiple months of virtual learning where they received inconsistent instruction and support that lacked the same rigor and structure as their in-person instruction while others experienced connectivity issues that prevented full participation.

The second cause for gaps in student learning is a more immediate effect and occurs when students are required to quarantine based on school pandemic protocols and transition to remote learning for short periods of time. Both of these scenarios contribute to the different learning levels of students within a classroom requiring teachers to instruct across a spectrum of students who are learning above and below grade level.

“The greatest challenge this school year has been keeping students engaged and motivated,” one respondent said. “One component of this is figuring out exactly where the students are individually and collectively to help drive coursework. This means recreating a lot of lessons and materials.”

SUCCESSES

While education currently faces many ongoing challenges, not all is lost. The survey results indicate that many teachers remain optimistic and have found areas of success to celebrate including the increased ability to build relationships with students during in-person learning, positive growth in the areas of student achievement and engagement .

Relationships and Engagement with Students

Teacher’s survey responses indicate that they have a greater ability to build relationships and support students and parents with the return to in-person instruction. These relationships appear to contribute to the positive growth that teachers reported in the areas of student achievement and student engagement. Additionally, survey responses indicate that teachers are better able to respond to the academic and social and mental health needs of students while providing them support and accommodations.

“I have formed some great relationships with my students, some of my best yet” another respondent said. “I think it is because I am open and honest with them about how I am feeling, whereas in the past I was afraid to really be myself.”

Collaborating with Teachers

Survey responses also indicate that one of the benefits of returning to in-person instruction is the increased ability to collaborate with other teachers and staff members.

According to the survey responses, staff collaboration has increased their capacity for collective problem solving and solidarity among colleagues. Survey responses indicate that collaboration and a network of supportive colleagues can help contribute to teacher resilience where simply returning to school for another day is considered a success by several who were surveyed.

One optimistic respondent explained their success as “being able to adjust to accommodate more functional students in my room, which has been a huge challenge but I feel that my team has overcome this obstacle and we are giving our students the best support we can!”

CONCLUSION

The results from this emergency needs survey provide a deeper understanding and additional context to the challenges that teachers face and areas where they have found success during this academic year. While teachers are experiencing behavioral issues with students and their struggles to transition back into the classroom after months of remote learning, they remain optimistic that the relationships they are able to build and reestablish are leading to improved academic achievement and engagement. Additionally, teachers are reporting higher levels of stress and burn out so continued support in the areas of mental and emotional health are critical for sustaining adequate school staffing.

However, these issues are unlikely to be resolved at the end of the school year and creative solutions will be imperative for the long term success of schools.

In the short term, schools should use Instructional models that support in-person learning and safety protocols that help students remain in school to help create a learning environment where teachers are able to strengthen their relationships with students and increase student engagement through consistent learning activities.

A larger issue for schools however is how they will navigate staffing shortages as teachers continue to leave the profession. Innovative solutions should be explored to help recruit and retain high quality teachers and education staff. This could possibly include reimagining traditional school models, rethinking instructional delivery methods, removing barriers to licensure, and competitive compensation.

Our hope is that by utilizing our deep relationships with school communities we can elevate the voices of teachers to help better understand these issues and through creative problem solving address the challenges together and codesign the solutions of the future.