Teacher burnout: The cultural symptom of a system without value
By Laura Monaghan
Teacher burnout is more than just a handful of bad days throughout the school term. It’s a chronic experience of intense stress that manifests into a sense of inadequacy, complete exhaustion and lack of engagement in the classroom. But worse still, is that this growing burnout phenomenon is only the symptom of a much larger affliction that our education system is facing. As unfortunately, there continues to be a lack of value surrounding the teaching industry that has a negative ripple effect not only on the teachers but also the future generations who deserve a respected, quality education.
Young and passionate preservice teacher, Carlee Tonkin, has always known her destiny was to be a primary school teacher. Tonkin had always excelled academically, even scoring in the top two graduates at her college. However, through the later stages of her schooling, she began to feel as if she would be settling for less by continuing on her path to working as a teacher.
“I was told after receiving a university entrance score of 96, that to choose teaching over a career as a doctor would be a waste of my intelligence.”
This comment is a direct representation of how teaching is viewed as a less valued career in society and a job that people can settle for when they are unable to achieve their first career option.
Part of this culture of undervaluation can be attributed to the lowering of university entrance scores for teaching degrees. In 2016, the tertiary entry score for teaching was as low as 57.35 and in NSW and ACT, high school graduates who scored in the bottom 50 per cent made up half of all teaching degree offers. This action was initially implemented to encourage an influx of teachers into the industry where the applicants were thinning, however it has only encouraged a larger admittance of lower quality applicants due to a lack of greater competition.
As a preservice teacher studying during the effects of this action, Tonkin states that, “On one hand, it’s good for current preservice teachers because there is an abundance of jobs available for us. But then, once you’re in the job, the strain placed on us as teachers can be really challenging.”
Hence, though there can be numerous reasons why a teacher may experience burnout, the risk of reaching this breaking point in their career is much greater when they are only in the industry because it appeared to be one of the easiest degree to gain a qualification in.
In reality, teaching is a far more demanding occupation than the lowered university entrance score suggests. In fact, Jack Gibson, a teacher who has just switched from primary to high school teaching, agrees that his entrance into the industry was impeded by a lack of preparation for fundamental teaching obligations. For instance, how to have difficult phone calls with parents, how to deal with conflict, how to write a report and many other daily tasks that a teacher is left to figure out as they go.
Considering that one in three Australian teachers leave the education system within the first five years of their career, this under-preparation for the industry is dropping early careers teachers straight into the deep end. Gibson, who himself has just surpassed his fifth year of teaching, comments that “the five-year burnout teachers are experiencing is definitely real”.
Moreover, he links one of the primary contributors of teacher burnout to the unavoidable reality that the role of a teacher in society is largely unappreciated. He states that although praise is not what motivates him to continue working in the industry, Gibson believes that teaching is becoming “a real thankless job”. Especially as the curriculum expands with every passing year alongside the growing responsibilities that stretch teachers to their absolute limit.
This workload intensity is made increasingly unmanageable when finding casual relief staff is becoming near impossible for schools. This means that for teachers like Gibson, their release from face-to-face teaching which allows them to complete their additional administration tasks decreases.
To combat these concerns, Gibson suggests an increase in wellbeing initiatives as well as a greater acknowledgment of the time and effort that teachers put into educating the future leaders of the next generation. Since with the constantly growing workload that early careers teachers aren’t entirely equipped for as well as the lack of appreciation for their efforts, the education system will continue to struggle to keep their early careers teachers for more than five years.
In addition to a lack of appreciation affecting the level of teacher burnout, especially in those initial five years, a major contributor to this concern is the need for greater child support and behaviour management. Alongside Gibson, Melanie Monaghan began her career as a primary teacher but now teaches at a Catholic systemic high school. Monaghan has been a part of the Australian education system for 17 years and though she never considered giving up teaching, there have been various experiences that have forced her to realise that something has to change.
Throughout her years of experience, Monaghan noticed the steady rise of children with additional needs and challenging behaviours as well as a decrease in support around managing the extra responsibilities for these students. Monaghan says that people have to realise that teachers are now acting as “in-school parents” due to the increasing responsibility and workload placed on them to not just educate but cultivate the students into sociable, well-mannered and functioning future members of society.
She asks, “Where does a teacher’s job end anymore? When can teachers confidently say I have done my job? The answer is they can’t.”
These conditions aren’t a direct reflection on the current level of additional needs within the student cohort but rather is exacerbated by the decreased level of in-class teacher support with student behaviour. Monaghan reflects that when she began teaching in 1992, despite having 10-15 more students in her class, she felt significantly less stress than compared to now.
“Student management was a lot stronger then, and also varies from one school to another. If a student stepped out of line they were sent to the Principal’s office. Now, teachers are expected to deal with a lot of in-class challenges themselves.”
Though this extra responsibility has never detracted her passion for teaching, as the best thing about teaching for Monaghan is the students and the relationships that teachers form with them, it’s also one of the hardest aspects of the position and one that needs greater support.
Like Monaghan, Matthew Garton is an experienced educator in the Australian education system. However with 32 years of experience under his belt, he has also spent the past decade working as the principal of a Catholic primary school. From his position as a longstanding member of executive, Garton is able to recognise the wider impact and stimulus of teacher burnout not just within his staff but throughout the school community. “We are starting to hit rock bottom, but we need to realise that teacher burnout is not the root problem affecting the industry. It’s the symptom of a culture that doesn’t value the education system as much as it should.”
Moreover, in order to address this broader concern, Garton believes that teachers need a rhythm of practise that is sustainable and respected within the community. However, he also recognises that this kind of cultural shift is not something that can be achieved overnight. Which is why it requires genuine, long-term collaboration both within individual school communities and from higher positions of influence like the Catholic Education Office and the Government.
So, whilst the increase in value of teaching requires industrial shifts such as a better pay scale, quality staffing and consistent accessible resources, there are still strategies that school communities can put in place to support their teachers. Within Garton’s own primary school, he is dedicated to fostering a culture where everyone has positive relationships because he believes that connection is essential for wellbeing. For example, there are collaborative structures for staff like grade partners and band leaders to encourage teamwork and a shared workload.
However, whilst the combined safeguarding from both their industry leaders and local community, Garton advocates that teachers must also prioritise their wellbeing. There can be so much pressure on teachers to be everything for their students but he believes that “your well-being is still your responsibility which means knowing when to say ‘I have done enough’”.
Unfortunately, in the world we live in, burnout is a concern that will never entirely go away. However, the prevalence of burnout in the education system can be mitigated by addressing the lead cultural and industry related factors such as valuing the education system as a respected profession, better preparing preservice and early careers teachers for the intense though still rewarding workload, and supporting teachers with challenging students. Although, it must be a collective effort from the community and the education industry to greater value our teachers time and effort, in order to make a definite difference in reducing burnout so that not just our teachers but the future leaders of the upcoming generations can thrive the way they deserve to.