Take some duties off teachers鈥� plates. Listen to their concerns, and work together to find solutions. Avoid too many new initiatives at once. Don鈥檛 fall back on clich茅s like, 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the kids.鈥�
Those are just some of the ways that teachers say administrators could better support their mental health, according to a new nationally representative survey.
After all, administrators should be concerned: More than 4 in 10 teachers say their teaching and professional growth have suffered this school year because of the state of their mental health. And more than half of teachers said that the mental health and wellness of teachers in their school has declined over the course of the 2022-23 school year. Just 10 percent said it had improved, and 34 percent said it had remained the same.
The findings come from the second annual Merrimack College Teacher Survey, a nationally representative poll conducted by the EdWeek Research Center and commissioned by the Winston School of Education and Social Policy at Merrimack College. The survey, which was fielded in January, found that teacher job satisfaction has improved since last year, but they are still struggling with mental health issues.
To better understand how teachers want to be supported by their school and district leaders, the survey asked respondents, 鈥淲hat should graduate programs teach administrators about fostering environments that support the mental well-being of teachers?鈥�
More than 750 teachers responded. They urged administrators to remember what it was like to be a teacher and to consider the extra pandemic-related burdens those in the classroom are dealing with now. Many called for graduate programs to teach empathetic leadership skills and to prioritize teachers鈥� work-life balance.
As one respondent said, 鈥淭he mental well-being of a teacher directly affects the mental well-being of the students"鈥攁 sentiment that has been backed up by research.
Here are seven themes from the responses. These quotes have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Listen to teachers, and strive for productive conversations
- 鈥淵ou need to truly listen to teachers and try to understand what they鈥檙e feeling and where they鈥檙e coming from. Trite phrases鈥攕uch as: 鈥榃e just do the best we can.鈥� 鈥榃e can do more with less.鈥� 鈥業t鈥檚 all about the kids.'鈥攄o nothing to validate teachers.鈥�
- 鈥淭rust your teachers. Don鈥檛 micromanage them. Don鈥檛 ask them to do unnecessary tasks.鈥�
- "[Administrators need to learn] to give at least as much appreciative, positive feedback as they do 鈥榥ext steps.鈥� Affirmations on what is being done correctly often inspire our students to believe in themselves and achieve more. The same works for teachers, as well.鈥�
- 鈥淲e are a team. Look for the good first, then include areas for growth. Be willing to listen to staff鈥檚 comments and respond respectfully.鈥�
Give teachers a seat at the table
- 鈥淲hat causes the most stress for teachers is when they feel powerless. So include them in all decisionmaking鈥攂oth big and small.鈥�
- 鈥淕ive teachers a voice and say in policies. Oftentimes, it seems individuals who have been out of the classroom for quite some time are making the biggest decisions. I think teachers have a lot of great ideas and are feeling like their hands are tied with several aspects of teaching鈥攃ausing a negative attitude.鈥�
Encourage a healthy work-life balance
- "[Preparation programs] should teach them about work-life boundaries, because it鈥檚 twice as difficult to have a healthy relationship with teaching when your boss doesn鈥檛 think you need one.鈥�
- 鈥淲e are humans. Families and self come before teaching.鈥�
- "[Administrators] should be encouraged to support us with stuff that is low-cost or free to the school. Like a jeans day goes a LONG way. Or bringing by an ice cream or piece of fruit.鈥�
- 鈥淭eachers are not robots! We have emotions and feelings. We experience situations in our personal and professional lives that can and will affect us mentally. We need resources that will help us manage these situations to help us better serve as educators.鈥�
- 鈥淯nderstand what mental health actually is, what affects it, and how to actually help it (i.e. NOT chips in the lounge, but maybe a mental health day off or extra designated planning time with no kids in the room).鈥�
Be an empathetic leader
- 鈥淭reat teachers like the professionals they are. This includes tone of voice, respecting the teacher in conferences, and not assuming anything negative about a teacher until you get the full truth.鈥�
- 鈥淭reat all of your staff members fairly. When meeting with a teacher who has behaved unprofessionally, ask them if they are OK, or if there are things going on in their personal life that are pushing them past their limits. We give this grace to students, but not always to adults. Adults should have better coping skills than students, but our teachers are being pushed past their limits on a daily basis.鈥�
- 鈥淭eachers have multiple people they have to be accountable to鈥攁dmin., students, parents鈥攁nd it is very stressful because it seems like none of them are ever satisfied. Just telling teachers that they鈥檙e appreciated makes a huge difference.鈥�
Don鈥檛 overload teachers
- 鈥淭he amount of extra duties you assign to teachers directly and inversely affects their mental health collectively and individually. Take some of those duties on yourself and allow teachers some time to breathe, refocus, and reset between classes.鈥�
- 鈥淲e鈥檙e all human and can鈥檛 do 400 things at once. Maybe stick with one initiative for a while.鈥�
- 鈥淭here is more to do in a day than there are hours. You need to pick your battles and be OK with that.鈥�
- 鈥淔or every job you add to teachers鈥� [plates], you need to take one away. Do the math: Are you asking more of teachers than they can possibly do during their planning?鈥�
Spend a lot of time in the classroom
- "[Administrators] need to take over for a full day, including planning and all other responsibilities, so that they have a better understanding of what teachers do. This should be done multiple times a year.鈥�
- 鈥淭ruly walk in the teachers鈥� shoes鈥攍iterally. [Preparation programs should] require them to spend a day per month in a different classroom.鈥�
- 鈥淭hey need to back their teachers with decisions, support with behaviors, and classroom management. They need to be in the classrooms to see what is going on.鈥�
Create a collegial, supportive environment
- 鈥淛ust as we are supposed to foster relationships with our students as teachers, administrators should foster relationships with us as teachers.鈥�
- 鈥淗ave a presence. Don鈥檛 hide in your office. Be friendly, say 鈥榟i鈥� in the hallways. Get to know your staff. If an observation isn鈥檛 great, give a chance to redo it. Don鈥檛 make things as 鈥榯eachers against admin.,鈥� genuinely be a team. Offer anonymous surveys to your staff twice a year. We need a voice, we need to feel heard.鈥�
- 鈥淓xplicitly check in with each teacher individually, as often as possible. Foster a relationship of trust and support. Listen! And when you are hearing that your teachers are tired, work with them to find solutions.鈥�
- "[Preparation programs] need to teach principals how to build and foster community in their school among staff. They also need to play an active role in the community/build relationships with staff. Show they care.鈥�
