By Jessica Werner
What happens to education without great teachers? Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, we are close to finding out. UNESCO is projecting a shortage of 44 million teachers by 2030, which is not that far away.
Because of statistics like this, educator well-being has suddenly become a buzzword. This isn’t a bad thing—on the contrary, we should have been caring more about the well-being of educators long ago, as this is essential to student success, teacher retention, and school stability. However, it’s important to realize that the issue is not one dimensional, and can’t be fixed by Friday donuts or access to faculty yoga (although these acts of kindness and generosity are still appreciated).
In a 2024 study conducted by The Wall Street Journal, teachers stated that the number one cause of burnout was managing challenging student behavior. Close behind was providing for diverse student learning needs, as well as supporting the mental health and well-being of their students.
The students in schools are much different than they were 20 years ago. They have a host of learning difficulties, mental health challenges, and social and emotional struggles that have drastically increased over the past two decades. Teachers feel unprepared to work with the issues that confront them in their student populations, leading to feelings of hopelessness and futility. They are eagerly seeking more opportunities that provide guidance on how to best support the needs of their students.
Access to donuts isn’t going to move the needle on any of these issues, but targeted, strategic professional learning opportunities will. Educators are looking for support for the difficult aspects of their roles. Ongoing training about how to work with the new, diverse needs of students will enhance teacher feelings of efficacy, helping them to feel more confident in knowing how to do their jobs well.
In addition to offering quality professional learning opportunities, several other interventions have also been shown to promote educator well-being. For example, facilitating pathways to leadership positions. This can be more than just moving into a principal or superintendent role; leadership opportunities can also include those that let teachers provide professional learning for their peers, or offering access to training that will allow them to become instructional coaches.
Additionally, teachers cite wanting to feel more autonomous in their roles. What does this look like in practice? It means giving teachers meaningful voice over instructional decisions and how they meet students’ needs within shared school goals. Many new curriculums are scripted or prescriptive, taking away some of the creative planning that teachers enjoy. Finding ways to honor teacher expertise and creativity helps educators feel trusted, valued, and energized in their work.
The key to supporting educator well-being is not elusive, but it does require intentional thought and strategy, as well as financial backing. The best schools will find ways to do it, and teachers are counting on us to take action before it is too late.
Jessica Werner, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Northshore Learning. She specializes in behavior support, including social and emotional learning, student regulation and self-management, holistic approaches to student behavior, and communication for general classroom students and those with additional learning needs.
