Teachers, how is your mental health?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The behavior. OMG the behavior. Older kids have been running their own show while parents have had to work. Now that they’re back in school, they don’t want to be told when to eat (unmasking issues), to stay by their desks (social distancing), to interact with students they don’t like, or to complete the work they don’t like doing. I’m also seeing a lot of anxiety in kids. I’m empathetic to the transition back to school feeling hard. I’d love to be at home wearing yoga pants, muting students, and taking food and bathroom breaks more easily. But that wasn’t best for most of my students. We all have to re-learn how to work well with others without letting anxiety, dislike, or opposition sour those interactions.

The younger kids (up to grade 3) have never had a full year of elementary school. They can’t sustain attention, and their academic skills are lacking. We know how to close skill gaps and how to modify assignments to make them accessible to students who need more support. And, it’s still true that this is an overwhelming amount of work to do when so many students are this far behind.

This is a huge reason why it is so stressful this year. From elementary through high school, kids have been unsocialized on how to function in a group setting, have just been able to do whatever whenever, far too much phones/games/etc., and no accountability to actually do or learn anything. Last year was stressful and overwhelming because of all the new technology and daily creation of new lessons. Teachers fretted about kids who they couldn’t connect to because cameras were off. This year the kids are with us and all of their stress and anxiety and neediness and behaviors become our problem to manage constantly and it is exhausting and stressful and frustrating and …

The system is trying to operate like everything is back to normal, but it’s not. Kids are not okay. Teachers are not okay. Hopefully it will steadily improve. Hopefully it will improve faster than teachers burnout.

[Anonymous]

This makes me so sad because my kids have had so many great teachers. I was picking up one after school (stayed late) and saw a teacher walking to her car looking completely exhausted and drained. I am almost positive she is one of my kid's teachers based on back to school video. I wanted to yell out of my car why my kid enjoys her class, but thought I might freak her out. I do plan to write it in a note over the holidays with a gift card, but I feel like if I email her now I will just seem like I am sucking up.

Hang in there teachers. We need you!!

[Anonymous]

I am exhausted this year. I thought I would be reinvigorated but I’m just tired. Lots of new initiatives from central office that all involve learning new systems and inputting data, teacher absences and vacancies mean covering lots of classes and constantly being told about how we need to enforce social distancing while admin walks by students with masks below their noses and says nothing.

[Anonymous]

The new data collection initiatives are ridiculous! Really, THIS year DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach an ES grade. My two biggest stressors are student behaviors and the inability to meet all of what is expected to do our job.

I have about 5 students (out of 26) who constantly disrupt the class or stop instruction with their side conversations and blurting. Everything is funny and they try to make others laugh. They won’t stop giggling, grabbing, wrestling. They’re loud in the halls, won’t stop with the “Your mom” jokes, and generally just do whatever they want to whenever they feel like it.

We are expected to plan for whole group lessons, reading groups, math stations, math groups, and spelling groups. We haven’t started any of the groups. They take a lot of time to plan and implement. We are still assessing and it’s week 7 of school. It would be a huge help if I could have planning time available to do some of what I need to do.

No offense, but this is the nature of the beast. How is this different this year than other years?

One year, I had a class that was 2/3 boys. It was like the Lord of the Flies at 2 pm on a Friday. Bonus: 13 out of 30 students had an IEP. Guidance said I should be flattered that so many parents requested me based on my reputation. My coteacher quit in October. Her job went unfilled. I thought ai would lose my mind. But it was a cakewalk compared to teaching hybrid last spring.

This year is worse. I’ve tried all I know (and am allowed) to do, but it isn’t improving. These are 8 years olds who basically have no impulse control or fear of consequences.

I used to have more planning time available to get some planning done. I never used to spend 3 hours a night just planning enough for the next day to keep our heads above water.

[Anonymous]

I want to die most days. I cry on the way and back from work. I have nothing to give my family after a day at work. I just hold my baby and cry. I have kids in Kinder who cry all day, fight, run away even through the now door chimed doors, they pee everywhere, are not potty trained, do not listen AT ALL, only 2 know all their uc and lc letters, and our principal screams at us constantly to get them under control and start meeting benchmarks. It seems an impossible task. The only teacher that has them on target is an absolute drill Sargent and they are afraid of her so do what she asks. I know my parents will scream at me too if I become like her. I actually had a chair thrown at me yesterday and they never keep their masks on and are constantly touching me and in my face. I might quit before Christmas. I rather be poor.

[Anonymous]

Once a week, I pick DD up from school from her club. Three times now, I have spotted teachers sitting in their cars crying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The younger kids (up to grade 3) have never had a full year of elementary school. They can’t sustain attention, and their academic skills are lacking. We know how to close skill gaps and how to modify assignments to make them accessible to students who need more support. And, it’s still true that this is an overwhelming amount of work to do when so many students are this far behind.

Last year (20-21), they were 2nd graders. The year before (19-20), they were 1st graders. Did they ALL skip K?

By licensing standards where I am located, K is not elementary school. It is considered early childhood education, even when it is in the same building as elementary grades. In schools that have an early childhood program with PK3 and PK4, K gets lumped in with the littles rather than elementary.

It’s also important to remember that it’s typical not to retain much of anything in long-term memory that happens before age 6. So even the children who had a full year of K don’t recall those routines by the time they’re in 3rd.

Regardless, I have a third grader this year with separation anxiety and school refusal that is more typical of a PK or K student arriving for their first day of school ever. We also have several students in the primary grades who need comfort items, like stuffed animals, at school to help with anxiety management.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This makes me so sad because my kids have had so many great teachers. I was picking up one after school (stayed late) and saw a teacher walking to her car looking completely exhausted and drained. I am almost positive she is one of my kid's teachers based on back to school video. I wanted to yell out of my car why my kid enjoys her class, but thought I might freak her out. I do plan to write it in a note over the holidays with a gift card, but I feel like if I email her now I will just seem like I am sucking up.

Hang in there teachers. We need you!!

Email them! A note like that would make my whole week brighter and put a bit more bounce in my step. October is seriously the hardest month IME, so anything that could make it brighter would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

More potty accidents in K-2 this year for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me so sad because my kids have had so many great teachers. I was picking up one after school (stayed late) and saw a teacher walking to her car looking completely exhausted and drained. I am almost positive she is one of my kid's teachers based on back to school video. I wanted to yell out of my car why my kid enjoys her class, but thought I might freak her out. I do plan to write it in a note over the holidays with a gift card, but I feel like if I email her now I will just seem like I am sucking up.

Hang in there teachers. We need you!!

Email them! A note like that would make my whole week brighter and put a bit more bounce in my step. October is seriously the hardest month IME, so anything that could make it brighter would be appreciated.

This! I got a message on Class Dojo today from a parent that will carry me along for another week or so. This year, I've cried more than I've ever cried and that includes my first year teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me so sad because my kids have had so many great teachers. I was picking up one after school (stayed late) and saw a teacher walking to her car looking completely exhausted and drained. I am almost positive she is one of my kid's teachers based on back to school video. I wanted to yell out of my car why my kid enjoys her class, but thought I might freak her out. I do plan to write it in a note over the holidays with a gift card, but I feel like if I email her now I will just seem like I am sucking up.

Hang in there teachers. We need you!!

Email them! A note like that would make my whole week brighter and put a bit more bounce in my step. October is seriously the hardest month IME, so anything that could make it brighter would be appreciated.

This! I got a message on Class Dojo today from a parent that will carry me along for another week or so. This year, I've cried more than I've ever cried and that includes my first year teaching.

I made a point last year of sending quick notes to teachers to say thanks or share things they did that stuck with my kids. Thanks for reminding me that I need to do it again.

[Anonymous]

This is a huge reason why it is so stressful this year. From elementary through high school, kids have been unsocialized on how to function in a group setting, have just been able to do whatever whenever, far too much phones/games/etc., and no accountability to actually do or learn anything. Last year was stressful and overwhelming because of all the new technology and daily creation of new lessons. Teachers fretted about kids who they couldn’t connect to because cameras were off. This year the kids are with us and all of their stress and anxiety and neediness and behaviors become our problem to manage constantly and it is exhausting and stressful and frustrating and …

The system is trying to operate like everything is back to normal, but it’s not. Kids are not okay. Teachers are not okay. Hopefully it will steadily improve. Hopefully it will improve faster than teachers burnout.

This is so well stated. I'm seeing kids who don't understand to stay in the classroom, let alone at their desks or how to work independently. I was in a district that was in person for a lot of last year, but we were constantly flipping between digital and hybrid, so the in person class size was small and the students' movement and interaction was very restricted due to fears of covid transmission. We are re-teaching expectations of how to learn, interact with peers and teachers, and be respectful of people and property to every grade level.

[Anonymous]

Teachers are crying a lot. A sixth grade teacher at my school has been attacked by a student twice. An IA who is teaching a fifth grade class because there is no teacher tried to break up a fight and has bruises. She stayed home today. This can’t go on like this. Kids are not regulated and nobody is helping.

[Anonymous]

I’m a career changer and this is my second year as a teacher. What did I get myself into. I have never had a job so intense and exhausting. I am barely hanging on this year. I hope it gets better because this is too much. It is crazy how much is expected of teachers. It seems unsustainable.