A survey of nearly 5,000 educators released on October 30 by the AFT and the Badass Teachers Association shows that nearly two-thirds of educators usually feel stressed out, twice the level felt by workers in the general population. Most surveyed feel disrespected by state and federal officials, especially Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. By contrast, two districts, Solvay, NY and N. Syracuse, NY, reported less stress as they have forged strong collaboration among educators, administrators, parents, and community members. Teachers in those two districts were less likely to leave the profession than other educators in the survey.
“Teaching is a tough job that carries with it high levels of stress, which obviously affects both students and educators. Stressful work environments can affect student achievement and educator effectiveness, and can be mitigated by a collaborative culture that respects educators and the work they do,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The survey shows that a supportive work environment is vital to creating schools that are places where teachers want to teach and kids want to learn. These kinds of environments do not come about by chance-they must be intentional.”
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