Parent Tips : Educator Well-Being
By Julie Stevens
Like healthcare , teaching tends to attract those who view their work as a calling . Intellectual , emotional , and physical demands have always made these professions challenging . While the job stress endured by frontline doctors and nurses since 2020 has been clear , less so were the pressures experienced by classroom teachers who even before the pandemic faced increased roles and responsibilities paired with often unrealistic expectations from parents and society at large . Perceptions of teacher prestige are at the lowest level in 50 years . Additionally , teachers ’ inflation adjusted earnings have been flat for two decades , and lower than other professions requiring a college degree , with independent schools paying roughly a third less than public schools and providing less job security . Demoralized teachers have had to address highly contentious , politically charged issues – about which they may be personally uncertain or lack specific training – and then faced pushback from parents who questioned the legitimacy of the content taught or the teacher ’ s authority to communicate it to their children . Small wonder that over the past decade , a third fewer new teachers have dared to step through the classroom door . How can parents effectively partner with educators and avert a looming crisis for the teaching profession and the students who depend on them ?
• Start with a frank reflection on the kind of relationship you expect to have with your child ’ s teachers . While historically favoring a collaborative approach and supporting teachers ’ efforts to set limits and impose consequences , increasingly parents have adopted a transactional , consumerist stance . In a 2017 start-of-school letter , one school head noted the tendency for parents to view the school as a “ credentialing factory ,” expecting a “ narrowly individualistic ” path to self-advancement for their child rather than development of knowledge and skills to use in the service of others . Consider the extent to which fears for your child ’ s future success — compounded by added uncertainties related to the pandemic — might translate into more fraught exchanges with their teachers . Remember the shared vision that led your family to choose your school community . Recognize when your interactions with teachers force them to manage your anxiety in addition to their other myriad professional responsibilities .
• While parents are always the authority regarding their kids , educators should feel encouraged to assert their expertise in the areas of child development , academic content , and pedagogy . Thought leaders Michael Thompson and Robert Evans don ’ t assume a return to prior levels of parental trust and cooperation , instead proposing a redefinition of the ways parents engage with the school . In their model the school is the “ senior partner ,” clearly stating to parents nonnegotiable expectations dealing with the purpose of education and standards of conduct essential for being a part of the school . Parents should welcome
Page 28 Spring 2023 CSEE Connections