Burnout—it’s a single word but a constant theme in my conversations with educators who, this year more than any other, feel beaten down by ballooning workloads and unceasing pandemic-related stress.
A survey by the Rand Corporation confirms this trend. In 2021, one in four teachers said that they were likely to leave their jobs within a year, up from one in six prior to the pandemic. But teachers aren’t the only ones feeling stressed. Another survey found that three quarters of superintendents considered quitting in the 2020/2021 school year.