A recent survey from the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office found that more teachers are experiencing high levels of stress this school year compared to previous years.
Nearly all 2,500 respondents reported feeling stress at work. Eighty percent of respondents reported feeling “severe” or “extreme” levels of stress this school year, compared to about 10% in the 2019-2020 school year. Between half to three-fourths of respondents said they feel anxiety, irritability, prolonged fatigue, trouble concentrating and insomnia as a result of their stress.
The results are alarming and need to be taken seriously by school and district leaders, governing board members, and state policymakers, said Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson's office in the survey's findings.
“I hope that people understand that our teachers are working their tails off, and they love our students, and they're trying to support our students the best they can, but at the same time, they have a breaking point," Watson said.
Some of the teachers cited student behavior as one of the factors behind their stress, Watson said. Arizona Education Association President Joe Thomas said the pandemic-related staffing challenges and political environment educators are operating under are also contributing.
“So you’re seeing people who see no end in sight, and are doubling up on their duties because we’ve got so many absences and they're thinking, ‘I don’t know how long I can do this. This is not what I thought I was getting into,'" Thomas said.
Thomas has heard more teachers seriously talking about leaving their job, retiring early or moving to a different state with better support systems for educators and students.
Watson is talking with governing board members and superintendents on what they can do to relieve some of the pressure teachers are feeling. Thomas said the Arizona Legislature can also take measures to help teachers during this time, and show that they are behind them.
