A new poll of teachers and staff by Tennesseans for Student Success is showing many wouldn’t recommend others to follow in their footsteps.
More than 77 percent of those surveyed said they wouldn’t recommend education as a profession to a child or student. Only 22 percent said they would recommend education as a profession.
Respondents cited a lack of support at all levels of education administration from the school level to the state level for their decreasing perception of their profession.
Tennesseans for Student Success conducted the poll of teachers and staff over a three-week period in August and September 2022 to better understand teacher priorities. In total, 1,570 educators from all grade levels across the state responded.
The Tennessee Firefly is funded in part by Tennesseans for Student Success.
Schools aren’t getting better
The vast majority of educators polled also do not feel public schools are getting better in Tennessee.
Nearly 44 percent of respondents said schools are getting worse and 32 percent said they’re about the same. Just under 14 percent said schools are improving.
Some common challenges expressed by those polled include a lack of time to accomplish learning goals, continued learning loss from the pandemic, and student behavior and engagement.
“Teachers of high school students cited student apathy as a major obstacle more frequently than teachers of elementary students, with many stating that students had been disengaged and behind academically the last two years as a result of the pandemic, and increasing engagement was a key goal for many educators in this grade-level band,” said Tennesseans for Student Success in an analysis of the survey.
Teachers surveyed also cited a lack of parental support as a challenge facing educators. Some educators said this lack of support is leaving many students without the necessary motivation for success.
Teachers surveyed also stated that students’ mental health needs were compounding academic needs and making it more challenging to close pandemic learning-losses.
Many also said poverty is a significant challenge.
“It is noteworthy that teachers across the state and district types (rural, suburban, and urban) cited poverty and related conditions as obstacles, with differing manifestations. Teachers in rural areas cited challenges around infrastructure, connectivity, and facilities that prevent students from reaching true success, while teachers in urban areas cited challenges around facilities, language barriers, and parental ability to support students,” said Tennesseans for Student Success.
More Funding Needed
The teachers polled resoundingly said the most impactful change they’d like to see at their school is increased funding to help boost staffing, reduce class sizes, improve facilities, and provide wraparound support through counselors, nurses, or general paraprofessionals.
Educators polled were also asked about their school’s existing strengths.
“Many teachers credited their students’ resilience over the past few years as a key strength, along with their continued desire to learn and grow,” said Tennesseans for Student Success. “For many teachers, students’ kindness and care for others was a strength, with more than twice as many educators citing interpersonal strengths as those citing academic strengths.”
