Teachers tell Senate education committee student behavior, burnout and class size are driving departures

Summary

Former and current teachers testified that worsening student behavior, parent disengagement, high noninstructional workload and rising stress are prompting teachers to leave the classroom. One presenter said interviews with 73 teachers across 16 districts showed widespread burnout and concern about retention.

Courtney Linker, a former classroom teacher who said she took a leave after 17 years in the classroom, told the Idaho Senate Education Committee in Boise that worsening student behavior, diminished parental support and heavy noninstructional workloads are driving teachers from the profession.

Linker said she interviewed 73 teachers from 16 school districts over two months to understand whether her experience was isolated. "It was evident that I needed to continue," she told the committee, and she summarized the interviews’ findings for senators: high levels of stress and overwhelm, pervasive classroom behavioral problems, declining parental buy-in and an erosion of teacher morale and retention.

Linker said 99% of the teachers she interviewed were state-certified, and that many reported stress-related health problems and burnout. She presented several concrete findings from her interviews: only 47% of teachers described themselves as happy at work; 60% said they…

Teachers tell Senate education committee student behavior, burnout and class size are driving departures

Summary

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