After a year of exceptional challenges, the stress and anxiety levels of K-12 teachers across the country are reaching unprecedented heights, and it will take far more than mandatory Friday afternoon wellness webinars to address the issue.
That’s the finding of an ongoing study led by education experts Dr. Kristen Ferguson and Dr. Melissa Corrente, who are sounding the alarm over rising mental health issues among Canadian elementary and high school teachers and calling for systemic changes to support their well-being.
Ferguson, an associate professor at Nipissing University, and Corrente, a research associate at University of Ottawa, are leading the teaching component of a pan-Canadian study – The Healthy Professional Worker Partnership – funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR). At Congress 2021, they will present findings from interviews with 26 key education stakeholder groups, including deans of education, teacher associations, teachers’ federations, superintendents and other groups, showing that teacher stress and anxiety levels were not only rising prior to the pandemic, but have been greatly exacerbated by events of the past year.
“More than ever, teachers are feeling overworked, exhausted and not particularly valued,” said Corrente, citing working conditions, class composition and size, and lack of support and resources – particularly related to virtual learning – as the primary causes. “COVID-19 was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The stress and anxiety were already there, but now a lot of teachers are at their breaking point,” she said.
Part of the problem is that mental health resources for teachers are lacking, with most school boards focusing their available resources on supporting students. In fact, the researchers found that mental health interventions for teachers are either non-existent or not easily accessible, and that teachers are often left feeling isolated and alone when dealing with challenges.
“You can’t have healthy schools if your teachers aren’t well,” Ferguson said. “When taking a leave of absence is the only option to get out of a stressful situation you’re in, that says a lot. The teacher piece has really been neglected in the overall school wellness plan.”
When interviewed, some stakeholders reported higher call volumes to staff who deal with member services during the pandemic, including calls from teachers inquiring about early retirement. Others pointed to a greater incidence of teacher complaints from parents and parent groups related to general class management skills, such as “snapping at a student instead of talking calmly,” Corrente added.
Based on their findings, the researchers are calling for immediate action to provide mental health support to teachers, including the creation of a board-level position focused on teacher wellness; a restructuring of the school day to provide more opportunities for teachers to take breaks and decompress away from students; more peer mentoring; and, stronger support from leadership when it comes to addressing mental health problems.
“The answer isn’t ‘Do more yoga,’” said Ferguson. “We’re looking at larger, more systemic types of interventions that will require strong commitment and investment.”