Who doesn't have a heartfelt story about a teacher who noticed and encouraged an overlooked strength or offered extra care and time to ensure our success? Many of us light up at the memory of being seen and supported by a teacher in ways we didn't even know we needed. However, many of us didn't see as students and don't see now as adults the enormous stress, pressure and cumulative toll the rigors of teaching—and of caring—have on our educators.
In preparing to address the holistic wellbeing needs of the more than 9,000 administrators, staff and teachers who serve Mesa, Arizona's 64,000 students, we learned a lot about the stressors front-line educators experience daily and their impact on classroom dynamics, student outcomes and teacher retention.
What we discovered is sobering.
44% of educators are burned out all or most of the time
According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 44% of K-12 educators feel burned out at work "always or most of the time." Is it any wonder that instructors are "63% more likely than the average full-time U.S. worker to take a sick day and 2.6 times as likely to be seeking a new job"2?
Teacher and principal stress has an impact beyond even their own wellbeing: workplace stress "can negatively affect educators' physical health, and poor teacher wellness and mental health are linked with lower-quality student learning environments and with poorer academic and nonacademic student outcomes."3
Instructors influence student achievement "more than any other aspect of schooling,"4 and multiple studies confirm that teacher effectiveness increases as they gain more experience, making retaining seasoned instructors even more important. Yet nationally, 8.6% of teachers are planning to leave the profession.5
As students and teachers return to the classroom after their summer breaks, we look forward to supporting educators in their crucial roles. Grokker's AI-guided platform will provide pre-clinical programming to address not only stress, anxiety, and other common mental health challenges but also nutrition, sleep, fitness, and financial well-being—everything teachers, staff, and administrators need to feel refreshed and more resilient. We believe that happier, healthier educators will thrive in their roles.
Photo Credit: Grokker. Physiotherapist and Grokker yoga expert Celest Pereira specializes in techniques that reduce anxiety and stress.
1 K-12 Workers Have Highest Burnout Rate in U.S. Gallup. June 13, 2022. https://news.gallup.com/poll/393500/workers-highest-burnout-rate.aspx
2 Ibid..
3 Restoring Teacher and Principal Well-Being Is an Essential Step for Rebuilding Schools: Findings from the State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys. RAND Corporation and National Education Association. June 15, 2022.
4 Teachers Matter: Understanding Teachers' Impact on Student Achievement. Rand. 4 December 2019.
5 The State of the Teacher Workforce: A State-by-State Analysis of the Factors Influencing Teacher Shortages, Supply, Demand, and Equity. Learning Policy Institute. July 27, 2023.
