Six Systemic Changes for a More Sustainable Career in Education

Teaching can wear you down.

It’s easy to find articles, resources, and quotes about what teachers can do to up their “self-care” game, and I believe we have a responsibility to do this.

This alone is not enough.

It’s time to engage in a dialogue about the systemic changes necessary to make a teaching career more sustainable. This will require administrative, community, and political support.

Here are some ideas for systemic changes that can be implemented to make teaching careers more sustainable and address the challenges teachers face in their profession. These changes include:

1. Increased and equitable compensation: Ensuring that teachers are adequately compensated for their work can help reduce financial stress and make teaching a more attractive career. This can also help to attract and retain high-quality educators. This is long overdue.
2. Improved working conditions: Providing teachers with supportive work environments, including adequate resources, manageable class sizes, and access to professional development opportunities, can help reduce stress and improve job satisfaction. Professional development guided by teachers is even more powerful.
3. Greater autonomy and decision-making power: Allowing teachers to have more input in decisions that affect their work, such as curriculum development and school policies, can help to empower them and increase their sense of ownership over their work.
4. Supportive school culture and leadership: A positive and supportive school culture and strong leadership from administrators can help create a more sustainable work environment for teachers. This includes providing mentorship and support for new teachers. Every new teacher deserves a high-quality, well-compensated teacher.
5. Reducing administrative burdens: Streamlining administrative tasks and paperwork can help to free up time for teachers to focus on their core responsibilities, such as planning lessons and working with students.
6. Addressing systemic issues: Addressing broader systemic issues, such as high-stakes testing and educational inequality, can help create a more sustainable and equitable education system for teachers and students.

By implementing these systemic changes, it is possible to create a more sustainable and rewarding teaching career that attracts and retains high-quality educators.