Burn out, low pay, and insufficient resources are often thought of as the main reasons why experienced teachers leave their profession. However, an expert recently shared why it’s increasingly important that school leaders also recognise and address symptoms of demoralisation within their staff.
Doris Santoro, an associate professor of education at Bowdoin College in Maine, recently spoke to Harvard EdCast about the impact that demoralisation has on teachers and how school leaders should address this problem. For the past 10 years, Santoro has interviewed experienced teachers and analysed over a million of their Tweets in order to identify the causes of demoralisation.
Demoralised teachers exhibit symptoms of exhaustion, frustration and depression stemming from a moral source. Consequently, a teacher’s passion is replaced by a feeling of hopelessness. “[Demoralised] teachers experience consistent and pervasive value conflicts in their work,” Santoro said. “They find that they don’t have the power to alter the conditions or the mandates that are asking them to do things that they believe either harm students or damaging and denigrating to the profession.”
These value conflicts themselves have several sources. One source Santoro identifies is standardised tests and their impact on student-teacher relationships. Compelling teachers to adhere to a scripted curriculum that limits creativity can also be demoralising. Whatever the source, it’s important that administrators immediately recognise when teacher are demoralised. “A shift in vocabulary and understanding can make such a difference in teachers today,” Santoro said.
According to Santoro, there are several things that administrators can do to help stave off demoralisation and re-moralise teachers. The first thing administrators should do is take the time to listen and validate the problem with the entire faculty, either as a group or through one-on-one sessions. Administrators will be able to investigate any moral concerns among teachers by asking what they think good teaching looks like. “Even if a principle or school leader cannot alter the conditions at that moment, they can at least recognise that it is a moral concern and that it stems from values,” Santoro said.
Administrators should then lay out what actions can be done and what is non-negotiable. By taking the first step towards productive action, administrators will not only generate goodwill but also have an opportunity to identify shared values.
Santoro also encourages teachers themselves to support each other when they feel demoralised. “You need to make a decision,” she said. “How can you find a way to broaden that aperture again and find some way to enact what’s most important to you in teaching? It’s about building a community that can articulate some clear professional ethics.”