Teaching is often described as a calling, but lately it feels more like a pressure cooker. Long hours, increasing class sizes, administrative demands, and the emotional toll of supporting students through crises all add up. For many educators, the passion that brought them into the classroom collides with exhaustion—and too often, the exit door.
Burnout in Real Terms
Workload Creep: Lesson prep, marking, emails, extracurriculars—most of it invisible outside the classroom.
Emotional Weight: Teachers don’t just deliver curriculum; they absorb student struggles, family challenges, and systemic inequities.
Financial Strain: In some cases, teachers are buying their own supplies while also dealing with stagnant wages.
Systemic Factors: Policy shifts, standardized testing, and lack of autonomy add to a sense of disempowerment.
Why Turnover Hurts Everyone
When teachers leave, it’s not just a staffing problem. Students lose continuity, mentorship breaks down, and schools scramble to fill gaps—often with substitutes or inexperienced hires. Communities also feel the loss, as trusted educators disappear from children’s lives.
Questions for Discussion
How can schools and policymakers address the root causes of burnout, not just the symptoms?
Should there be systemic caps on class sizes and workload hours?
How can mentorship, peer networks, and wellness supports reduce turnover?
Is higher pay enough—or is it also about respect, autonomy, and valuing teachers as professionals?
Burnout and Turnover
The Strain on Teachers
Teaching is often described as a calling, but lately it feels more like a pressure cooker. Long hours, increasing class sizes, administrative demands, and the emotional toll of supporting students through crises all add up. For many educators, the passion that brought them into the classroom collides with exhaustion—and too often, the exit door.
Burnout in Real Terms
Why Turnover Hurts Everyone
When teachers leave, it’s not just a staffing problem. Students lose continuity, mentorship breaks down, and schools scramble to fill gaps—often with substitutes or inexperienced hires. Communities also feel the loss, as trusted educators disappear from children’s lives.
Questions for Discussion