As a nurse, my career focuses a lot on advocating for others. I advocate for my patients. As a mom, I advocate for my kids. In my role as PTO co-president, I advocate for our teachers and students in our school. In the January/February issue of the Wisconsin Association of School Board’s online publication of Wisconsin School News, the cover story “Perspectives from the 2024 Wisconsin Teachers of the Year” offers a glimpse into the hearts of our local teachers. 3 of the 5 educators spoke about compassion fatigue, burnout, and teachers needing more support in the classroom.
Compassion fatigue and burnout. I recognize the symptoms as a nurse who has remained at the bedside after seeing countless colleagues leave their units, healthcare systems, or worse, the profession altogether in the wake of the pandemic. Mandates, staffing shortages, lack of supplies and resources; it sounds a lot like the current state of education. I have seen the same themes in our District as I have watched beloved teachers leaving the District or, worse, education altogether as the challenges rise and the support dwindles.
In the article, Rachel Kumferman, School Social Worker for Wauwatosa School District writes, “Compassion fatigue is very real, and there aren’t enough of us to serve all the needs that are present everyday in our schools.” She ends her message to school board members with, “I worry that schools will lose wonderful, experienced educators from burnout.”
Unity High School Biology teacher Brian Collins shares, “As school boards seek to partner with legislators and guide the educational leadership of the near and distant futures, they will need to advocate for increased funding in order to gain access to resources, better pay to support staff, and larger teams to handle what used to be a regular workload. Increased staffing and improved staff retention build that responsiveness and flexibility needed to adapt to modern education challenges.”
It takes more than pizza parties and a staff appreciation week once a year to pour into our community of educators. It takes respect, transparent communication, a just culture where staff feel safe to speak up without fear of retaliation, smaller class sizes, and increased funding. Our teachers need an advocate. I am running for school board to be that advocate for them.
Link to the Wisconsin School News January/February 2024 issue:
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