TN Teacher Morale Below National Average
Teacher morale is declining nationally, relatively low in Tennessee
Teacher morale is declining nationally, a new report suggests. And, the morale of teachers in Tennessee is below the national average (and below several of our neighboring states).
Education Week provides the national and state-level data based on a survey of teachers across the U.S.
Tennessee teachers reported a +10 - an overall positive ranking, but lower than the national average of +13. Tennessee teachers also reported lower overall morale than those in some neighboring states (South Carolina, 16; Arkansas, 24; Mississippi, 16; Georgia, 13).
What’s driving the decline in morale? Teachers were asked to rank factors influencing their view of the profession and indicate what, outside of more pay, would make it more appealing.
The top response was to have more planning time during the workday (54%). That was followed by changes in how administration deals with student discipline (53%), smaller classes (51%), permitting/encouraging mental wellness days (37%) and a shift in school leadership styles and approaches (36%).
In Tennessee, roughly a third of teachers agreed with the statement: “In the past year, the behavior of students I teach has remained the same or improved.”
This is close to the national average ranking for that question.
In terms of improving student behavior, teachers in the survey suggested:
smaller classes, limiting parent interference in discipline, limiting students’ access to phones, and instruction for parents on teaching children how to behave in ways that are appropriate for school.
Honestly, I'm surprised that morale is even that high in Tennessee. I agree with all of the reasons that other teachers state. The bottom line is that teachers are held accountable to a far greater extent than admin, students, parents, community members (I'm talking about the employers who employ teens until 10 PM, and there are plenty) It seems that if a student doesn't succeed, it's always the teacher's fault. Admin can always claim to have sub-par teachers. Pay is a huge problem. We can never seem to get ahead, let alone get caught up. I think the exodus from teaching will continue and that the teacher pool will grow less experienced.