A stress epidemic among teachers

“The straw that broke the camel’s back.” This is how Lisa Pellegrino, a fourth-grade teacher in Maryland, described COVID. Increased class sizes and budget cuts over her past seven years of teaching, combined with the difficulty of remote instruction and the villainization of teachers who didn’t want to return to the classroom, forced her to take a three-month leave due to anxiety disorder. And her case is just one of many.

Every year, around 8% of teachers leave their profession — a number that’s only expected to rise as the pandemic continues. Among those who’ve left their teaching posts voluntarily, the stress from COVID-19 was the biggest reason behind their resignations. One in three, meanwhile, cited health conditions that put them and their families in greater risk of complications. And still others quit because of childcare responsibilities, the difficulty of remote teaching, and inadequate administrator support.

With these unexpected demands, our educators are extremely stressed, scared, and frustrated — emotions they inevitably pass on to their students.

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