Tag: risk,

Consider how you would lay out a plan for school staff on reducing the risk of secondary or vicarious trauma in a presentation. Reflect and consider at least two ways that educators and school professionals (i.e., social workers, counselor, or school psychologists) can work to reduce the risk of secondary or vicarious  trauma in the classroom. Reflect upon the importance of inclusive education environments and types of trauma. Also, define inclusive education and consider at least two strategies for creating an inclusive  learning environment. See the attached articles below.

Teacher Attrition: The Impacts of Stress By Dionna Farmer

Teachers are highly stressed because of issues they experience in their work environment. Because education is a profession filled with relationship building, problematic relationships with students and parents can cause teachers undue stress. Teachers are subjected to a myriad of issues, from violence within the classroom to workplace expectations that are beyond the scope of their professional knowledge. Teachers may also experience compassion fatigue and burnout from working with students with severe issues. Parents and unsupportive administrators are also causing the educational workplace to be stressful and embedding a culture that causes teachers to leave the profession. State and federal policies limit the ability of educators to utilize mental health benefits for situations they experience as a result of their employment. This research summarizes the extent and scope of how those who work in the field of education are put at risk for mental health issues resulting from stress on the job.

Nationwide in the United States, approximately 20% of teachers will leave the profession by the end of their third year of teaching, and 50% will leave by the

end of their fifth year (Boe et al., 2008). With 17% of new teachers leaving after their first year and 10% of veteran teachers (with 10 or more years of experience) leaving the profession annually, significant numbers of classroom teachers are exiting the profession each year and seeking new career paths (Blatt, 2016). According to the United States Labor Department, during the first 10 months of 2018, public school teachers quit at an average rate of 83 per 10,000 each month (Hackman & Morath, 2018). Although this is still low compared to “the rate for American workers overall—231 voluntary departures per 10 thousand workers in 2018—it is the highest rate for public educators since such records began in 2001” (Hackman & Morath, 2018).

Work-related stress is a well-known concept with roots in every facet of a teacher’s workday. Teachers are expected to have constant knowledge of each student’s mental state in order to make necessary referrals. Many administrators are exploiting teachers by unfair treatment and giving staff members more work than they can manage on top of their daily duties (Jacobs & Teise, 2019). When situations arise where students are put in direct danger, teachers are in the forefront of ensuring their safety. Teachers are experiencing compassion fatigue at an unprecedented level. The expectations put on educators in their work environment have a direct relationship to the current mental state of educators.

Special educators are at particular risk. The 2012-2013 Teacher Follow Up Survey (TFS) indicated that nearly 20% of teachers in the field of special education either moved schools or left the profession (NCES, 2014). When coupled with approximately 10% of special educators who transfer to general education each year, the numbers are alarming. Kersaint et al. (2007) noted that one significant reason for these departures is the emotional stress involved in teaching special education. Williams and Dikes (2015) confirmed that special education teachers report high levels of both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. As these feelings are coupled with low levels of personal accomplishment, special education teachers experience burnout at higher rates and more quickly than their general education

The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators

peers, likely contributing to their higher turnover rates (Mitchell & Arnold, 2004; Williams & Dikes, 2015).

Teachers’ perceptions of working conditions influence positive or negative outlooks at a particular time. Perceptions of working conditions have also been linked to teacher satisfaction (Boyd et al., 2011). Teachers who report more positive working conditions also report greater satisfaction with teaching, while those who report less satisfaction report less than desirable working conditions. This holds true when comparing teachers within the same school (Boyd et al., 2011). Although the correlation of working conditions to satisfaction is not surprising, this serves as a reminder that an individual’s perceptions are his or her own reality.

In their 2007 study, Kersaint et al. examined the factors that influenced teachers in Florida who had either left the profession or remained. They identified six factors that influenced teachers’ decisions regarding staying or leaving:

• administrative support • financial benefits • paperwork/assessment • family responsibilities • joy of teaching • time with family. (p. 508)

Loeb et al. (2005) indicated that the strongest predictor of teacher stress is how a teacher perceives his or her workplace characteristics. Existing research has examined how workplace characteristics, such as administrative support, student behavior, classroom autonomy, teaching conditions, school organization, and professional culture impact teacher turnover (e.g., Boyd et al., 2011; Buckley et al., 2005; DeAngelis & Presley, 2011; Kelly & Northrop, 2015; Tye & O’Brien, 2002). Although these factors can be examined individually, with some having greater impact on individual teachers than others, likely, they do not function in isolation. Furthermore, Kukla-Acevedo (2009) stated that workplace characteristics are “driven by administrator behavior” (p. 443), which provides additional evidence of the interconnectivity of these factors. Boyd et al. (2011) stated, “Not surprisingly, schools with more positive working conditions on one dimension also tend to have more positive working conditions [in] other dimensions” (p. 318).

Factors in Perceptions of Working Conditions School Leadership

Supportive principals are indirectly able to alleviate the stress that their teachers feel (Saekiet al., 2018). Administrative support, as defined by Boyd et al. (2011), is “the extent to which principals and other school leaders make teachers’ work easier and help them to improve their teaching” (p.307). A lack of administrative support plays an important role in teacher attrition (Struyven & Vanthournout, 2014). Fifty- one percent of movers indicated that poor administrative support was a reason for dissatisfaction in their previous workplace, while 32% of leavers indicated it as a factor of their dissatisfaction (Ingersoll, 2000). Referring to “executive support,” (2013, p. 265), Burke at al. argued that support provided by school leaders strongly impacts a teacher’s decision to remain in the profession. Kersaint et al. (2007) also found that a lack of administrative support plays a role in teachers’ decision to leave the profession.

Controversial Issues in Education

Ladd (2011) utilized the results of a statewide teacher survey in North Carolina to explore the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of their working conditions and their departure rates from their schools. The survey examined working conditions by asking teachers about the quality of school leadership, professional development opportunities, opportunities for collaboration, facilities and resources, and teacher growth and leadership opportunities. Ladd analyzed survey items designed to measure the quality of school leadership, including whether the teachers viewed the administrator(s) as supportive with student discipline and classroom instruction, as well as if they were perceived to be fair with the evaluation process, included teachers in decision making, upheld high expectations of both students and teachers, and were trustworthy. Ladd found that the quality of school leadership was the highest predictor of teacher departure rates of all working-condition variables. Additionally, she found that the quality of school leadership had a stronger effect on teacher stress than the school characteristics of percentage of free or reduced lunch prices or the percentage of students of racial minorities.

Positive Relationships Burke et al. (2013) found that the most influential factor identified by beginning

teachers in their decision to remain in the profession was “student involvement,” described as the “extent to which you engage your students” (p. 265). This aligned with existing literature that explored the motivations of those entering the teaching profession, including the desire “to make a difference in the lives of their…students” (p. 265). Individuals who find that their visions of what teaching would be like do not match the reality of their experiences are more likely to leave the profession (Rinke, 2013).

Positive staff relationships have also been found to impact teacher stress, with teachers being more likely to stay in schools in which they engaged in positive relationships. Allensworth et al. (2009) defined positive relationships as those that are “trusting and working” and that allow teachers to feel comfortable engaging in discourse with their peers about their challenges and seeking advice from others. Correspondingly, collegial support and relationships play an important role in teacher attrition (Burke et al., 2013). Collegial support refers to the level of support offered by other teachers within school, which is a great importance to teachers, particularly new and beginning teachers. Similarly, positive relationships within the school setting with colleagues and between individuals who are involved in student learning allow for professional collaboration, which leads to higher levels of stability among a faculty (Burke et al., 2013). One may conclude that when positive relationships and collegial support are missing, the likelihood of teachers moving or leaving increases.

An individual’s desire to be liked, accepted, included, and supported is not exclusive to person-group interactions but is also applicable at the person-individual level, defined as the compatibility between an individual and a significant other in his or her work environment. Hargreaves (2001) explained that, although “classroom responsibilities are at the core of teachers’ work, it is teachers’ relations with other adults that seem to generate the most heightened expressions of emotionality among them” (p. 506). In fact, while many teachers describe their work of teaching as a source of pleasure, negative emotions such as dissatisfaction, anger, frustration, and fear seem to surface more frequently when describing their professional relationships (Hargreaves, 2001). The findings of the study described in this article

Dionna Farmer has completed her fourth year as a Grade 6 International Baccalaureate English Language Arts teacher at Sebastian River Middle School in Sebastian, Florida. Throughout her 14-year career, she has taught at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels and enjoys mentoring new teachers and collaborating with veteran teachers. A member of Beta Nu Chapter in Florida State Organization, Farmer is currently in her second year of doctoral studies at Florida Southern College. Her dissertation focus is how the field of education mentally affects teachers.

44 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators

differed slightly from those of Hargreaves (2001). Each of the participants described in detail their interactions with individuals within their new building, primarily their building administrator. However, participants who experienced a strong fit with their administrators expressed positive emotions such as joy, happiness, and relief when describing their new professional relationships.

Mental Health Issues Teachers have reported increased contact with health providers due to increased