Why teachers like me are dreading the return to school

Posted on September 4, 2024 in Education Delivery System

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TheStar.com – Opinion/Contributors
Sept. 3, 2024.   By Maria Calleja Contributor

Teachers across the province are feeling the emotional strain of an overburdened education system that has been further crumbling over the last five years. 

I am an Ontario educator with a public school board and as I return to work, part of me is dreading it. Many of my teacher friends are also partly dreading the start of the new school year, not because their beach visits are coming to an end, but because they remember how mentally exhausted and burnt out they were in the final days of June.

Teachers across the province are feeling the emotional strain of an overburdened education system that has been further crumbling over the last five years. A 2024 study reported that 28.5 per cent of Ontario teachers have experienced high burnout, and 50 per cent of Ontario teachers have suffered moderate or emotional exhaustion.

I have been one of those teachers who has experienced emotional exhaustion due to the increasing demands of the job since 2019. Over the last five years I have witnessed teachers resigning and abandoning pensions, going on mental health leaves and others leaving the profession before they have even achieved permanent status. In April, a report stated that 30 per cent of Ontario teachers leave the vocation in the first five years as educators.

Ontario educators are leaving teaching behind as severe provincial spending cuts, the strain of COVID and a drastic rise in student violence have created an education crisis in Ontario.

The provincial government began slashing funding to education in 2019. This resulted in multibillion dollar budget shortfalls for Ontario boards like the TDSB. To accommodate these cuts I have seen VPs lose their full-time status, vital programs for severely Autistic students disappear and education assistant positions cut. I have also seen ESL positions reduced to half time while the high number of ESL students has increased sharply with influxes of immigration.

Then the pandemic hit. The cost of preparing schools to be safe for students amidst lockdowns drastically rose. The TDSB alone spent $70.1 million dollars on COVID preparations that were not covered by the province. During the pandemic there was also a shift in the behaviour of students and how parents and teachers interacted. As many of the pandemic school rules were lifted when COVID numbers dropped in Ontario, the number of student violent incidents increased.

In February and March of 2023 an ETFO survey recorded that 80 per cent of Ontario teachers had experienced or witnessed violence in schools. Meanwhile, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) stated that the amount of reported violent incidents rose 72 per cent from the beginning of the pandemic up until March 2023.

With consistent underfunding the amount of staff that are available to support teachers with student behavioural issues has reduced. I have seen office administration step in to help when students are sent to the office for misbehaviour as the half day VP and principal dealt with other student issues.

I have seen violent fights and students have been verbally abusive to me. Teary-eyed teachers have spoken to me about their fear of managing violent children in their classroom.

In addition, the power to deal with student violence by school administrators has been eroded. When a school’s administration decides the consequences for a child who has misbehaved in class they have to balance the needs of teachers, students, parents, and superintendents.

They may worry about receiving pushback if they choose firm outcomes for students. Also, if some parents argue strongly enough the school administration may find it difficult to choose the best solution for students and teachers. Unfortunately, this may mean students who are verbally abusive or violent will be returned to the classroom.

Teachers are also afraid of being punished if they actively try to control severe behavioural disruptions in their class. So many teachers realize that they cannot deliver the entire curriculum to a class that is often disrespectful or violent. They know that if a student complains about their class management skills to the office or to their parents that they may also be reprimanded for their decisions.

Then there is the teacher shortage crisis. A 2023-2024 survey reported a 24 per cent shortage of teaching staff in elementary schools, and a 35 per cent teaching shortage in secondary schools. In addition, there has been a considerable decrease in the amount of supply teachers available across Ontario. I have seen weary special education, and ESL teachers do daily supply work when they have vulnerable students that they should be serving.

So, many teachers just want to feel safe at work and they want to be respected for the hard work that they have invested in a profession about which they deeply care. They want students to feel valued and confident and to know whatever happens in the world that the one place that will always be safe for them is their school.

Maria Calleja is a Toronto-based freelance writer and educator.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/why-teachers-like-me-are-dreading-the-return-to-school/article_8e8f5e80-66e7-11ef-8f6f-4b4d27f1f12e.html

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