Kansas and Missouri have introduced relaxed qualifications to attract substitutes teachers, in an attempt to alleviate strain on overworked teachers. “They're stressed, they're overworked, and now our credibility and our autonomy are being threatened.” “You have a group of professionals that are being treated less than professionally,” Schwartz says. Schwartz says that this current climate is putting many teachers on edge, and is endangering their ability to do their jobs. Many in education view this as a form of censorship. Teachings about gender identity and sexual orientation have also become targets of conservative groups, as bans on books by LGBTQ authors have been on the rise recently. But pushback from conservative groups has led to legislation that would stifle any discussion of race in the classroom. Local educators have been caught in the crosshairs in the political battle against “critical race theory” (CRT), which teaches that racism is embedded inherently in aspects of American society. “When the basics of your job cannot be done in 40 hours - that’s grading and planning - then that's not a reasonable expectation,” Coffman said.Īaron Schwartz, an educator in Kansas, agreed that he could “absolutely not” complete all of his responsibilities in 40 hours, and often works on the weekend and nights grading papers and thinking about the next day's lessons.Ī shortage of qualified teachers and substitutes due to the pandemic is only exacerbating problems, causing teachers to see increased class sizes or having to cover classes and subjects they wouldn’t normally.
Kluthe said her Sundays are spent grading, “between five and 10 extra hours that are unpaid for outside of school.”Īmanda Coffman, who left her teaching job with the Shawnee Mission District after 21 years in the profession, said it’s only now that she realizes how much she was doing. Kelly Kluthe, a 4th and 5th-grade science and STEM teacher at Notre Dame de Sion, said she spends a “significant amount of time” on weekends grading and putting together class schedules. Three educators from Missouri and Kansas school districts joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss the root cause of burnout in their profession and what can be done to help.Īll three educators agreed their schedule regularly exceeds the standard 40-hour workweek, often without compensation, in order to meet the needs of their students. According to a survey by Education Weekly, when asked about the likelihood of leaving teaching in the next two years, 54% of teachers said they are “somewhat” or “very likely” to do so - 20% higher than a survey done before the pandemic began.
Teachers across the country are now exiting their profession in high numbers. Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers in the Kansas City area remain stressed and frustrated with ongoing changes in health protocols, fights within school boards and statehouses over what they can and can’t teach, and a lack of recognition.
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