By Kerrie Petersen
There is nothing special about my story: “Qualified, committed teacher quits full time, classroom teaching.”
I’m one of the thousands of experienced educators, who according to AITSL either leave the profession completely or pivot to short contracts and casual relief teaching.
But what I can say is I am not done, or washed-out, and I am a long way from retirement. As the American educational philosopher, Santoro says,
I am not burnt out, I am demoralised.
We know many of the reasons behind teachers’ decisions to leave the profession. Findings from important national research show that excessive work hours and work intensification are serious issues. Lack of leadership support, poor student behaviour and health concerns also impact teachers’ career decisions.
But the profession of teaching can’t be measured only in terms of hours worked or degree of support provided. Teaching is highly relational and value driven; it is a morally motivated vocation.
Teachers leave when there is no longer enough moral reward
Teachers do what they do to improve our communities, but any teacher will tell you a single day at school can veer from inspirational to devastating. One lesson can include moments of genuine fulfillment, supporting enthusiastic and motivated students, while the next can be dreadful, even violent, leaving you anxious and wondering how you’ll go back the next day.
At age 51, I can attest to Brandenburg’s point that leaving the profession is multi-faceted and protracted. It was not easy to go. For over 25 years, I had taught at state, Catholic and independent schools across primary, secondary and tertiary level. I had become a teacher to make a difference and leaving felt like a ‘fail’. I felt I’d let myself down, abandoned my school, colleagues and students.
But reading Santoro’s work on demoralisation became an ‘a-ha’ moment for me. She writes,
“Many teachers become dissatisfied not because they’re exhausted and worn down but because they care deeply about students and the profession and they realize that school policies and conditions make it impossible for them to do what is good, right, and just.”
Santoro’s words helped me to realise I had not failed and most importantly, I was not alone. Somewhere along the way my moral compass failed to resonate with what I was expected to do in the classroom each day. I didn’t sense I was able to do the ‘good work’ I’d always hoped to do as a teacher.
The complex realities of our schools
I started to question how our schools are ‘represented’, often reflecting on the laudable narratives that ignore the more complex realities of our schools. For instance, the current Federal Government Be That Teacher campaign highlights the heroic stories of individual teachers to inspire new educators to join the profession.
Designed to appeal to the socially conscious of our community, hopefully the campaign will attract new, enthusiastic teachers. We need them. But there is a dissonance between the ideal teacher narrative underpinning the campaign and the capacity for teachers to work in ideal ways within an increasingly commodified, centralised and pressured system.
As a society, we want teaching to be more than just a job.
But that means teachers need a system that enables them to do the job in ways that are ethical, meaningful and aligned with professional morals. We want teachers to be morally motivated. We don’t want a system where teachers no longer have the time and energy to care…
It is reassuring the Be That Teacher campaign is targeting bright, high achieving newcomers. We need to attract high calibre people to the profession. However, it seems ironic that the Government scrambles for the new, without trying harder to retain the old. Mitigating the many experienced and committed educators from leaving the profession would go a long way to addressing dire teacher shortages.
So, let’s listen to the voices of teachers.
Money is rarely the driving force behind dissatisfaction. In Queensland, striking teachers seek not only for better pay, but reduced workloads, safer working conditions and adequate support. All around Australia, teachers are morally and ethically driven to teach. They want to teach well and they want conditions that enable them to have meaningful, long-term careers where they genuinely make a difference in students’ lives.
Santoro writes…
Teachers who persistently and consistently are unable to access the moral rewards of the job may feel demoralised and leave.
I left full time classroom teaching, and it appears that many more existing teachers want to leave too. Amid dire teacher shortages, AITSL reporting suggests that 39% of existing teachers intend to leave before retirement and another 35% are unsure of career intentions.
Time to broaden how we make sense of teacher attrition
Teachers want sustainable, meaningful, moral work. Perhaps it is time to broaden how we make sense of teacher attrition. It is not only workload, lack of leadership or admin support that is influencing teachers to check out. All of these issues prevent teachers from feeling the moral satisfaction and professional fulfillment of teaching.
Like me, many teachers joined the profession to make a difference. The moral drive of teachers should not be assumed, taken for granted or ignored. Australia’s highly educated practitioners are knowledgeable, motivated, and committed. We want to teach well, but the system needs to allow it.
Santoro reminds us of the moral rewards of teaching. She says,
“If teachers are able to access what makes their work good, then they are often able to keep going.”
Bring professional fulfillment and moral rewards back to teaching. Teachers will follow.
Kerrie Petersen is a PhD candidate at Queensland University of Technology, focusing on teacher attrition under the supervision of Professor Sarah James and Associate Professor Denise Beutel. She has worked as a classroom teacher for over 25 years and is passionate about teachers’ voice.
This article was originally published on EduResearch Matters. Read the original article.
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