The flow of young people becoming teachers has been dwindling. Those who do become educators find a profession in flux, with increasing student needs.
Education Week asked some of the nation’s best educators—this year’s four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year, a program run by the Council of the Chief State School Officers—how they grapple with stress and classroom challenges, and what incoming teachers need to know to succeed.
Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.
How do you see the teaching field evolving?
Janet Renee Damon, history teacher at DELTA High School, Denver: In the pandemic I had a number of colleagues who began to retire, to leave the field. I worried about the collective wisdom that was walking out of the door. Just understanding all of those technological tools hit really hard, and some people felt that technology gap was a barrier to them to continue to teach. I think that in the field as a whole, when you think about how high stakes things are, many teachers feel overwhelmed.
Mikaela Saelua, teacher of English, journalism/yearbook, and Advanced Placement English Language and Composition at Leone High School, Western District of American Samoa: When I started there wasn’t any AI. Artificial intelligence has made it a lot more difficult, because kids feel like they don’t need to write, that they can just like enter words or a prompt into a computer and then it’ll spit out the answer. We’re at a time where we need to lean into AI and show our students how to use it as a tool rather than the thing that’s doing all their assignments. That’s one real learning curve for a lot of teachers right now.
Jazzmyne Townsend, K-5 English/language arts instructional coach and grade 2-3 special education inclusion teacher at Stanton Elementary School, District of Columbia: In the time that I’ve been teaching, there have definitely been lots of changes, whether that’s technological advances, whether that’s a change in curriculum or standards. I think what still remains at the heart of teaching is our students: making sure that our students are getting the skills, strategies, tools, and resources that they need to grow up to succeed in life outside of our schools.
As social debates become more polarized, how do teachers navigate challenging conversations in the classroom?
Damon: [My school] is a “pathway” school where we serve students who are off track to graduation. They have experienced things such as being unhoused, incarceration of a parent ... or themselves, and many different kinds of structural challenges in our systems. I prepare them to recognize that we all have a very unique experience. The only way that we can solve these [divisive] issues is to develop the practice of deep listening, compassionate listening, as well to listen with curiosity.
Ashlie Crosson, English teacher, Mifflin County High School, Pennsylvania: I teach in an area where there’s limited opportunity to engage with some of the bigger issues of the world. I have students who have never been outside of the state or have never been to a major city. That’s part of the difficulty, but it’s also part of my responsibility as an educator to prepare them to live and exist in a globalized society.
I center conversations around themes, universal experiences. We can talk about friendship, family, sacrifice, mistakes, leadership—and then look at, OK, what does that look like in a different place, in a different time, in a different moment, and how can I connect to that? It helps to make those conversations more manageable and more approachable.
What would you tell someone who is considering becoming a teacher?
Crosson: I immediately flash back to when I had this conversation with the person who inspired me to become a teacher. I remember going to her and saying, “I’m thinking about doing this. What do you think?” At 18, I wanted her to say, “Yes, do it, it’s great, it’s so rewarding, blah, blah, blah.” I wanted the answer.
But instead—well, she’s a teacher, so she’s not going to give me the answer. She’s going to ask me, “Well, what do you think?” and make me come to my own answer. I had to stop and ask myself, do I want to become a teacher because I loved high school, or do I want to do this for bigger reasons than that? And that sort of exploration and reflection made me realize that becoming a teacher is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities to have.
Damon: I see people start to leave the profession because they had one bad experience with one school leader, or a bad experience with one student, you know? I think we have to try to deepen our resilience, but also have a space where we think about alignment between my values and my school’s values. You have to work for someone and with someone who shares your values. ... That can provide a successful foundation for a person’s instructional career. But if there’s a misalignment and it starts to erode your confidence in what you do and who you are as a teacher, then it’s OK to say, “I’m going to try again in a different school,” rather than leave the profession.
Saelua: I would tell them they’re entering one of the greatest professions, but also I would be honest and say, “It’s time to put your big-girl or big-boy boots on, because it is a challenging profession.” I would tell them they’re brave for choosing a profession that a lot of people are leaving. We are experiencing a teacher shortage, not because there’s a lack of people who are qualified to teach, but there’s just no incentive because it’s not competitive pay.
How do you manage stress?
Damon: During the pandemic, it was very stressful for everyone, but I also was just seeing that [the] community was not connecting. And especially here in Colorado, we have nature, so I launched a nature club [based on literacy]: I gave books away and did gatherings. We went birding. We went fly fishing. So it’s our fourth or fifth year and families continue to engage in it. One of my ways I heal is to go hiking, to do something in nature, and ... have connection and community. We need that right now. We need a collective place to recharge and to reset.
Saelua: Oh God, I’m still figuring it out! One of the best ways that I manage stress is to go to a coworker and just talk it out. We’re all stressing over the same things—overwork, too many hats—so just having someone who understands is able to hear me out is a great way to de-stress.
I also think it’s very important to draw the line of when teacher time stops and family time starts. I hardly ever take things home, like grading or things like that. It’s not that I don’t love teaching, but home is where I fill my cup, and I don’t want to bring the stresses of the job to my home.
What is one thing principals could do to make their teachers’ lives better?
Crosson: I don’t envy principals, because they are middle management and that is one of the hardest places to be.
Ultimately, their control and their power is limited and they’re trying to answer to the people above them, and to the school board, and to parents, and to the community. My biggest request of administrators is to listen to your teachers. We’re on the front lines. We see kids day in and day out. We know their needs and eccentricities and challenges and joys better than anyone except their parents.
When you become an administrator, you are one or two or three steps removed from that. So relying on your expert workforce and advocating for the needs of your teachers is what will ultimately allow you to advocate for your students.
Damon: The principal that I have now is the first in 25 years that numerous times has said, “You are such a professional. You are doing so well with the kids. I trust your judgment. What do you think we should do with this situation?” I don’t think many administrators say that to their teachers.
I would say: Lock in on one thing each teacher brings that’s really powerful and acknowledge it. Then even when you come back with constructive feedback, [teachers] will remember that you saw them for their one gifted talent that they offer to kids.
Townsend: The most important thing is ... allowing teachers to use their individual expertise, shining a light on what they can contribute to not just their individual classrooms, but to the entire school community. My principal always says he never has to be the smartest person in the room, because if he is, then he’s not learning. He enables and empowers every single teacher to share their expertise and make sure that they’re collaborating with one another.
