Masks, temperature checkpoints, social distancing markers on the floor, plexiglass panels, and inactivated water fountains are just a few signs that we live in unprecedented times. Teachers everywhere are being asked to do more and more to combat the repercussions left behind from the nation’s school closures and virtual learning, and teachers are being stretched thin.

As a result, teachers are experiencing burnout at a higher than usual rate. Recently, NPR polled members of The National Education Association (NEA) and found that 90% of the surveyed members believe teacher burnout is a significant problem.

Teacher burnout is caused due to a variety of reasons:

• Teaching during a pandemic is not what a teacher envisioned
• Staffing shortages
• Pressure attempting to fill learning gaps left behind from school closures and distance learning
• Discontent with salary
• Mounting responsibilities on top of typical teacher duties
• National and state-required testing

When you put all these elements together, you can see why burnout is running rampant and leaving a trail of overwhelmed teachers in its wake.

Why is It Important to Address Teacher Burnout?

It is critical that schools attempt to address teacher burnout. There are several short-term impacts of teacher burnout:

• Exhaustion
• Dissatisfaction with one’s job
• Frustration
• Stress
• A decrease in effectiveness in the classroom
• Weight loss or gain
• Sleep problems

Long term impacts from burnout are even more detrimental to schools:

• Large numbers of teachers leaving the profession
• Under-qualified teachers filling the vacancies
• Reduced educational quality for students
• Negative school culture
• Fewer opportunities for high-quality lessons in the classroom
• Less excitement in classrooms

Valuable Skills Gained in OAESA Educational Leadership Programs

Despite all of the hardships mentioned above, hope is not lost. There are numerous things school leaders can do to combat teacher burnout. My master’s program from OAESA with Concordia University Chicago instilled the values of a number of core ideals that school leaders could utilize to help combat teacher burnout.

Collaboration

First of all, the importance of working in conjunction with varying stakeholders of a district was emphasized in the educational leadership program. There are never enough hours in the day to adequately support our teachers alone. Why not rely on local parents, community members, and local organizations to work alongside the school to support our valued teachers collaboratively?

Climate

Another ideal emphasized in my leadership program was the importance of school climate. The climate of any school can very quickly become negative, but it is up to school leaders to prevent this from happening. It is important to remember that during these times, we need to stay positive, show understanding, and emulate patience with teachers, so they will reciprocate those same characteristics with their students. The school’s climate directly reflects its leaders, so this is an area where school leaders can help mitigate teacher burnout.

Communication

OAESA’s educational leadership program also highlighted the power of communication. It is impossible to know what teachers need unless school leaders ask them. To truly get to the root of the issues in our schools, we must seek out teachers to try and understand their hardships and work collaboratively to address them. Heartfelt, ongoing communication has the potential to benefit teachers and deter burnout.

Connection

Perhaps the most critical aspect of school leadership focused on in the educational leadership program was creating connections with people. It is essential to acknowledge how teachers feel and address their concerns to the best of our ability. Teachers need to feel heard, cared for, and appreciated right now. With my training, I understand the power of creating a connection with the people we work with. So, listen to your teachers’ needs and find creative ways to help address them.

Ways Administrators can Support Their Teachers to Reduce Burnout

There are a number of ways that administrators can support their teachers and reduce burnout:

• Find ways to prevent burnout from happening in the first place
• Monitor teachers for onset of burnout
• Prioritize what is being asked of your teachers
• Remove tasks that aren’t imperative
• Compensate teachers for their increased workload
• Acknowledge the work your staff is doing
• Appreciate teachers’ efforts continually
• Hire enough staff to cover the needs of the school
• Be flexible with expectations of your teachers

More educational leaders who are willing to step up and support our nation’s teachers are needed desperately. OAESA’s educational leadership program is a significant first step for those of you who are willing to take on this important challenge.

References:
Pircon, B. (2020, December 24). Teacher Burnout Solutions & Prevention – How to retain talented educators. The Graide Network. Retrieved March 2, 2022
Walker, T. (n.d.). Getting serious about teacher Burnout. NEA. Retrieved March 2, 2022
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Burn-out an “Occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases. World Health Organization. Retrieved March 2, 2022

The post How Educational Leadership Skills Can Address Teacher Burnout appeared first on Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators.

Why did you want to work in education? What inspired you?

I don’t really have a great story that led me to being an educator. I couldn’t decide on a major, and a nun at Ohio Dominican suggested education to me and that’s what I did. Since, I have realized how much of an impact that a good or bad teacher can have on a student’s success or failure and on the rest of their life.

Why did you choose OAESA in conjunction with Concordia University Chicago for your Leadership Doctorate – Educational Leadership?

I started my work on my doctoral degree at another university. I originally stared my work towards a Ph.D. After taking many classes, I was told I would have to take sabbatical leave to finish. Due to my situation at home being a single parent of four children, I was financially unable to take sabbatical leave. I found out about the program with OAESA in conjunction with Concordia University Chicago. After contacting Concordia University, I realized I could transfer some of my credits and complete my degree online. They also explained the difference in the Ed.D. and Ph.D. My desire is to stay in the K-12 schools as a school leader and use my education in a practical setting. Therefore, I decided to pursue my education to get an Ed.D.

What skills did you gain or sharpen through your program at OAESA in conjunction with Concordia University Chicago and how do you use them today?

Taking classes at OAESA in conjunction with Concordia University Chicago gave me a larger skill set. I not only had to learn the content and more computer skills, but also how to navigate online courses. I had to work at setting up a schedule and having good time management. All of this has helped me in my job as a school principal, but the most important thing I learned was how personal and engaging online classes can actually be. I always felt that you would not learn as much or get as much help taking online classes. I had personalized help throughout my program. Many of the professors were even willing to call me on the phone to help me with assignments. Now that I currently teach online classes, I have used the skill of personalizing classes in my work.

How has your doctoral degree impacted you in terms of your current position or a position you’d like to attain in the future?  

Currently I am a middle school principal and I also teach online classes for Concordia. Having a doctoral degree opened up many new opportunities in my school district for me and it allowed me to become an adjunct professor for Concordia. It has given me the ability to start looking into superintendent jobs because many require you have a doctoral degree. The knowledge I gained during my studies gave me a whole new perspective on leadership. It helped better prepare me for the challenges and give me the ability to make decisions based on research. 

What was a challenge you faced during your educational leadership doctorate program, and who or what helped you overcome it?  

The biggest challenge I faced was trying to figure out how to narrow down my topic for my dissertation and then actually go through the process. The whole process is very lengthy and challenging. It is a marathon not a sprint. I got a lot of help from my dissertation committee. Every step of the way working through my dissertation, I had a wonderful committee who gave me a lot of feedback. They were always there to answer any of my questions and encourage me when I was frustrated. I would like to take this time to really thank Dr. Sims, Dr. Safer, and Dr. Tagaris.

What was the biggest takeaway from your doctoral program?

My biggest take away from my doctoral program was really learning how to research something and defend it. I learned how important it was to do thorough research and provide complete evidence to defend your opinion about something. Many times, I submitted chapters that came back to me with many questions where I did not provide enough evidence or research. I learned how to really pay attention to details and provide documentation. Now when I am asking for something for my building or I am trying to convince senior leadership of something, I am fully prepared. I have found many times I am overly prepared and usually receive compliments on how prepared and thorough I am.

What would you tell (or what advice would you give) prospective students considering the Leadership Doctorate – Educational Leadership degree program at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago?

If you are interested in working on an Ed.D. program, I think the best place to do the work is through OAESA in conjunction with Concordia University Chicago. As I said before, I started my doctoral degree at another university in face-to-face classes. It was very difficult to work a full-time job and raise kids as a single mother. I struggled to get babysitters and to complete classwork. When I started with OAESA in conjunction with Concordia University Chicago, it was much easier for me to schedule time to study and complete the process online.

I worried the program would not be as rigorous and would be very hard to complete since I did not have face-to-face interaction. I was concerned about how I would get the help and support I needed through a computer. I quickly found out that it is very personalized and you have all of the support you need. Everyone is very friendly, easy to get in contact with, and they always respond quickly to questions. Many of my professors did phone calls to help me through questions and assignments. I felt like my dissertation committee really cared about my success and they were there to do whatever they could do to help me succeed.

Everyone was very positive and encouraging. They understand that most of us are working, have families, and life happens. They do everything they can to work with you and your schedule. They really provided me with courses that have helped me to be successful at my job and related to my work. I found myself using what I was learning at work at the same time I was learning it. The curriculum is very practical and practice based.

The post Alumni Spotlight: Joyce Albright, Leadership Doctorate – Educational Leadership appeared first on Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators.

Why did you want to work in education? What inspired you?

My whole life navigated me toward becoming an educator. When deciding on a major for college, there was no second choice, no decision which needed to be made as far as future careers were concerned: it was always the field of education! I now jokingly tell my students that I loved school so much when I was growing up that I wanted to keep going for the rest of my life, and so, I became a teacher.

I owe my love of school to all the wonderful teachers who cared for and taught me along the way. I was blessed to have teachers who not only loved kids but loved their content. It was through their love of literature, world history, languages, and music that I became bound and determined to become that same source of inspiration for students of my own one day.

Why did you choose OAESA with Concordia University Chicago for your M.A. school leadership degree?

I earned my first master’s degree from a traditional college 12 years prior to attending Concordia University Chicago through OAESA. At that time, I wasn’t married, didn’t have kids, and didn’t have my children’s extracurriculars to attend each night. So, going to a traditional college, which met in person once a week for several hours, was feasible. However, this time around, when I began at OAESA, my life looked very different: I was now married, had four children, and held the role of being a chauffeur each night shuttling my kids to their activities. I knew if I was going to go back to school, it would have to be with an online school which moved at a realistic pace.

After much research into online programs for Ohio educators wanting to become administrators, I was happy to find OAESA with Concordia University Chicago. It was the exact balance of family, work, and school that I could balance at this hectic point in my life. I knew I could handle one class at a time where I could interact with others. I am not the kind of person who could do a self-paced class with no sense of community; it just isn’t who I am. So, when I found OAESA’s program, I knew I had found the program that would work with my life. 

What skills did you gain or sharpen through your program at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago, and how do you use them today?

I would say my writing skills were sharpened the most in the OAESA program. With each new class that I took, the professors would build upon the last requirements as far as professional writing expectations were concerned. I would start each new class and discover some new facet of writing. By the end of my program, when I had to write my final research paper, I was so proud of the professional writing that I was able to produce. Never did I picture myself as being able to write a huge 76-page paper; however, with the school’s scaffolding in place to write this paper piece by piece over an extended period of time, I was shocked to see that I had indeed written a paper to be proud of!

How has your master’s degree impacted you in terms of your current position or a position you’d like to attain in the future?

My master’s degree had an immediate and profound impact on my current position. Throughout my internship last year, I took on the role of designing, implementing, and managing a positive recognition program for my school. My principal couldn’t have been more pleased with my efforts. The school board, community, and students reacted so positively to my efforts that the school created a supplemental position for the work I began in my internship. It was satisfying to see that people appreciated the effort I was putting in to my internship project and wished to keep going even after my internship was completed.

What was a challenge you faced during your school leadership program, and who or what helped you overcome it?

A challenge I faced in my leadership program was learning how to manage my time more efficiently. I have always multi-tasked in my life: going to school and working throughout high school and college, teaching and holding a second job early in my career, and finally, teaching and being a first-time-mother…to twins, no less! I thought I could handle anything!

However, when this program started, I realized that I needed to improve my time management. I had to juggle being a teacher, a mother, a student, an intern, and a supporter of my kids’ activities simultaneously. It was quite tricky to maneuver. I learned that I cannot do it all to the best of my ability without asking for help. So, when I had classwork to do, I would call a babysitter to come play with my kids for a few hours so that I could work while I was at home knowing they were happy and being looked after. It was humbling at first to think that I couldn’t do it all, but then I realized I was doing it all! Asking for help wasn’t a sign of weakness, it was a strategy I needed to use in order to achieve my goals. 

What was the biggest takeaway from your school leadership program?

My biggest takeaway from the educational leadership program was that I learned that I am a leader with a voice. I have always had strong opinions and thoughts about education, but I have held my ideas close to my vest so as not to rock the boat, but through this program I realized that what I have to say is important and needed to be heard by others. It was an epiphany when I understood that being a leader can make a difference, even in the smallest actions that one takes. Decisions that a leader makes are like throwing a rock into a pond; each decision has the ability to ripple through a school. So when making those decisions, it is important to always keep the students at the center of your decisions.

What would you tell (or what advice would you give) prospective students considering the M.A. school leadership degree program at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago?

If you are considering an educational leadership degree program at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago, I would highly recommend moving forward. The registration process, the speed of communication when I had questions, the talented and selfless professors, and the stellar education I received throughout this program left nothing to be desired. I truly feel this program was made with the life of a busy teacher in mind. I highly recommend choosing OAESA with Concordia University Chicago.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My final thought for those considering a future at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago, I say take the plunge! I dragged my feet for a number of years vacillating between wanting to go to school and talking myself out of it by making excuses that I was too busy or there would be a better time to start. I realized in retrospect that there was never going to be a perfect time to start school. So, if you find you are in the same boat as me, just choose a time when you are prepared mentally to take on a huge challenge that has the possibility of changing your future and go! I wish I had taken the leap to return to school years prior to actually doing so!

The post Alumni Spotlight: Maria Call, M.A. in School Leadership appeared first on Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators.