Anyone who has been a teacher knows the work is hard, and at the same time — when work is working well — immensely rewarding. The work can be purposeful and filled with close relationships a vibrant communities.
No one enters the teaching profession to become rich and famous — they enter for the difference they will make.
And yet, our nation is facing a mental health crisis among our educators; one of burnout and demoralization. Many are operating in survival mode due to complete emotional exhaustion. The stressors they face are significant:
Safety concerns related to mass school shootings and drug use
Funding deficits
Labor shortage
Meeting escalating physical and emotional needs of students
Unrealistic expectations from districts and parents
Just to name a few…
Teachers’ well-being is something most communities overlook in their intention to always put students first. In this episode I speak with two school psychologists who express grave concern about educators’ psychological health and safety — and also make concrete suggestions on what we can do to help them.
About Natalya Bogopolskaya
Dr. Natalya Bogopolskaya immigrated from Yalta, Ukraine (then Soviet Union) to San Francisco, California at age seven years. She speaks English, Russian, and French, and has studied six other languages. Dr. Bogopolskaya is a nationally certified school psychologist (NCSP). Her expertise also includes promoting protective factors and strengths for students of all abilities, families, schools, communities, and faith-based organizations in New York City’s Harlem and South Bronx, North and Southwest Philadelphia, Baltimore, and in her current residence, Los Angeles. Dr. Bogopolskaya earned a master’s degree from the Teachers College, Columbia University, and a doctorate in school psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). Her doctoral dissertation examined the relationship between resilience traits, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in suicide loss survivors. She is a board member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Greater Los Angeles County Chapter. Dr. Bogopolskaya is also facilitator and mentor for Oxiana Fellows - a youth leadership development program for high school students in Uzbekistan, has been a featured consultant with L.A. Parent Magazine, and is a consultant for Mzima Consulting.
About Kendrea C. Hart
Dr. Kendrea C. Hart is committed to strengthening social connections within families and communities to support youth in navigating challenges and igniting their sparks. She is the founder of Mzima Youth Development and Wellness Consulting, a diverse, cross-sector network of youth development consultants, and a partner in the Youth SPRING Collaborative, which produces media and seminars for parents and teachers. She is known for her ardent advocacy for youth with disabilities, mental illness, and environmental psychosocial stressors. Her two-decade career as a school psychologist expands several areas, including education, public health at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), juvenile justice, and nonprofit and community-based agencies in the U.S. Southeastern and Western regions.
Dr. Hart’s unique insights and conversational style presentations make her a highly sought-after speaker at forums organized for parents, educators, and youth-serving professionals. She is also adept at assisting organizations in developing and fortifying programs and policies to address negative environmental factors for positive youth wellbeing. She has been a consultant for L.A. Parent Magazine and featured in a districtwide information video on KLCS, a tertiary of PBS. Dr. Hart is also a school psychologist for a large urban school district and an adjunct lecturer at North Carolina State University
Show Notes
About the Mental Health Crisis Among Our Educators
The Mental Health Crisis Causing Teachers to Quit https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-05-02-the-mental-health-crisis-causing-teachers-to-quit
Job-Related Stress Threatens the Teacher Supply (RAND) https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-1.html
Stress Topped the Reasons Why Public School Teachers Quit, Even Before COVID-19 https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1121-2.html
Case Studies of Teacher Suicide
To My Teacher Who Died By Suicide
Middle school in Placentia mourning assistant principal who took own life on campus: https://abc7.com/kraemer-middle-school-assistant-principal-suicide-moises-plascencia-prevention/11651151/
Teacher’s Death Exposes Tensions in Los Angeles https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/education/10teacher.html
California Teacher Suicide https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/03/california-teacher-suicide/24354651/
Vietnamese teacher’s suicide sheds light on pressures facing educators https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/teacher-suicide-10072022160304.html
Teacher Suicide Rate is Low: Protective Factors — But Wearing Thin
Why do you think educators have the lowest suicide rate of any profession? https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/why-you-think-educators-have-the-lowest-suicide-rate-any-profession/wG7VUriJMt9s2hymrCmD3M/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20newly%20released,occupations%20in%20the%20CDC%20report.
UK Exclusive: Rise in teachers ‘at risk of suicide’ https://news.gallup.com/poll/393500/workers-highest-burnout-rate.aspx
Crisis Management Plan for Handling Teacher Suicide
Kneisel, P. J., & Richards, G. P. (1988). Crisis intervention after the suicide of a teacher. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 19(2), 165–169. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.19.2.165
Lee, Y., & Chan, C. Y. Z. (2011). Crisis management plan for handling teacher suicide. In Crisis Management in Chinese Contexts (pp. 105-117). Nova Science Publishers, Inc.. https://research.polyu.edu.hk/en/publications/crisis-management-plan-for-handling-teacher-suicide
About Teacher Burnout and Stress
2022 Gallup Poll: K-12 teachers report highest burnout amongst all US professions, more than 4 out of every 10 teachers reported feeling burnt out https://news.gallup.com/poll/393500/workers-highest-burnout-rate.aspx
Teachers Are Stressed, And That Should Stress Us All (NPR) https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/12/30/505432203/teachers-are-stressed-and-that-should-stress-us-all
Edward F. Iwanicki (1983) Toward understanding and alleviating teacher burnout, Theory Into Practice, 22:1, 27-32, DOI: 10.1080/00405848309543034
Maslach, C. and Jackson, S.E. 1981. The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2: 99–113.
Pines, A.M., Aronson, E. and Kafry, D. 1981. Burnout: From tedium to personal growth, New York: The Free Press.