Green Apple Pod

We've talked money and we've talked stress, but what about the day-in, day-out grind of teaching? The loneliness in rural schools, the frustration of difficulties moving upward, and the difficulties of politics that put the best interest of students in the middle?  The first part of our two-part episode on leadership and school culture is out now. Featuring interviews from two former teachers, "Extra Duties as Assigned" examines some of the smaller things that build up over time, and which may drive teachers out of the classroom. 

In the second half of our two-part episode on teacher stress and burnout, Green Apple Pod examines serious examples of stress and trauma that, unfortunately, are becoming less uncommon for teachers across the country. The episode ends with an interview from UCONN researcher Dr. Lisa Sanetti with a discussion around the impact of teacher stress, secondary trauma, and what we can do to alleviate it so that we lose fewer teachers to burnout.    Trigger warning for sexual assault, sexual harassment and cyberbullying beginning at the 19:15 mark.    Resources: The American Psychological Association's survey on teacher assault.  EdWeek's preliminary investigation into sexual assault and harassment of teachers.  The Journal of School Violence's 2020 article on teacher assault. 

Teaching is consistently ranked as one of the most stressful jobs in America, but how much is stress related to burnout and teacher attrition? On this episode of Green Apple Pod, we dive into how stress and emotional burnout contribute to teachers exiting the classroom. From a lack of support to complete compassion fatigue, the teachers in this week's episode get vulnerable about their time in the classroom, what made them leave, and what they hope will change in the future.  Trigger Warning: This episode includes conversations around anxiety, abuse, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. 

We’ve talked about the research and we’ve talked about what it looks like for school leaders. Now, let’s break down the most common argument in the teacher shortage: pay. Flipping the old argument of “outcome not income” on its head, the fourth episode of Green Apple Pod examines instances where there clearly wasn’t enough pay, when pay wasn’t enough, and the “scarcity mindset” we all need to abandon if we’re going to ebb the flow of the teacher shortage.   Sources: Oklahoma Department of Education source on teacher attrition.  Opportunity Culture implementation by Public Impact.    Want to learn more about our guests?  Here's Shawn Sheehan's blog. Here's Erica Jordan-Thomas's website. 

We've talked about what the research says about teacher retention, but we haven't heard about it at the source yet. What does it look like for a school leader who's trying to fill vacancies in their district? Monica McMurray, the director of recruitment and retention for a local school district that struggles with teacher retention, details her tactics to get teachers in classrooms for her students. Then we flip the script again and hear from two women who want to teach, but can't. The third episode of #theteacherattritionvortex series is all about the struggles to find certified teachers, and how hard should it be to become a certified teacher. Interested in the conversation? Engage with us by liking, rating, and reviewing episodes. We'd love to hear from you and know what you think.