By Alexander E. Parker, Keri M. Guilbault, & Sarah A. Caroleo.
Teaching is often cited as one of the most stressful occupations (Oberle et al., 2020). Rates of stress, an individual’s reaction to situations where their resources are threatened, and burnout, the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment that arise due to consistent vocational stressors, have remained high since the COVID-19 pandemic began. During the pandemic, 40% of district gifted education coordinators surveyed in one study reported feeling an increase in job-related stress, and 60% of participants stated that they had considered leaving their job or retiring early as a result (Guilbault & Caroleo, 2023).
As schools grapple with the lasting impacts of the pandemic, educators continue to experience unique challenges such as pressure to address learning gaps while meeting students’ heightened social and emotional needs. These persistent challenges increase the potential risk for stress and burnout. Stress and burnout can lead to depression, declining self-efficacy, and reduced physical health (Weißenfels et al., 2022). If the cumulative impact of stress or burnout becomes too great, teachers may elect to leave the profession altogether. Teacher attrition can impact the continuity and quality of gifted education services.
While attrition has been an issue for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this problem. We have seen a dismaying trend of teachers leaving their jobs, and some states reported their highest-ever attrition rates (Barnum, 2023). When there were teacher (and substitute) shortages during the pandemic, gifted and talented (GT) teachers were often pulled away from instructing their students to fill in for other classrooms, reducing gifted learners’ special education service contact time. The increased responsibilities for GT teachers during and after the pandemic have resulted in, “teachers feeling overwhelmed” (Dailey et al., 2024, p. 263). Given the impact stress and burnout can have on educators, it is more critical to address these challenges now than ever. The vocation should focus intently on maintaining the emotional well-being of its current and future professionals.
Factors Contributing to Gifted Resource Educator Stress and Burnout
Educating students with varying academic, social, and emotional needs is inherently challenging. Educators are expected to be able to differentiate instruction to meet these varying needs, often with limited resources. GT specialists also support classroom teachers, which can prove challenging when teachers show reluctance to take on recommended practices. They often must advocate for GT students’ academic and social-emotional needs amidst misconceptions, which can lead to feelings of isolation and conflict. When such stress goes unaddressed over time, elements of burnout may arise. Historically, educators serving schools with diverse student bodies and those working in difficult-to-teach positions and grade levels have especially felt sustained stress and been more vulnerable to burnout.
Unfortunately, events brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic worsened already-present stressors and introduced new ones. For example, GT resource teachers’ feelings of isolation, due to being the sole GT specialists in their buildings, intensified during the pandemic, and these educators had even less access to learning resources for students (Dailey et al., 2024). They experienced school-level disorganization as leaders navigated constantly changing policies related to the pandemic. When emergency remote instruction began across the United States in March 2020, many educators felt low self-efficacy in navigating virtual instruction, and they felt little control in getting students to access needed technology and to attend virtual classes. Once in-person instruction became the norm again in the 2021–2022 school year, educators were then faced with even more novel stressors: academic learning loss, effects of social isolation on students, increased chronic student absenteeism, and staffing issues that placed more load on those who stayed in their positions. Taken together, it makes sense that their feelings of burnout increased over the last few years.
What Can be Done to Address Stress and Burnout?
As we navigate the impacts of the pandemic, there are several ways to support gifted resource teachers and administrators. The strategies listed below are important for policymakers, school leaders, and school staff to consider.
Listen to Teachers
Include teachers in decision-making meetings at both policy and school levels.
Create intentional spaces and ways to hear and elicit teacher feedback.
Invite teacher feedback and input before large decisions are made to gifted and advanced programs.
Develop Community and Connectivity
Develop professional learning communities (PLCs) among gifted education professionals.
Establish a mentoring program for new teachers and administrators.
Allow for collaboration across roles, grade levels, and content areas.
Create opportunities for school staff to connect on interpersonal and social levels.
Support the Emotional and Physical Well-Being of School Staff and Students
Emphasize the importance of supporting students’ social and emotional needs as well as academic ones.
Create a school culture that discusses and supports mental health challenges.
Create a school culture that supports and emphasizes a positive work/life balance.
Offer professional learning centered on emotional wellness.
Provide mental health services and resources to school faculty and staff.
Offer yoga, mindfulness, or movement-based classes.
The present landscape has led to educators and administrators facing a challenging battle with stress and burnout concerns. As the profession looks back to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, complexities persist. Addressing stress and burnout with intentionality can be an effective way to begin to attenuate these difficulties. Elevating the voices of teachers, strengthening school-wide connectivity, meeting the needs of students, and focusing on the holistic well-being of education professionals are just a few methods that can be efficacious.
Recommended Apps
Calm app (free for educators)
Headspace (guided meditation; free for Teach for America members and alumni)
InsightTimer (offers stress reduction courses)
Books
“Riding the Wave: Teacher Strategies for Navigating Change and Strengthening Key Relationships” by Jeremy S. Adams (2020).
“Coaching for Educator Wellness: A Guide to Supporting New and Experienced Teachers” by Tina H. Boogren (2021).
“Happy Teacher Revolution: The Educator’s Roadmap to Claiming and Sustaining Joy” by Danna Thomas (2024).
References
Barnum, M. (2023, March 6). Teacher turnover hits new highs across U.S. Chalkbeat. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2023/3/6/23624340/teacher-turnover-leaving-the-professionquitting-higher-rate
Dailey, D., Cotabish, A., Buchanan, M., & Marshall, L. (2024). Interrupted programming: The impact of school shutdown on gifted student identification and services. Journal of Advanced Academics, 35(2), 263-289. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X241232724
Guilbault, K. M., & Caroleo, S. L. (2023). A survey of the challenges and responsibilities of school district gifted education coordinators before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Gifted Education and Creativity, 10(4), pp. 275-292. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/3430274
Oberle, E., Gist, A., Cooray, M. S., & Pinto, J. B. R. (2020). Do students notice stress in teachers? Associations between classroom teacher burnout and students' perceptions of teacher social–emotional competence. Psychology in the Schools, 57(11), 1741–1756. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22432
Weißenfels, M., Klopp, E., & Perels, F. (2022). Changes in teacher burnout and self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic: Interrelations and e-learning variables related to change. Frontiers in Education, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.736992
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Alex Parker, M.Ed., is a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University, researching teacher burnout and emotional labor. In addition, he is a 4th grade teacher.
Keri M. Guilbault, Ed.D. is an associate professor in the online Ed.D. and gifted education graduate programs at Johns Hopkins University. She is a former district supervisor of accelerated learning programs and a former elementary teacher of the gifted.
Sarah A. Caroleo, M.Ed., is a Ph.D. student researching educator capacity at Johns Hopkins University. She is a former elementary teacher and K-4 gifted education specialist.