Hello,
In 1966, The Who released the song “The Kids Are Alright” as a celebration of youthful rebellion and optimism. It captured the spirit of defiance against societal norms and faith in a brighter future. Fast forward to 1998, when The Offspring released “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” taking a starkly different tone. Their song sheds light on the darker realities facing youth—anxiety, disillusionment, and the pressures of modern life.
In 2024, Merrimack College released its third annual teacher survey, titled The Teachers Are Not All Right. While the title may riff on these earlier cultural moments, it sounds a more alarming note. Yet, the concerning trends in teacher morale have been building for years.
The first Merrimack College survey in 2022 simply titled “1st Annual Merrimake College Teacher Survey: 2022 Results,” reported on declining job satisfaction and mounting pressures in the profession.
The survey results suggest a deep disillusionment of many teachers who feel overworked, underpaid, and under-appreciated, with potential implications for a once-in-a-generation shift in the teaching profession. For example, just twelve percent of teachers, the survey found, are very satisfied with their jobs, with more than four in ten teachers saying they were very or fairly likely to leave the profession in the next two years (p. 2).
A Mental Health Crisis for Teachers and Students
The 2024 report doesn’t mark a sudden shift—it simply underscores that the crisis is deepening.
The 2024 report identifies a growing mental health crisis among educators and students alike, sharing four key findings:
Educator mental health challenges
The connection between educator mental health and job satisfaction
Student mental health challenges
The link between teacher and student mental health
In my experience, these findings hit home. Teachers (and all school staff) are struggling under the weight of unmanageable workloads, insufficient support, and the emotional toll of constantly giving while also navigating their own personal challenges.
The report draws clear connections between teacher and student well-being. It suggests that teachers whose mental health suffers due to job-related stress are more likely to observe negative impacts on their students' well-being and learning. But this raises an important question: are teachers’ mental health issues the result of workplace pressures, or are they exacerbated by already declining well-being? The answer is likely both.
Teacher-Identified Solutions: Pay Raises and Discipline Support
According to the report, teachers most frequently identified pay raises and better student discipline support as solutions to improve their well-being. While financial stress is undeniably a factor—especially for early-career teachers who earn significantly less—it’s worth questioning whether pay raises alone can solve the deeper issues. (I’ll write more about this in next week’s Lyon’s Letter to explain how this is related to engagement, but suffice it to say, money and student discipline support will not make the teachers all right.)
Drawing on Daniel Pink’s work in Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Pink argues that while fair pay is essential, it’s not a primary motivator for jobs requiring creativity and higher-order thinking. Once financial concerns are alleviated, factors like autonomy, mastery, and purpose become the true drivers of motivation. So while pay raises are symbolically tied to respect and professionalism, it’s unlikely they would address the core challenges teachers face.
Increased support for student discipline was the second most common solution, which suggests that student behavior is a major source of stress. However, this reactive approach—addressing behavior after it happens—does little to address the underlying causes of behavioral issues.
A Holistic Approach to Teacher and Student Well-Being
Instead of focusing solely on pay or discipline, I propose a more proactive, holistic approach. The link between teacher and student mental health means that improving one may benefit the other. Stressed teachers can unintentionally contribute to student behavioral challenges, while struggling students create additional stress for teachers. Breaking this cycle requires investing in both teacher and student well-being.
By prioritizing support for mental health, addressing workload concerns, and providing teachers with the resources they need to thrive, we can create healthier, more positive learning environments. In turn, this will likely lead to improved student behavior and better educational outcomes. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
Celebrating the Profession
Finally, it’s important to recognize that while there are challenges, working in education remains incredibly rewarding. The opportunity to shape young minds and make a lasting impact on future generations is unparalleled.
Yet, we educators are often our own worst critics, quick to highlight the negatives. Social media is filled with educators’ posts about the difficulties of the job, which only fuels the narrative that teaching is a miserable profession. This constant negativity contributes to the teacher and administrator shortage we now face.
Yes, education is hard. Yes, there are tough days. But no profession is easy, and few are as fulfilling. The truth is, education is both challenging and amazing. The spark of understanding in a student’s eyes or the transformative growth we witness over time reminds us why we chose this path.
The conversation around teacher well-being should reflect this balance. We must address the pressing issues of mental health and workload, while also celebrating the remarkable work happening in schools every day. It’s not one or the other—it’s both. Let’s not miss the opportunity to take action, and let’s not forget to honor the dedication and passion that make education such a noble profession. Doing so will help ensure that everyone in the school is better than alright!
~Heather
P.S. This week’s Catch of the Week is this amazing video narrated by Daniel Pink. Called, “The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.” Not only do I challenge you to watch this video, I challenge you NOT to be surprised!
P.P.S. Please remember to...
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