Teachers are being prepared to enter the profession. But are they being prepared to stay?

Teachers are being prepared to enter the teaching profession however they may not be being adequately prepared to stay in the profession. A new report by the University of Melbourne highlights that teachers’ well-being is one of the biggest factors influencing their staying power. However, it is not currently being taught as a part of teacher training programs. Future teachers are expected to manage increasingly complex classrooms, student mental health, family relationships and increased workloads without many opportunities to learn how to maintain their own well-being. 

The report titled ‘Start. And stay: Incorporating teacher wellbeing into initial teacher education’ explains that well-being needs to be taught as a key skill within the profession. The researchers argue that if Australia wants to address teacher shortages, teachers’ well-being needs to be taught and made compulsory within initial teacher education (ITE) programs. 

The missing piece to teacher retention

Teacher shortages have been a key topic for discussion in recent years. Governments are continuing to focus on ways to attract teachers into the profession and ensure there are training pathways. However, the report indicates that there has not been enough focus on why teachers are leaving the profession. 

National data indicates that almost 40% of beginning teachers leave the profession within their first 3 years. Poor teacher well-being is directly linked to burnout, stress, absenteeism and intentions to leave the profession. This causes a great burden on teachers however it is also causing an issue for education systems. It has been estimated that education systems are losing around $25,000 per teacher leaving the profession. 

Importantly the report highlights that teacher well-being affects the stability of the workforce, and therefore teachers’ satisfaction within their profession.

Children are impacted by teacher well-being

The report highlights the importance of teacher well-being.

Through an increasing amount of research internationally and within Australia, the authors identified that there are links between teacher well-being and student achievement, engagement and well-being. Teachers with high amounts of stress and emotional exhaustion would struggle with the demands of teaching. 

In addition, teacher turnover can greatly impact students. Constant change in teachers can cause disruptions to learning, difficulties maintaining relationships and instability. Therefore teacher well-being is directly linked to quality of education. 

Familiar issues with early childhood

Although the report covers primary and secondary sectors, many points within the report will be relatable to early childhood.

The authors highlight that teacher well-being has long been a concern within early childhood. As there are shortages in the workforce, increased workloads, burnout and turnover teachers are struggling. Previous research has indicated that teacher well-being impacts the stability of services, relationships with children and families.

The report also highlights that the National Children’s Education and Care Workforce Strategy recognises that the well-being of the workforce needs to be addressed urgently. Therefore, teachers need better support across the sector. 

Not just resilience

A standout point of the report is that teacher well-being cannot simply be fixed through individual resilience.

Whilst self-care can be utilised, the report highlights that teacher well-being should not be seen as something that should be managed by the individual. It can be influenced by many factors including workplace culture, leadership, workloads, policies and system factors. 

Therefore, well-being should not be viewed as something to be managed by teachers themselves, but rather something that should be collectively managed by institutions, employers and governments. 

Teaching teachers well-being

The main recommendation that has been highlighted throughout the report is that wellbeing should be explicitly taught in every Australian initial teacher education program. Well-being should be a common theme throughout teacher education and every pre-service teacher should complete at least one well-being subject. 

This is because future teachers should enter the workforce with the knowledge of how demanding the profession can be emotionally, relationally and professionally. 

Ultimately, improving teacher well-being isn’t about helping teachers survive the profession but ensuring they can pursue a sustainable and rewarding career. As teacher shortages are impacting schools and early childhood services across Australia, we should ask ourselves – If teacher well-being is so important for teachers to stay in the profession, why is it not a core part of teacher preparation?

Read the Start. And stay: Incorporating teacher wellbeing into initial teacher education report here.