"Pouring water into a leaking bucket": What can be done to solve the teacher burnout crisis?

Overcrowded classrooms, increased aggression, a reduction in respect from parents and delays in funding commitments are among the pressures plunging teachers into what experts are calling a “burnout crisis”.

In conjunction with the Australian Education Union’s Victorian branch, Monash University is undertaking a research project to look into key issues confronting AEU members in public schools and the opportunities for system and school-based reforms.

Findings of the project so far include:

• Only three in 10 staff members intend to remain working in Victoria’s public schools until they retire;

• Mid-career staff are most likely to intend to leave, and most likely to be uncertain about staying; and

• Excessive workloads are the most prevalent reason for respondents indicating they intend to stop working in Victorian public schools.

What are the underlying issues?

Monash University School of Education, Culture and Society senior lecturer and Education Workforce for the Future Research Lab co-leader, Dr Fiona Longmuir, said teachers were leaving or considering leaving teaching at an alarming rate.

“The issue of retention is massive,” she said. “We can keep recruiting until the cows come home, but if we are not keeping teachers in the job and keeping them healthy and sustaining them for a long career, we’re just pouring water into a leaking bucket.

“We've got to be really mindful about what we're expecting and the support provided to mitigate the very real and harmful risk of burnout.”

Speaking to the Eastern Melburnian, Dr Longmuir said the expectations placed on teachers were unsustainable, with secondary school teachers often interacting with more than 100 students across their classes in a single day.

“The big elephant in the room is resourcing,” she said. “The most simple fix would be to reduce class sizes.”

“At a more possible level, we need to think about how to help teachers to manage their workload.”

What can the community do?

Longmuir told the Eastern Melburnian there needed to be a shift in the way society supported teachers.

“Broadly, as communities and societies, we can think about how we talk about schools and teachers,” she said. “Teachers are crying out for positive partnerships with families.

“If we can all remember schools are there to support and offer to work with them, that could have a really positive effect.”

Why is funding an important part of retaining teachers?

The State Government has delayed funding commitments of $2.4 billion to state schools, as part of funding promised to pay for Gonski education reforms, The Age reported on Monday.

AEU Victorian Branch President, Justin Mullaly, described the delay as “unacceptable”.

“With full funding, Victorian public school students would have more support to achieve their full potential,” he said. “Schools would be able to employ more teachers and education support staff, reduce class sizes, boost wellbeing programs and ensure every student gets more individual attention.”

He said this would make it “easier to attract and retain school staff and better address teacher shortages, as well as help tackle excessive school staff workloads”.