In A Night to Remember, an especially poignant moment in Walter Lord’s gripping account of the Titanic involves a group of men hanging onto an overturned lifeboat. Radio operator Harold McBride tries to rally the spirits of one of the survivors, pointing out that a ship is approaching. But this man, who survived throughout a freezing April night, cannot hang on any longer and succumbs just when rescue is imminent.
As an educator, this story resonates with me. Teaching provides challenges not seen 20 years ago. Teen depression rates have risen, driven in part by social media, easy to access because of smart phones.
Then the disastrous pandemic only exacerbated the mental health struggles of students. The Brookings Institute found that the pandemic has resulted in chronic absenteeism, increased violence, and decreased achievement.
Teachers are struggling with the fallout that social media and the pandemic have brought—and frequently take on extra work because of staff shortages. In addition, teachers often have little or no voice in the decision-making process of their schools.
Over 5,300 teaching jobs went unfilled in the state of Illinois. Since 2020, over 12,000 Illinois teachers have retired. Obviously, this is not a sustainable rate. I have known both rookie and veteran teachers who felt like they were on a sinking ship, without any hope of lifeboats or rescue ships. There are no easy or simple answers to this potential catastrophe. However, giving teachers some life vests — in the form of additional mental health assistance and increased decision-making -- would be a good start.
