Oklahoma educators say the pandemic is still taking a toll on them and their students, and they need our support, according to an Oklahoma Education Association survey of its members.
The health crisis has also created an unsustainable substitute teacher shortage in our public schools.
The OEA surveyed its members in September, asking a wide range of questions about the opening of the 2021-2022 school year and how COVID-19 affects their work and well-being.
Among the findings:
- COVID is still taking a toll within our schools. 94% say a student in their building has contracted COVID this school year; 82% say an education employee in their building has contracted COVD this school year; and 27% of respondents said they have personally contracted COVID-19.
- Schools have a substitute teaching crisis. Fewer than 9% say they have enough substitute teachers.
- Educators need support. When asked to describe how they felt about the school year so far, the most common words were overwhelmed, stressful, exhausted, frustrated and tired.
While the 2020-2021 school year saw schools moving between in-person and virtual teaching and learning, or provided a blended version, 99% of teachers are providing in-person instruction this year. Most schools (82.6%) also allow students to attend virtual school full-time.
The pandemic has had a negative impact on an already difficulty issue – finding substitutes when teachers must be out of the classroom. Only 8.7% of the respondents says their school had enough subs, while 46% said the lack of subs was a minor problem. For 44%, the lack of substitutes posed a major problem. A few reported schools having to close because of a lack of subs.
These issues have all added up to a highly stressful start to 2021-2022. Respondents rated their stress level at an average of 6.4 on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being highest level. Nearly 6% say they plan to retire early this year and another 14.7% are currently looking for another job outside the profession.
“It’s definitely concerning to hear that our teachers, support professionals and administrators already have a high level of stress before we even reach the end of the first nine weeks,” OEA President Katherine Bishop said. “Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised, but to see how many have already had children contract COVID this school year is sad.
“We all should be doing whatever we can to mitigate the spread of this virus; not just in our schools but throughout our communities.”
The online survey, conducted Sept. 1-26, was completed by 815 respondents. Those filling out the survey cover the full spectrum of experience — from new teachers to those with a lifetime of experience — and represent rural, urban and suburban school districts.
