Teachers in British Columbia are increasingly feeling burned out and considering leaving the profession, according to a new survey by the union.
BC teacher' The union released the results of its second annual membership survey on Wednesday, with union president Clint Johnston saying the findings were “concerning.”
“Teachers are under increasing workloads and are being asked to do more and more with fewer resources,” Johnston said. “And that leads to less support for students in the classroom, and that affects teachers. They are caring professionals who want to support students, and more teachers are leaving the profession than ever before.”
The survey showed that nearly 60% of the 5,200 teachers surveyed believed their overall workload had increased since last year.
Less than a quarter thought pupils’ academic needs (23.1%) or social and emotional needs (22.7%) were met to a high degree, and only 13% thought children with disabilities or diverse needs were met fully or “to a great extent”.
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Shockingly, more than 15% said they were unlikely to continue working in the industry in the next two years.
“We are very concerned to learn that one in six of them intend to leave within the next two years, but I hope it is even more concerning for parents, students and the politicians who are supposed to make sure the system works,” Johnston said. “People feel their mental health has been compromised and they have had to sacrifice to do this job and they are unsure if they can continue to do this job.”
Johnston could not provide specific numbers on the severity of British Columbia's teacher shortage, but he pointed to the growing number of unlicensed teachers hired in some districts as one indicator.
He said based on the province's own data, 20,000 teachers will need to be hired over the next decade to keep up with growing enrolment.
The survey showed that 60% of teachers said that increasing the number of classroom teachers, full-time teachers or teachers on call would have the greatest impact on the number of teachers, while about 40% of teachers called for an increase in educational assistants.
55% of respondents said giving them more time for course preparation would be the most impactful change to class schedules.
In addition to those changes, Johnston said opening more training sites across the province and offering student loan forgiveness to teachers who move to areas with teacher shortages would also help ease the pressure.
Education Minister Rachna Singh said the province takes teachers' concerns “extremely seriously” and is working with the union to respond.
“We have added more than 400 teacher training places in schools. We are providing incentives for high school students to pursue this career and offer scholarships,” she said. “Beyond that, we are also looking at new ways, such as recognizing foreign qualifications.”
Singh noted that the government has launched a new hybrid training program for education students in rural and remote communities, allowing them to live and work in their hometowns while earning degrees and certificates.
The British Columbia Teachers' Federation says it can't wait years to address the teacher shortage and wants a clear action plan from policymakers now.
With the provincial election less than five months away, Johnston said the teachers' union is seeking firm commitments from the four major provincial parties to address their concerns.
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