In December of 2019, The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM offered teachers the ability to take an online, anonymous survey reflecting their current state of teaching. This is the second year this has been offered to teachers, so they now have comparative data based on the 2018 results.
Key Findings
Just like last year, teachers are overwhelmed. From taking work home to paying for additional resources/PD out of pocket and in some cases taking on a 2nd job to help make ends meet, it’s clear that teachers lack the time and resources required to meet their responsibilities.
Teachers are also feeling undervalued. This became very clear from the teacher comments in several of the subsections. It is difficult to continue to put in long hours and work through overwhelm if people feel as though they are not supported or valued for their contributions.
On the positive side, teachers do have access to curriculum and planning time. Additionally, a majority of teachers also indicated that schools contributed to their professional development costs. These are all research-backed indicators for successful instructional outcomes.
Social media continues to play a major role in instruction and is causing a shift in the teaching profession. Video as a medium is providing support in both lesson planning and professional development.
Teacher-created materials and professional development has seen a surge this year through TpT and Pinterest. Teachers trust other teachers and will spend out of pocket funds to purchase materials from others in the field.
The flip side of this trend is a question around consistent standards for quality and ensuring the materials purchased meet state and district requirements.
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