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Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”
In May 2024, something went wrong. I had difficulty concentrating and remembering things, and was frustrated and irritable.
I felt like I wasn’t good enough. I struggled to plan engaging lessons for my students because I didn’t want to be engaged with anyone. I was also struggling to meet my professional deadlines and failing to get my paperwork turned in on time.
I kept pushing through, believing I had to stay strong for my students and my family, until it all became overwhelming, and I attempted to end my own life. I am thankful every waking moment that I was not successful.
Public school educators are the most likely of any professionals to report higher levels of anxiety, stress, and burnout, with 55% of those educators ready to leave the profession entirely. A 2022 report from Teach Plus Texas Fellows found that 74% of teachers felt their school was doing too little to support their mental health.
There are numerous sources of mental health challenges for teachers, including low pay, long hours, and racial inequalities. If a 17-year veteran educator like me was struggling, what about teachers who are new to the classroom? To be fully present and help our students thrive, educators must first be able to take care of ourselves. Our school systems should be set up to help us do so.
Teachers should not have to navigate challenges alone, like I did. We need to know that there is hope, that we are not broken, and that we can and will get back to our personal normal. To make this happen, we need access to well-publicized resources.
For example, it would have been beneficial to me last spring to know that I have access to two free counseling sessions through the New Directions Employee Assistance Program. I had no idea; I found out after the fact when I was speaking to the team at my primary care doctor’s office.
We should ensure that every teacher in our state can take mental health days outside regular sick leave to allow educators like me a break so we can improve our effectiveness in the classroom and prevent burnout.
The LEARNS Act, the 2023 law that overhauled state education, includes this goal: “Prioritize school safety by focusing on physical security, additional resource officers, mental health and training to implement best practices.”
The Little Rock School District has already modified its sick days to include mental health days, added a coordinator of staff wellness and provided staff wellness rooms, which are calming spaces for school staff. Its focus on teacher well-being is a model for the rest of our schools across Arkansas.
Arkansas could also look to other states as models as we focus more attention on educator well-being. For example, Atlanta public schools has created an Urgent Behavioral Health Response team composed of university clinicians who provide emotional and behavioral assistance to educators. A Washington state law focuses on secondary trauma — or compassion fatigue — in the educator workforce by requiring the development of educational resources, policies and procedures to prevent and address secondary traumatic stress.
I am in a much better place now, exploring my passions, including competing in pageants, embroidering— and helping animals, and making adjustments to find more fulfillment in my daily life. We must take a hard look at the mental health crisis in our schools and develop comprehensive plans that provide real support for teachers. Not all of us are okay, and without immediate action we won’t be able to help students who rely on us most.
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