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As children return to schools across the country, the outlook for teachers is bleak.<\/p>\n
The spread of Omicron will make\u00a0chronic staff shortages<\/a>\u00a0worse and has added to teachers\u2019 responsibilities. They must now be COVID wardens, while supporting the many students whose mental health has\u00a0suffered during the pandemic<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 not to mention teachers\u2019 concerns for their own health.<\/p>\n All of this is piling pressure on teachers who already had\u00a0unmanageable workloads<\/a>. In a national survey for the\u00a02021 NEiTA-ACE Teachers Report Card<\/a>, many reported very high workplace stress.<\/p>\n Teachers said their workloads were \u201cmassive\u201d. Their work-life balance was \u201cless than ideal or non-existent\u201d. They felt \u201coverworked, burnt out and undervalued\u201d.<\/p>\n Teachers are increasingly dissatisfied with the\u00a0unreasonable demands<\/a>\u00a0created by their work conditions.<\/p>\n A typical week includes piles of marking, planning learning for an increasingly diverse student cohort and responding to parent emails and phone calls, which can take hours.<\/p>\n Administrative and compliance tasks also consume teachers\u2019 time. They must collect, analyse and report on student performance data. They are expected to document all student misbehaviour, welfare and well-being concerns as they struggle to keep their classrooms safe, inclusive and enjoyable places to learn.<\/p>\n Then there are the endless meetings, staff briefings and professional development, while delivering an over-prescriptive and crowded curriculum so students meet national achievement standards.<\/p>\n One teacher in Perth told us: “After teaching for over 15 years this all has a cumulative effect. I\u2019ve struggled with feelings of disillusionment and burn-out. Sometimes I think that my well-being goes unnoticed or is dismissed as unimportant.\u201d I am filled with dread about returning to my primary classroom tomorrow. I haven’t slept properly in three days. Am I the only teacher feeling like this? #CloseAllSchoolsNOW<\/a> #Covid<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Wandering Aeonghus #Ididntvotefortheliar (@WAeonghus) January 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u201cThe expectations are impossible to live up to. We want to help our students and do all that is asked of us but often I face hostility and distrust from students and their parents or carers.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nOne of us\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0last year about the\u00a0emotional labour<\/a>\u00a0of teachers who have to manage, suppress or feign their emotions as part of their work. They \u201cput on a brave face\u201d and ignore their emotions to get through the daily ups and downs of school life. But it can be exhausting.<\/p>\n\n