Have you ever wondered why teacher absenteeism is skyrocketing and how it impacts our education system? Join me, Melissa LaFleur, as I unravel the complex web of reasons behind this issue, from the challenges of professional development and childcare to the lingering scars left by COVID-19. Drawing on my personal journey and frustrations as an educator, I share insights from my story "Taught" and critique the unfair blame placed on teachers for financial and academic setbacks. This episode is a heartfelt call for genuine conversations about teacher burnout and the urgent need for systemic support.
* For this episode chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 more days of work. However, it should be noted that it is 10 or more days in an academic year.
** And...the news agency Bloomberg is mentioned a few times. Many news agencies are reporting the same things. It just so happened that both articles used in this episode were from Bloomberg and it should be acknowledged that the journalism is professional and makes valid points. ...just not any from a teaching perspective...
Sources for this episode:
NEA News: Beyond Burnout: What Must Be Done to Tackle the Educator Shortage
https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/beyond-burnout-what-must-be-done-tackle-educator-shortage
Education Week: Teacher and Student Absenteeism Is Getting Worse
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/teacher-and-student-absenteeism-is-getting-worse/2022/07
Frontline Education: The Big Picture of Teacher Absenteeism
https://www.frontlineeducation.com/solutions/absence-time/resources/teacher-absenteeism-white-paper/
Are Teachers Absent More? Examining
Differences in Absence Between K-12 Teachers
and Other College-Educated Workers
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED638941.pdf
Why Are Teachers Missing So Much School?
https://www.educationdaly.us/p/teacher-absenteeism-epitomi
Read the Episode Transcripton the TAUGHT website.
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