I truly believe that those teachers who are struggling always try their best and want to be successful. No one wants to fail but even with coaching and support there are many reasons that teachers are not successful:
Teaching is not the right career for them.
Some teachers just do not have the capacity for the complexities of teaching. They struggle with the planning, organization, assessment and instructional strategies.
Some teachers do not like children. They lack patience, compassion and the ability to recognize and meet the individual needs of their students.
Some teachers are not interested in putting in the time and effort that they need to do a good job. Teaching is hard work and requires the use of personal time during particularly busy times.
They fell into the career because it was their back up plan or they followed a path that someone else suggested for them. Lots of teachers go into teaching because that is what their parents, siblings or friends have done and they find out that it is not the career for them.
Teaching turned out to be something different than they thought it was. Many new teachers struggle with the amount of time, energy and effort that go into meeting the social and emotional needs of their students. They are dealing with students who have trauma, mental health issues, poverty, abuse and learning needs. Besides the curriculum and assessment they must find a way to meet the diverse and complex needs of their students.
They are not teaching the right grad, age level or subject.
I do not support a teacher staying in the same grade level for a long time and believe that in order to grow teachers need to change grades, divisions or subjects. Some teachers may find themselves in a spot that does not work for them. Placing an intermediate teacher in Kindergarten class may be a recipe for disaster and not in the best interests of students. Teachers that are in grade levels or subjects that they do not like, have no experience with or have not trained for may feel trapped, uncomfortable and unfulfilled. Suggesting a grade or subject change may be one way to give the teacher another opportunity to improve.
The style of teaching or the curriculum is not a fit.
Teachers who have been in a standards based curriculum with high stakes testing may struggle with the shift to the openness of the IB curriculum or vice versa. Inquiry based teaching is not for every one. It is VERY student centered and often follows the interests of the children in the class. Teachers are facilitators and coaches. They create the conditions for students to explore their passions, interests and questions. Their teaching is fluid and they often find themselves responding to the needs of their students. The focus is on critical thinking, formative assessment and project based learning.
Teacher centered, standards based teaching often focuses on the dispensing of knowledge. The teacher is the sage on the stage. Students are encouraged to memorize, and recall facts and knowledge. Assessment focuses on evaluation and standardized testing.
Some teachers have great difficulty making the transition from one system to another and would be more successful in the system in which they are most comfortable.
They are not passionate about the work and see it as a job not a career.
The greatest teachers have passion for their students, subject, teaching and learning. They are constantly working to improve their practice. They are open to learning and want to find new and innovative ways to meet the needs of their students. They have an active professional learning network. They collaborate, share and work with colleagues, coaches and coordinators to improve their practice. They ask for and use feedback for growth. They stay current and never stop learning. If you are not passionate about teaching then it may not be the career for you and you may want to re-evaluate your career choice.
They lack training, experience or preparation of the current realities of the job.
Teaching is a VERY VERY difficult job. Teachers have to be familiar with many curriculum expectations: literacy, numeracy, social studies, science etc. Some elementary teachers even have to teach specialist subjects like art, music, physical education, Spanish and French. Subjects that they feel unequipped to teach. They often have to differentiate for the diverse needs and challenges that their students bring. They have social, emotional, mental health and familial needs that they need to address on a daily basis. These realities of the job can be overwhelming and
Personal struggles
We all have lives. We all have personal struggles and challenges. Many individuals have to manage health issues, aging parents, financial difficulties, trauma, divorce, addiction, parenting, the stress of the job etc. We all try to leave these things at the door but there are times this is not possible and personal needs have to come first. Balancing the demands of the classroom with personal struggles can be overwhelming. Teachers who are having struggles in their personal lives may have difficulty in the classroom.
As leaders it is important that we try to uncover why our teachers are struggling and to find a solution or path to support them. This may be difficult and could even result in coaching a teacher to leave the profession. It is our duty to the students, families and teachers that we serve to do what is best for students! Every child deserves a teacher who is dedicated, passionate, knowledgeable and models a love of learning!
