Teacher Resilience

by BOYCE DURR photography by TREVER ROHN & KELSEY STREMEL

It’s no secret that students learn more when they have a great teacher. Yet, few people understand what it takes to be a great teacher. The old adage “those who can’t do, teach” is only posited by people who have never taught. In reality, teaching is such a challenging profession that many people who set out to teach quickly discover it isn’t for them.

According to the College Graduation Statistics report at educationdata.org, in 1970, over 30 percent of graduates majored in education. As of 2020, that number has dropped to just 4.35%. Moreover, of those who succeed, many will leave the profession within a few years. Some estimates indicate that up to 50% of new teachers quit within their first five years. Until recently, the primary reason teachers left was salary-related.

COVID-19 changed this. In a study conducted by the RAND Corporation, 43% of all the teachers surveyed claimed “job stress” heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic as their number one reason for leaving. While the numbers are not all in, early data suggests more teachers are quitting due to the increased stress brought on with the Covid pandemic than ever before.

Given the challenges faced by teachers today, what does it take to be a successful teacher? Dr. Chris Jochum, chair and associate professor of Teacher Education at Fort Hays State University, says that is a difficult question, but it’s something that Tiger Teacher Nation is passionate about answering correctly.

“As teachers, we are entrusted with molding the future,” Jochum said. “We give everyone a start on paths that change, support, and enlighten the world.”

Jochum said, “students don’t choose teaching as a profession because it’s easy or financially abundant but for far more important and noble reasons.”

“We teach because we care,” he said. “We value. We trust. We love. We hurt. We rejoice. We serve. We were called to teach, and we answered. We teach because it is who we are. It’s not just our profession; it is our passion, our purpose, and our promise.”

One FHSU alum, Amy Wasinger, has spent more than 25 years in the teaching profession after earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s in special education. She believes, “a successful teacher must love working with kids.” Above all else, “successful teachers want to help all of their students succeed.”

Schools had to make numerous adjustments during the pandemic to try to continue educating their students. Teachers took on many new tasks which required extraordinary amounts of time and energy. Wasinger, currently a reading specialist for Hays USD 489, discussed how a combination of organization and flexibility was crucial to managing the crisis. These qualities are essential for successful teachers in any given year but became key to enduring the COVID-19 changes.

Whether teaching from home on Zoom or in the classroom, the need to meet the students “where they are” was prominent for Wasinger.

“All kids are different, all classes are different, and you need to be flexible and adjust to fit the needs of each child and each situation,” Wasinger said.

Dani Hartung, a fifth-grade teacher at Palco USD 269, echoed these thoughts on the importance of caring and flexible teaching. According to Hartung, “there is no one-size-fitsall approach; you have to let students tell you what they need and build relationships in order to be successful.”

Hartung, who received her master’s degree from FHSU in 2020, discussed how difficult the transition to online teaching was for both teachers and students.

“The initial shutdown was devastating as it came without warning, and we didn’t even get to say goodbye.” She went on to say, “you could just see the COVID restrictions wear down students. Teaching became even more about the social/emotional well-being of everyone, even more than just the academics.”

Hartung agreed that for teachers to succeed, they had to focus on the whole student, not just on academics. When asked how she managed, she said, “having a great class of kids really helped.”

The experiences of these successful teachers reveal several essential characteristics that contribute to their success.

You can read more about Amy, Dani and Tiger Teacher Nation on the FHSU blog — at.fhsu.edu.

Essential characteristics of successful teachers:

Caring. Good teachers care about their students above all else. They care about their overall well-being, as well as their success in subject matter learning. They invest in their students. Good teachers are thoroughly committed to investing in the success of every student they teach. They find joy in connecting with kids, meeting them where they are academically and socially. Successful teachers believe in the transformational power of education and deem every child worthy.

Enthusiastic. Successful teachers are passionate and knowledgeable about their academic subject and can pass that interest to their students. We’ve all had a teacher who was a subject matter expert, but the memorable ones were the ones who championed their discipline and inspired you to feel likewise. They were the ones who radiated enthusiasm about their subject matter and stoked the fires of curiosity and exploration in you to dig deeper along with them.

Organized. Successful teachers are gifted organizers. Time management is one of the essential skills any good teacher must possess. And, those who tend to procrastinate quickly get buried. Teachers with the ability to regiment every moment while they keep track of the schoolwork, behavior, and the things going on in the lives of about 150 kids, are the ones who prove successful.

Sacrifice. For those who don’t teach, the job might look easy. School lets out around 3 p.m., the students head home, and you get summers, weekends, and holidays off. The truth is, you will never get rich as a teacher, even though the level of commitment far exceeds most jobs. Teaching is a lifestyle where personal sacrifice is the norm. You invest in the children you teach, and when these kids are struggling, it’s hard to leave it behind at the end of the day. Evenings and weekends away from the classroom are spent planning lessons and evaluating student work. For successful teachers, it’s not just a job; it is much more.