During the global pandemic and in the years following, we experienced a change avalanche like never before.
The education world took a huge brunt of that avalanche. Years later, schools are still trying to regain pandemic learning losses, according to the Harvard Center for Policy Research. Today, there’s still an alarming rise in student absenteeism, as well as heightened behavioral and cognitive issues like apathy and lack of attention, basic study skills and the ability to retain simple facts.
On top of it all, the entire Education space is facing tremendous uncertainty given the current US political landscape and administrative mandates.
Folks, teachers are tired. Next level tired. And no wonder.
This recent poll asked teachers how their jobs have changed since the pandemic. We ran this by our educator friends, and they agreed that these sentiments pretty much sum up the state of change in classrooms today. One teacher from the poll said:
“I am no longer just a teacher. I am now a social worker, therapist, guidance counselor, parent, etc.”
Teachers face increased stress and pressure from all sides, while the nature of their jobs continue to change. And across the board, emotions are running high.
What to Do With the Emotions of Change
Bernice Erazo, an education leader overseeing a network of 10 special education schools across California, recently attended the Change Growth Accelerator program, a 2-day virtual experience designed to enable leaders across industries to become practitioners of change growth -- embracing the power of emotion as a resource for turning tumult into opportunity, and how to inspire resilience in others.
“Every day, I see how important it is to better support educators through their emotions. Our schools need this kind of training, from leaders to teachers to the cafeteria lady. We managers especially need this kind of deep dive to learn how to pick up on cues and nuances in teacher behavior that can give us a signal and valuable insight into emotional states.”
Bernice Erazo
Let’s hear Bernice reflect on her learning:
I thought I was pretty good with the emotions of change. I've always had a skill set to notice emotions and pull the thread to go deeper. But in the Change Growth Accelerator Program, it was the first time I saw a training program provide such a clear process to notice and understand the emotions that arise around change. I identified specific areas where I have the opportunity to grow and the actions to carry that out.
When you have these types of programs in the education field, there might be one socio-emotional learning component. Let’s face it, most people see it as fluff. It never gets integrated into how to be a better manager. It never goes deep enough.
Every day, I see how important it is to better support educators through their emotions. Our schools need this kind of training, from leaders to teachers to the cafeteria lady. We managers especially need this kind of deep dive to learn how to pick up on cues and nuances in teacher behavior that can give us a signal and valuable insight into emotional states.
Guiding a team through a change or challenge so that everybody feels heard and validated -- many leaders haven’t been supported in this. There’s a fear that if I show that I can’t handle this situation, I’ll be seen as incompetent and ineffective. There’s a need to control the situation. It’s a fear that if they give space for emotions, people are going to get more upset. It’s really just the opposite.
The fear of losing control can keep a leader from letting people be human and say what they need to say. In the end, this can create a toxic culture. The steam is going to release somehow. If you don’t create space, it ends up happening in the lunchroom, in the breakroom, in sidebar conversations. Pitting against each other. People find a way to release their resentment and emotions. Then leaders are forced to focus their energy on these unrelated interpersonal fires, never addressing the core issue. Never addressing the emotions.
The amount of stress that educators are under daily is worse than it's ever been. Studies show that 50% of school leaders are getting ready to quit in the next year. And our new hires call out at high rates. People are shutting down and checking out.
Our teachers and school leaders deal with emotions every day. We need to help everyone learn the power of emotions--how to address the root cause, harness emotion as information and foster connection.
Learning to Transform Change Emotions
Here at Change Enthusiasm Global, we are ready to enter this arena of change with you. We know how important it is for educators (and parents) to put on their own oxygen mask first, as it comes to navigating challenging change emotions. And as Bernice pointed out, we know there’s not a lot of support for that today.
Change Enthusiasm Global is here to partner with and help educators put on that oxygen mask so that you can enter into the field at your best.
We offer practical, actionable ways to become adept at harnessing the power of emotions and transforming it into resilience and opportunity. Let’s do this together!
Register now for an upcoming Change Growth Accelerator event and follow us on LinkedIn for all of the latest news and announcements.
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