Ohio teachers voice concern over educator stress, burnout

Nadia Ramlagan

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, is arguing for the continued role of unions in addressing economic inequality and social challenges.

Speaking in Houston at the national convention of the union representing teachers, higher education and health care professionals, she stressed the need for collective action and solidarity among workers in Ohio and across the country to improve working conditions for those in education.

"It's how the U of T negotiated groundbreaking paid parental leave and lower class sizes," Weingarten recounted. "It's how Cleveland got their new policy prohibiting students from using cellphones during the school day."

Delegates representing the union's nearly 2 million members voted to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris's bid to become the Democratic presidential nominee.

The Ohio Federation of Teachers is a union representing 20,000 members in 55 locals across the state.

Melissa Cropper, its president, said teachers are struggling with unprecedented levels of stress and poor mental health, noting a recent union survey, which found around 65% of Ohio teachers were considering leaving the profession altogether.

"Teachers feel a real lack of respect and a lack of autonomy in the classroom, and that's having an impact on them," Cropper pointed out. "We know that they're fed up with the over testing and unfunded mandates."

Nationwide, 77% of teachers said their job was frequently stressful and 68% said it was overwhelming, according to a survey released earlier this year by the Pew Research Center.

Cropper added Ohio and other states are seeing a rise in discipline issues among students, made worse by the pandemic.

"We have problems with severe behaviors in the classroom, and how to deal with that," Cropper noted. "And again, a lot of that has to do with lack of resources, the lack of having mental health experts in our schools."

A report by Children's Defense Fund Ohio found statewide, out-of-school suspensions and expulsions increased in every grade from the 2021-22 school year to the 2022-23 school year.