early childhood education
Sustaining the “FIRE” Alena V. Holmes, WMEA State Chair, Early Childhood Education
In 2002, Parker Palmer wrote, “If we want to attract and retain intelli- gent, passionate, caring teachers, we had better figure out what will sustain their vitality and faith in teaching.
Education depends on what teachers do in their classrooms, and what teachers do in their classrooms is shaped by who they are, what they believe and how vital and alive they are when they step before their students.” (p. xxviii)
During the last Wisconsin State Music Conference, I had a chat with my former student who has been an elementary
music teacher for five years. We talked about students, curricula and methods, then our conversation gradually turned to the enjoyment of teaching. Later on she made a statement that surprised me, “I love teaching and I love the kids, but I am thinking of changing my career path and pursuing either a music therapy or a doctorate degree, so that I can leave the classroom.” Another incident occurred at a professional meeting where a highly ac- complished elementary teacher explained her reasons for leaving the profession, stating, “I taught for 20 years, still love to teach, still love the children, but I am tired of the public school system, politics and weary of all the changes.” The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report indicates that 8.4 percent of public school teachers left the teaching profes-
sion in 2004-05. In comparison, only 5.1 percent left during 1991-92. These examples and others led to my interest in teachers’ sustainability in the profession and the ways that can help keep the energy and vitality in our classrooms. What would it take to help teachers maintain the “fire” for teaching for many years? How can we help teachers maintain professional vitality?
Burnout
The teaching profession is on the top of the list of very stressful occupations. Stress, when not confronted with effective coping mechanisms, can lead to burnout. Burnout refers to the “state of physical and emotional depletion resulting from conditions of work” (Freudenberger, 1974). Friesen, Prokop and Sarros (1988)
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