Teachers are the backbone of a school, but many of them are experiencing serious burnout. Burnout happens when someone feels constantly exhausted, stressed and overwhelmed by their job. Today, a big reason teachers are burning out is because of poor student behavior, the lack of support teachers receive when something happens in their classroom and low pay.
According to an article on neaToday.com, a 2025 survey from the RAND Corporation found that 53% of teachers report feeling burnout, and “teachers are more likely than similar working adults to report experiencing poor well-being on every indicator.”
In some classrooms, teachers spend more time trying to manage students who are talking or not paying attention than actually teaching the lesson. When students are constantly disrespectful or disruptive, it can make teachers feel frustrated and unappreciated. Most teachers go into the profession because they want to help students learn, but it becomes very difficult when the students don’t respect their teacher enough to learn.
Teacher burnout doesn’t just affect teachers. It affects students, too. When teachers are stressed or leave their jobs because they feel overwhelmed, students lose experienced educators who could help them succeed. Schools may struggle to replace those teachers, which can lead to larger class sizes or less consistency in the classroom. And in districts with increasing behavioral problems, future educators might feel discouraged to pursue teaching in the first place.
Mikaela Billings, McDowell High School’s Education Profession teacher, says, “I worry about teacher burnout in the way it will affect our future educators. Since becoming a teacher, I have seen the decline in student interest in the teaching career. Whether it be hearing about teacher burnout from their own parents who are educators or seeing it personally at school, it is an issue that is already reaching our youth.”
Billings teaches three levels of Education Profession Pathway courses and she said enrollment in the classes has been decreasing.
“The whole goal of the Education Profession Pathway courses is to help prepare and inspire students to become educators, but at times, students are quickly put off with teaching because of the lack of support seen throughout education,” Billings said.
Teachers also have responsibilities besides just teaching. Educators have to plan lessons, grade assignments (many times outside of the school day), answer emails, attend meetings and help students with personal problems. Teachers also have lives outside of the classroom. Whether it’s being a parent, a student themselves or having another job outside of school they always have outside commitments. When you combine all of those responsibilities with constant behavioral issues in the classroom, it can quickly become overwhelming.
Lack of support from their administration is another reason teachers experience burnout. Sometimes when teachers report behavior issues, nothing really changes. If schools don’t have clear rules or consequences, teachers feel like they are expected to deal with everything on their own. This makes them feel like their concerns are not taken seriously.
Students also play a role in helping create a better learning environment. Respecting teachers and following classroom rules can make a huge difference. Students should want the same thing teachers do: a positive environment where learning can happen.
Schools should work harder to support teachers so they don’t feel like they are dealing with every problem alone. If schools and students work together to improve behavior and support teachers, it can help reduce burnout and make schools better places for everyone.
So, let’s all work together to improve the classroom environment for students, teachers and future educators.
