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Teachers are the backbone of our education system, inspiring and shaping future generations. Yet across the United States, teachers are fighting an uphill battle to provide high-quality education amid numerous challenges. Many educators feel overworked, under-resourced, and overwhelmed. They often reach into their own pockets for classroom supplies, juggle overfilled classrooms, navigate excessive paperwork, adhere to strict curriculum mandates, and push through mounting burnout – all while striving to ensure every child learns and thrives. This advocacy piece shines a light on the real struggles U.S. teachers face today, backed by up-to-date data, expert insights, and heartfelt teacher testimonies. The tone here is empathetic and solution-oriented, because acknowledging these challenges is the first step toward meaningful change. Ultimately, we’ll explore how we can better support our educators – and why solutions like free curriculum support from AHS Education can be a game-changer for schools.

 

Lack of Resources: Teachers Filling the Funding Gaps

One of the most pervasive struggles is the lack of basic resources in many schools. From textbooks and technology to art supplies and even tissues, funding shortfalls often leave classrooms under-equipped. Who steps in to fill the gap? Teachers themselves. Incredibly, 97% of teachers end up spending their own money on classroom supplies, because the meager school budgets don’t cover what students need. In fact, a national 2025 survey found teachers spent an average of $895 out-of-pocket during the 2024–25 school year on supplies for their students – a startling 49% increase since 2015.

 

“I spend between $700 and $1,000 a year on supplies from August to June,” says Sherry, a preschool teacher in Greensboro, NC. “Due to rising costs, I will not have the usual resources I need to help children adapt and extend learning”adoptaclassroom.org.

Sherry’s experience is echoed in schools nationwide. Teachers buy paper, pencils, books, cleaning wipes, even foodfor students out of compassion and necessity. One survey noted 81% of teachers purchase supplies so that every student – regardless of family income – has the same opportunities in class. Alicia, a technology teacher in Santa Fe, NM, explained how “funding is already hard to come by. Between education funding cuts and inflation, I worry about my students being able to access materials necessary for their education… I also purchase supplies for my students when need be. I don’t know how sustainable that may be in coming years.”

 

These testimonies highlight a painful irony: teachers’ dedication is masking systemic underfunding. While their generosity is heroic, it’s not a sustainable or fair solution. Every dollar a teacher spends from their paycheck is essentially a donation to public education – and many can ill afford it on already modest salaries. The lack of resources also takes an emotional toll, as teachers worry that students in under-resourced schools are being shortchanged. No teacher should have to choose between paying their bills and buying basic supplies for their class. Ensuring adequate funding for all classrooms is critical to relieving this burden. Programs that provide free or discounted supplies, as well as increased school funding from policymakers, are urgently needed to close the resource gap.

 

Oversized Classrooms: Too Many Students, Too Little Support

Another major hurdle is oversized classes. In many districts, classrooms are packed with 30, 35, even 40 students – far above what most educators and researchers consider optimal for learning. With a national teacher shortage ongoing, schools often fail to hire enough teachers, resulting in ballooning class sizes. The consequences are felt by teachers and students alike. “Students have increasingly complicated academic and mental-health needs,” explains one National Education Association report, “and when you put 33 or 38 or 40 of them in one classroom, it’s impossible to meet their individual needs”nea.org. A single teacher can only stretch so far.

 

Kathia Ruiz, a fourth-grade teacher in Oregon, experienced this firsthand. She once taught a class of 29 fourth-graders, but in a later year had the rare fortune of just 18 students. “It was amazing all the things I could do – the differentiation that was possible,” she says, noting how the difference between nearly 30 students and under 20 was huge. “[Class size] has such an impact on what teachers can do. We want to help and support every student – but there’s only one of us and only so much we can do with a big class.”nea.org Her story speaks volumes: smaller class size allowed her to give more personalized attention, tailor lessons, and manage the classroom better. With nearly 30 kids, even a passionate teacher finds it “mind blowing” that administrators sometimes don’t understand why it matters.

 

Teachers across the country agree that large class sizes hinder learning. It’s common sense that a teacher with 40 students can’t conference one-on-one or provide timely feedback the way they could with 15 or 20 students. Research backs this up – from the famous Project STAR study in Tennessee to countless surveys – showing that students in smaller classes do significantly better on academic tests and have longer-term gains. Unsurprisingly, nine out of ten teachers say smaller class sizes would help students succeed (and as a bonus, it would help teachers succeed too by reducing stress).

 

Yet, instead of relief, many teachers have seen their classes grow. In some extreme cases, classrooms literally cannot seat all the children. Tim Martin, a high school teacher and union leader in Washington, recalls walking into a chemistry class so overcrowded that “there were kids with clipboards for desks, kids sitting on counters and heaters and the floor. I had no idea how she was going to be able to do labs!” Students in that class grew frustrated: “Why am I here?” they asked, “I can’t get one-on-one time. I can’t get help.” This frustration can manifest as behavioral issues, creating a vicious cycle where teaching becomes even harder.

 

To make matters worse, teacher shortages often force teachers to cover for absent colleagues during their planning periods, effectively increasing their workload and class headcount at a moment’s notice. In the 2022–23 school year, multiple teacher strikes and near-strikes (from Columbus, OH to Malden, MA to Woodburn, OR) were fueled largely by demands to lower class sizes or caseloads. The message from educators is clear: oversized classes are a breaking point. Addressing this issue means hiring and retaining more teachers and support staff to reduce the student-teacher ratio. When class sizes drop, teachers can breathe a little easier and students receive more attention – a win-win that improves educational quality.

 

Administrative Burdens and Paperwork Overload

Beyond teaching large classes, educators face a crushing load of administrative tasks and non-teaching duties. A typical teacher’s day doesn’t end when the bell rings – or even when they leave the school building. Lesson planning, grading, filling out paperwork, logging data, supervising lunch or recess, answering parent emails, attending meetings, and complying with various mandates all pile up on a teacher’s plate. Many teachers feel like they are asked to be much more than teachers – they are data analysts, clerical workers, test proctors, hallway monitors, and counselors, all in one. The result? Many teachers work 50-60 hours a week once all duties are counted, even if their official school day is only 7-8 hours.

 

A revealing 2022 nationally representative survey found that the median teacher works about 54 hours per week, but less than half of that time (only 46%) is actually spent on direct instruction in the classroom. In other words, a majority of a teacher’s working time goes to “other stuff” beyond teaching – much of it administrative. No wonder 84% of teachers say they don’t have enough time in the school day to get everything done. Too much paperwork and too little planning time are a constant complaint. As one teacher, Jared Washburn, put it: “I never feel satisfied at the end of the day that I have completed all my work. I’m not sure I even know what that feels like.” After teaching all day, Jared takes home “piles of students’ papers to read and evaluate,” sacrificing his evenings and even Sundays with family to catch up. This kind of schedule is common and contributes directly to burnout (more on that soon).

 

What exactly are these administrative burdens? Teachers cite mandatory documentation and reports, endless emails, entering grades into online systems, managing attendance records, writing detailed lesson plans aligned to standards, and preparing students for standardized tests (and then analyzing test data). In a 2024 Pew survey of K–12 teachers, a staggering 98% said the main reason they can’t finish their work during the school day is simply that there’s too much of it. Additional factors include being pulled away from class for non-teaching duties like monitoring hallways or lunch (65% mentioned this) and covering other teachers’ classes during prep time (51%).

 

The era of high-stakes testing has added another layer of strain. Teachers aren’t just administering exams – they’re often required to spend hours prepping students for tests, then processing and responding to the results. “The mandates around standardized tests are particularly infuriating,” teachers say. It’s not just the 16 days on average spent administering tests each year – it’s the incessant demand to analyze test data and write reports and targeted plans based on those scores. As veteran teacher Debbie Baker notes, all that time crunching old test data is time stolen from real teaching: “I prefer to teach according to the needs I see,” she says, rather than constantly reacting to months-old test results. Data is important, but when excessive data-tracking and bureaucracy come at the expense of live teaching and human connection, something is out of balance.

 

Excessive administrative burdens not only exhaust teachers, but also detract from student learning. Every hour a teacher spends on paperwork is an hour not spent developing an engaging lesson or giving feedback to a student. As one middle school teacher observed, “Probably the biggest thing [lost when we have no time] is students get less personalized feedback… We also give fewer innovative assignments. There’s not time to plan them and get the resources for them.” When educators are rushed and stretched thin, students inevitably feel the effects in larger classes, shorter feedback, and fewer creative projects. Reducing the red tape and giving teachers more time for planning, collaboration, and genuine teaching is essential. Some ways to do this include hiring additional support staff (like clerical aides or teaching assistants), simplifying reporting requirements, and ensuring every teacher has adequate protected planning time each day – not to mention embracing smart tools to automate routine tasks. (Even technologies like AI are being explored to draft emails or paperwork, returning precious minutes to teachers.) The bottom line is that teachers need to be allowed to focus on what truly matters: educating students, not pushing pencils.

 

Curriculum Constraints: Teaching Inside the Box

“Teach to the test.” “Follow the script.” “Don’t stray from the pacing guide.” These are phrases teachers know all too well. Rigid curriculum mandates and high-stakes accountability measures have increasingly constrained teachers’ autonomy in the classroom. Educators often feel they must rush through a packed curriculum that leaves little room for creativity, deeper exploration, or adjustment to students’ interests and needs. They worry that the emphasis on standardized testing and one-size-fits-all standards has narrowed the curriculum and reduced teaching to a checklist. NEA President Becky Pringle affirmed this concern, saying: “Educators know standardized tests narrow the curriculum… they limit our ability to accurately assess comprehensive student learning.” In other words, when schools over-focus on test scores, subjects that aren’t tested (like arts, music, civics) can get sidelined, and even core subjects get taught in a way that prioritizes test-taking skills over creative, critical thinking.

 

Many teachers express frustration that curriculum decisions are often made far above their heads – by distant committees or lawmakers – without teacher input. For example, some districts purchase scripted curriculum programs that dictate exactly what teachers should say and do each day, leaving little flexibility to address teachable moments or go deeper on a topic students are excited about. Others impose pacing guides that march through material at a set speed, regardless of whether students have mastered the content. And in recent years, political pressures have even led to legislative curriculum constraints in certain states (such as laws restricting discussions of certain historical or social topics), putting some teachers in an uncomfortable position regarding academic freedom.

 

Moreover, curriculum constraints often tie back to testing. When test scores are used to evaluate schools (or even teachers), administrators naturally push for a curriculum that “teaches to the test.” The result, as Diane Ravitch (an education historian and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education) observed, is that high-stakes tests can stifle the very creativity and ingenuity we need in education. Students end up doing endless test-prep worksheets instead of project-based learning. Teachers, who are trained professionals with creative ideas, feel reduced to “drill sergeants” focusing only on tested standards.

 

Of course, having standards and curriculum frameworks is important – they provide guidance on what students should learn. The issue is how they’re implemented. When teachers are trusted as professionals, they can adapt the curriculum to their students’ contexts, differentiate for different learning styles, and incorporate enriching activities beyond the basics. This flexibility often leads to higher engagement and deeper learning. On the other hand, when curriculum is enforced in a top-down, inflexible way, it can demoralize teachers and disengage students.

 

Teacher testimony illustrates this tension. Some of the best moments in class happen when an interesting student question leads the class slightly off-script into a deeper discussion or experiment – but if a teacher is afraid of “getting behind” on the mandated curriculum, those moments might be lost. Teachers also lament that they sometimes have to sacrifice depth for breadth – covering many topics quickly rather than ensuring true understanding – because the curriculum pacing demands it.

 

The solution lies in finding the right balance. We need quality standards and accountability, but we also need to empower teachers with professional flexibility. Reducing the over-emphasis on standardized testing (or finding more authentic assessment methods) would help. As one teacher put it, “These capstone projects represent the future of assessment… No standardized test does that,” emphasizing the value of project-based, portfolio, or performance assessments as alternatives that allow for rich curriculum. Supporting teacher professional development so educators feel confident designing their own high-quality lessons is another key. When teachers have both high-quality curriculum resources and the freedom to adapt them, students benefit from a more engaging and responsive learning experience.

 

Burnout and Teacher Turnover: When Enough is Enough

Combine all the issues above – insufficient resources, huge classes, overwhelming workload, pressure to “teach to the test” – and you get a recipe for teacher burnout. It’s no surprise that teacher stress and burnout have soared to alarming levels. In fact, surveys confirm what many see anecdotally: Teaching has become one of the most burnout-prone professions in America. A recent analysis reported that 44% of K-12 teachers feel burned out “often” or “always” by their job. This is up from 36% just a few years prior, indicating the situation is getting worse. In comparison, even college professors (who have their own challenges) report burnout at lower rates (around 35%). Gallup polls found similar results and noted that about 52% of K-12 teachers say they are burned out, the highest rate of any profession surveyed. In short, the majority of our teachers are running on fumes.

 

Burnout isn’t just an abstract idea – it has very real manifestations. Chronic fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, depression, physical health issues, and a breakdown of work-life balance are commonly reported by educators. “It’s been a very, very difficult year,” said Tim Martin, a veteran teacher, describing how “people are breaking. Students are breaking. Staff is breaking.” In his Washington district, more teachers went out on medical leave for stress in one year than ever before. In another example, one Oregon district saw 25% of its teachers resign or retire in a single year (2021–22) – many in the middle of the school year, which historically almost never happened. “You didn’t used to see resignations in November or February… it’s really disheartening to see it happen,” said Kathia Ruiz of that trend. This wave of departures mid-year is a glaring red flag that many educators have hit a breaking point.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly poured fuel on the fire, as teachers had to reinvent their teaching overnight, navigate health risks, and support students through trauma – all of which exacerbated burnout. But even as the acute phase of the pandemic wanes, burnout remains sky-high. A 2023 national teachers’ survey found 55% of educators were thinking of leaving the profession earlier than they had planned – over half considering an early exit. And many are following through: in the year after the pandemic began, about 8% of public school teachers left teaching (higher than pre-pandemic attrition). Projections suggest over the next few years we could see hundreds of thousands of teachers quitting annually if conditions do not improve. This trend creates a vicious cycle: burnout leads to teacher shortages, which then increases class sizes and workload for the remaining teachers, causing more burnout.

 

The human cost of teacher burnout is immense. These are passionate professionals who want to make a difference, yet they feel so depleted that many see no option but to leave the job they once loved. Burnout also impacts students: when a beloved teacher quits or is chronically stressed, student learning and morale suffer. Teacher turnover can set back a school community significantly, especially in high-need areas where positions may go unfilled for long stretches.

 

Addressing burnout requires systemic changes and a renewed respect for the profession. It’s about making teaching a sustainable career again. That means providing better compensation (financial stress adds to burnout, and many teachers work second jobs to make ends meet), offering robust mental health support, and fundamentally improving working conditions – all the things discussed in previous sections: reasonable class sizes, adequate resources, more planning time, less punitive testing regimes, and supportive administration. Burnout is not a sign of individual weakness; it is a symptom of a system that has continuously asked teachers to do more with less. To heal our education system, caring for teacher wellbeing must be a top priority. Otherwise, we risk a mass exodus of experienced educators and a worsening educational experience for students.

 

Student Equity Gaps: Unequal Resources, Unequal Opportunities

A core theme underlying many of these struggles is educational inequity. Not all schools – and not all students – are affected equally by resource shortages and other challenges. There are deep student equity gaps in America’s education system, often aligned with socio-economic status, race, and geography. Teachers in high-poverty schools know this all too well: their students often come to class facing hardships like poverty, hunger, or lack of internet at home, yet these are the very schools that typically have the fewest resources to support them. This inequity weighs heavily on teachers, who do everything they can to compensate, but recognize that systemic disparities are holding their students back.

 

Consider school funding: In the U.S., much of education funding is tied to local property taxes, which means wealthier communities can spend far more on their schools than poorer communities. The result is shocking disparities. For example, the highest-funded state (New York) spends about 2.5 times more per pupil than the lowest-funded state (Idaho), even after adjusting for cost-of-living differences. Within states, wealthy suburban districts often have gleaming facilities and small classes, while urban or rural high-poverty districts struggle with outdated textbooks, crowded classrooms, and teacher shortages. More than half of states do not fund schools progressively(i.e., they don’t give more money to high-poverty districts that need extra support) – in fact, some have regressive funding that perversely gives less money per student to poor districts than to affluent ones.

 

A comprehensive study by The Century Foundation put it starkly: the United States is underfunding its public schools by nearly $150 billion annually, disproportionately harming minority and low-income children. That means millions of students are in schools that, by any reasonable standard, cannot provide the level of education those kids deserve because the resources simply aren’t there. Inequity literally starts at childhood: “Inequality begins in childhood,” the report stated, and by under-investing in schools serving disadvantaged communities, we are “robbing millions of children… of the opportunity to succeed.” tcf.org

 

These funding gaps translate to tangible opportunity gaps: fewer counselors, fewer advanced courses, larger classes, less technology, and lower-paid (or less experienced) teachers in high-need schools. During the pandemic, these gaps were thrown into sharp relief. Students in schools with already inadequate resources fell further behind when learning went remote; many lacked devices or home internet, and their schools struggled to pivot effectively. Researchers found that students in the poorest districts experienced much greater learning loss during COVID-19 than those in the richest districts, largely because the poorer schools lacked the infrastructure to support all students quickly. While federal emergency funds helped temporarily, those are drying up, and the underlying inequitable systems remain.

 

For teachers, serving in an under-resourced school is both rewarding and exhausting. They often take on additional roles – they might act as social workers, tech support, translators, and fundraisers all at once – to help their students bridge gaps. They see the brilliance and potential in their students, but also the barriers placed in their way. A teacher in a low-income district might have students who come to school hungry or without winter coats, and while the teacher addresses those immediate needs (there goes another chunk of their own money or time), they’re also trying to teach to the same standards as a well-funded school across town. It can feel like running a race with one leg shackled.

 

Tackling student equity gaps is a monumental task, but incredibly important. It starts with fair funding – pushing states to adopt funding formulas that allocate more resources to schools and students with greater needs. It also involves addressing broader issues like affordable housing, healthcare, and food security, which all affect student readiness to learn. In the school context, it means investing in things like school counselors, special education services, early childhood programs, and extended learning opportunities (tutoring, summer programs) targeted at underprivileged students. For teachers specifically, working in a high-need school should come with extra support: higher salaries or bonuses to attract and retain great teachers, robust mentoring and professional development, smaller class sizes, and loan forgiveness programs – all proven strategies to reduce turnover in these settings.

Equity also ties into the next challenge: technology access, which became absolutely essential in recent years.

Technology Accessibility Challenges: The Digital Divide

In the 21st century, technology has become a cornerstone of education – a fact made undeniable by the shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, access to technology is far from equal. The “digital divide”refers to the gap between those who have ready access to computers and high-speed internet and those who do not. U.S. teachers and students grapple with this divide daily. Many schools still lack up-to-date hardware, reliable internet infrastructure, or the IT support to keep tech running smoothly. Even more pressing, a significant number of students cannot access online learning at home, which creates a “homework gap” and exacerbates achievement gaps.

According to NEA research, about one-quarter of all school-aged children live in households without broadband internet or a web-enabled device (like a computer or tablet). That’s roughly 12-15 million students who are at a disadvantage in our increasingly digital learning environment. These kids can’t easily do online research, complete digital homework, or participate in virtual tutoring. The problem is worse in certain communities: rural areas often have limited broadband infrastructure, and low-income families may not afford monthly internet bills or multiple devices. The result during the pandemic was sobering – stories emerged of students sitting in fast-food restaurant parking lots late at night, trying to catch free Wi-Fi to submit an assignment, or parents driving their kids to public library lots for internet access. Some districts distributed mobile hotspots or paper packets, but it was a makeshift solution to a long-term issue.

Teachers feel the strain of tech inequity as well. Those in under-resourced schools may have outdated computers (if any) in their classrooms and might not have reliable tech for themselves. Professional development in educational technology is often insufficient, leaving teachers on their own to figure out digital tools. The pandemic forced a crash course in using learning management systems, video conferencing, and online resources – and many teachers rose to the challenge – but it also laid bare the lack of support and infrastructure. “For too many, the door to the virtual classroom is blocked,” the NEA reported, noting that the digital divide is closely linked to race, income, and geography. For instance, Black, Latino, and Native American students are significantly less likely to have full access to devices and broadband compared to white students. One teacher in rural California said she had to tell her students to go to the school parking lot to get internet if they could – an imperfect solution, especially for those without transportation.

Even in well-connected schools, technology presents challenges. Not all educators are comfortable integrating new tech tools, especially with minimal training. When devices break or networks go down, class can grind to a halt. There are also pedagogical challenges – ensuring that tech is used effectively (not just screen time for the sake of it) and managing off-task behavior or digital distractions. Teachers often act as tech support in class when students struggle with devices or software, which is another hat they wear beyond their normal duties.

Addressing tech accessibility means investing in both infrastructure and people. On infrastructure: expanding rural broadband, providing subsidies or free internet for low-income families (much like utilities), and maintaining up-to-date devices in schools are key. The federal E-Rate program, which helps schools and libraries get affordable internet, is one piece of the puzzle – but it needs robust funding. (Advocates have called for additional one-time investments to ensure every student can get online). On the people side: schools should provide ongoing tech training for teachers, so they feel confident using digital tools and troubleshooting issues. It’s also important to have IT staff in districts who can relieve teachers from the minutiae of device management and network problems.

In an era where blended learning (combining online and face-to-face) is becoming the norm, ensuring equitable tech access is essential so that no student or teacher is left behind. A student’s ability to participate in the modern classroom shouldn’t depend on whether their family can afford Wi-Fi or a laptop. Bridging this gap will take policy effort and community support, but it’s one of the most actionable equity issues we can solve with resources and willpower.

Moving Forward: Supporting Our Teachers = Supporting Our Students

Reading through these challenges – lack of resources, overcrowded classrooms, administrative overload, stringent curriculum demands, burnout, inequity, and tech gaps – can feel overwhelming. These are deep-rooted issues that won’t fix themselves overnight. However, there are solutions and reasons for hope. By addressing these problems head-on, we can make tangible improvements in teachers’ lives and students’ learning experiences. It comes down to a fundamental principle: supporting our teachers is one of the best investments we can make in our children’s future. When teachers have what they need to succeed, students thrive.

What might a solution-oriented approach look like? Here are several key strategies that experts and educators advocate:

  • Increase Education Funding & Resources: Ensure that schools are properly funded so that teachers don’t have to become charity cases for their own classrooms. This includes raising teacher salaries (to attract and retain talent and acknowledge their value) and providing adequate budgets for classroom supplies, up-to-date textbooks, and technology. Policymakers at state and federal levels must prioritize closing funding gaps – especially for high-poverty schools – as research shows more investment translates to better student outcomes, particularly for low-income students.
  • Hire More Staff to Reduce Class Sizes and Workload: Combat teacher shortages by making the profession more attractive (via better pay, mentoring, student loan forgiveness, etc.) and hiring additional teachers, aides, and support staff. With more staff, class sizes can drop to reasonable levels, giving each teacher fewer students. Additional support staff (like paraprofessionals or administrative assistants) can relieve teachers of some non-teaching duties, from paperwork to playground supervision. When educators can actually use their planning period for planning (not emergency subbing), instructional quality rises and burnout falls.
  • Cut Unnecessary Bureaucracy: Audit the administrative tasks asked of teachers and eliminate or streamline the non-essential ones. School leaders can ask, “Does this paperwork or meeting tangibly benefit student learning? If not, why are we doing it?” For required tasks (like special education documentation or test reporting), invest in better systems and tools that make the process faster. Give teachers more autonomy and trust – for example, if a teacher’s lesson plans are working, don’t demand they fill out redundant templates for the sake of compliance. Time is a teacher’s most precious resource; we must guard it carefully.
  • Rebalance the Curriculum and Testing: Shift the focus from high-stakes testing to a more holistic view of student learning. This could mean reducing the number of standardized tests, shortening them, or removing high-stakes consequences attached to them. Free up curriculum time so teachers can incorporate project-based learning, arts, and other enriching activities that ignite students’ passion. Many districts are now exploring competency-based assessments, capstone projects, and other innovative evaluations. By dialing back the “teach to the test” culture, we allow teachers to use their professional judgment and creativity, which can rekindle their joy in teaching and students’ joy in learning.
  • Prioritize Teacher Well-Being and Mental Health: Schools and districts should recognize that teachers are humans, not endless resources. Provide mental health days, counseling services, or peer support groups for teachers. Encourage a culture where taking care of oneself is seen as integral to being a good teacher (not a sign of weakness). Administrators can support this by setting reasonable expectations and encouraging work-life balance – for example, not bombarding teachers with emails at night or expecting instant responses on weekends. A little empathy and flexibility from leadership can go a long way.
  • Professional Development and Teacher Voice: Continuously invest in teachers’ growth and give them a voice in decision-making. When teachers are trained in new methods (like integrating technology or culturally responsive teaching), they feel empowered rather than frustrated by change. Likewise, involving teachers in crafting policies – whether it’s a new curriculum adoption or a school improvement plan – ensures that reforms are grounded in classroom reality and have teacher buy-in. This not only leads to better decisions but also makes teachers feel respected as professionals.
  • Embrace Community and Innovative Supports: Communities can step up to support their schools and educators. We saw during the pandemic how businesses, nonprofits, and parents rallied to provide devices or set up learning pods. That spirit should continue. Local partnerships can help supply classrooms, fundraise for special projects, or volunteer in ways that ease teachers’ load (like helping run after-school programs or clubs). Moreover, innovation in the ed-tech and nonprofit space has yielded new resources for teachers. One example is utilizing free curriculum support platforms that can reduce teachers’ planning burden and provide quality materials – effectively giving teachers more hours back in their week.

On that last note, let’s highlight a promising avenue of support: AHS Education’s free curriculum support platform. In a world where teachers are constantly pressed for time and resources, AHS Education is an initiative aimed at lightening that load. It offers a full online curriculum platform with ready-made, standards-aligned lessons, auto-graded assessments, and progress-tracking tools – and importantly, it’s offered at no cost to schools. Imagine a teacher not having to create every quiz or slide deck from scratch, or having a trusted repository of quality lessons to draw from. That can translate into saved hours each week. “You don’t have to create everything yourself!” as one Wyoming teacher advised colleagues – and AHS Education embodies that principle by providing content and structure teachers can rely on. The platform even comes with free onboarding and support to help schools implement it smoothly. By simplifying curriculum delivery, such a tool can alleviate two big teacher pain points: planning workload and resource scarcity. Teachers can then focus more on differentiating instruction, working with students one-on-one, or simply catching their breath, rather than reinventing curriculum materials under tight deadlines.

The beauty of solutions like AHS Education’s free curriculum support is that they are actionable right now. Schools don’t need a gigantic new budget or policy change to take advantage – it’s available to any school willing to give it a try. In a sense, it’s a way to directly answer that call for help from teachers: “Let us handle some of the heavy lifting on curriculum, so you can do what you do best – teach and mentor students.”

It’s Time to Lift Up Our Teachers

Every challenge discussed here – from inadequate funding and oversized classes to burnout and inequity – ultimately impacts students. When teachers struggle, students struggle. Conversely, when we give teachers the support and respect they need, students benefit through richer learning experiences, more individualized attention, and a more stable, inspired teaching force. It’s often said that teaching is a labor of love, and indeed teachers have shown extraordinary love and dedication. But love and dedication alone are not a sustainable strategy for running a national education system. We as a society must match teachers’ dedication with real support. That means advocating for better policies, investing in our schools, and embracing innovative solutions that ease teachers’ burdens.

To school administrators, district leaders, and education policymakers reading this: the ball is in your court. How will you respond to the clear distress signals from your educators? Whether it’s budgeting for smaller classes, cutting back on testing, or providing modern teaching tools, your actions can make a profound difference. Parents and community members, you also have a voice – speak up for your local schools, attend board meetings, support referendums that fund education, and show appreciation for teachers (not just with thank-you cards, but with advocacy for the systemic changes they need).

If you are looking for a tangible step to start making things better today, here’s one: consider signing up for AHS Education’s free curriculum support platform. This is a solution that directly addresses several problems – it provides high-quality resources (tackling the lack of materials), saves teachers time on planning and grading (easing administrative load and burnout), and is freely accessible (helping high-poverty schools with limited budgets). We encourage schools and districts to visit AHS Education’s demo for institutes and see how this free support can be implemented. It’s not often that something free can significantly improve instructional quality and reduce teacher stress, but this is one of those rare opportunities worth seizing.

In closing, advocating for teachers is advocating for a better future for all of us. The struggles outlined here are not teachers’ problems to solve alone – they are society’s problems to solve collectively. Teachers have been doing their part, often at great personal cost. Now it’s on us to do our part. Let’s funnel our admiration for teachers into action: adequately fund our schools, treat educators as valued professionals, and leverage every tool we have to support them. By doing so, we not only show justice and respect to those who educate our children, but we also ensure our children get the excellent education they deserve. It’s time to turn the tide so that no teacher feels alone in the struggle and every student, in every ZIP code, can receive a high-quality education. Our teachers are advocating for their students every day; let’s all advocate for our teachers.

Join the movement to support educators. Encourage your local schools to explore innovative resources like AHS Education’s free curriculum support. Share this article and start conversations about these issues in your community. And if you’re a decision-maker, prioritize actionable changes today. Together, we can transform these struggles into success stories – one classroom at a time.

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