Why would any educational leader begin a call to action exclaiming a feeling of worry?  Sounds strange? But the feeling of worry must evoke enough emotion in society that change becomes a reality.  The educational system acts on behalf of a great number of children in various aspects of their lives. Teachers leave the classroom mentally and physically drained because they absorb the emotional trauma of students desperately in need.  Many teachers lack the training to know how to help.  An unrealistic list of expectations sits quietly in the back of many students’ minds whose perfectionistic nature causes them to overextend, creating stress. Other students self-medicate by resorting to drugs and alcohol to numb their pain.

A mental health crisis ravages public education with no end in sight.  “Rapid technological advances and an increasingly global economy have fundamentally altered our social and economic lives” (Soule & Warrick, 2015, p. 178).  The design of the current educational system mimics that of the industrial age.  However, the 21^st century job market continues to advance towards a service-oriented workplace.  The educational landscape desperately needs revitalization.  A dramatic shift in student academic and social support paired with fostering teacher preparedness encourages stability and promotes a healthier 21^st century educational system.

Why do students continue to walk across the stage with little competence in applying 21^st century skills?  The direct result stems from the fundamental structure of the western model of education.  Teachers feel torn between focusing time and energy on incorporating creativity and critical thinking into their lessons with the demand for strong performance on high stakes testing.  The complex nature of 21^st century skills calls for rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use.

No longer can educators sit idle, paralyzed by tradition. The models of learning must evolve with nature and current surroundings. Whether a large comprehensive public high school or a small liberal arts college, the classic brick-and-mortar institution remains outdated and disruptive innovation emerges with possibilities. The design of schools over a century ago promotes standardization of the way educators teach and test inhibiting opportunity for differentiation and customization (Horn & Staker, 2015). Ultimately blended learning gives back teachers’ time by shifting lower level content to online resources and opens the door to more face-to-face higher order activities.  Disruptive innovation invites teachers to take a risk and create courses that truly enhance a student’s ability to learn.  Blended learning alters traditional educational pedagogy by shifting towards a 21^st century menu that satisfies the needs of all learners and removes undue stress on the teacher

Over the past decade, school counselors and school psychologists report an influx of students diagnosed with stress, anxiety, and depression. Procrastination and poor prioritization fuel the epidemic sweeping through a highly competitive 21^st century educational system.  Students suffering with depressive disorders function with an elevated risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior.  Unfortunately, twenty percent of deaths for young people ranging 15-24 years old ends in suicide (Hawley et al., 2016). With an unrealistic sense of anonymity, students send messages riddled with profanity plaguing the inboxes of many students who otherwise would never receive such information if communication occurred face to face.  Unfortunately, some messages become a permanent unrelenting reminder of one mistake.

The expectation to perform, to compete, and to test at near perfect levels rattles the nerves of most teens.  Is the expectation to earn all A’s becoming overrated or exaggerated?  Teachers receive demands from parents who expect nothing less and students who do nothing demand the A.  Students and parents must not lose sight of the importance of hard work.

The current generation struggles with the idea of failure and how to cope once failure occurs.  Helicopter parents transforming into bulldozers plow through any obstacle crippling the child’s ability to cope or grapple with the problem.  There comes a time when too much support disrupts the development of the child. The educational need to instill grit and resiliency in all students continues to sky rocket and instant gratification fuels the urgency to bring students back to reality.

Teachers lack the training to adequately help those suffering from mental illness.  As teachers work through the daily grind of education, they often experience secondary trauma by soaking in students’ emotions.  District initiatives to train teachers becomes imperative to protect an already weakened educational foundation. The percentage of teacher loss in the first five years currently hovers around 17% (Gray, Taie, & O’Rear, 2015).  Teacher stress proves pervasive. No one is out of harm’s way. Educators universally claim high amounts of job related stress due to occupational demands that lead to burnout and job dissatisfaction.  Those with the right mindset suitable for education tackle tough situations because of an inclination to help.   Although admirable, many teachers take on too much because that is their nature.  Improving teacher resiliency requires actions such as teacher mentors, teaching time outs, mindfulness techniques and team building that allows for emotional repair.  Administrators who promote self-care as part of school culture take tremendous steps detrimental to the retention of highly qualified teachers.

Those charged with this humbling task must understand that lives hang in the balance.  Although the 21^st century brings with it incredible innovation, students continue to fall through the cracks as if transported back in time.  A valiant plea goes out to those in leadership that witness teachers and students self-destruct to make decisions that promote actions in the best interest of all involved.  Teachers and students stressed, anxious, and pushed to their limits do not deserve to feel broken in a place meant for growth.

Kristen Brower, M.Ed.

Doctoral Student, Doctorate in Leadership Program, Hardin-Simmons University

Assistant Principal, Cypress Ranch High School

Kristen.Brower@hsutx.edu

TEDTalk on this blog

References

Gray, L., Taie, S., & O’Rear, I. (2015). Public school teacher attrition and mobility in the first five years: Results from the first through fifth waves of the 2007–08 Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study. U.S. Department of Education.

Hawley, L. D., MacDonald, M. G., Wallace, E. H., Smith, J., Wummel, B., & Wren, P. A. (2016). Baseline assessment of campus-wide general health status and mental health:   Opportunity for tailored suicide prevention and mental health awareness programming. Journal of American College Health, 64(3), 174-183.

Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2015). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Soule, H., & Warrick, T. (2015). Defining 21^st century readiness for all students: What we know and how to get there. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 9(2), 178-186.