Why So Many NJ Teachers Are Burned Out Right Now

It’s probably not news to you at this point that kids are struggling to function in the classroom.

If you have teacher friends right now, you’ve probably heard the same thing over and over again: this school year has been brutal.

Not because kids are bad per se, but because so many students are struggling emotionally, socially, and behaviorally in ways teachers say they’ve never seen before.

According to new findings from USC, this isn’t just anecdotal.

Federal data shows that 71% of schools reported being overwhelmed by rising student anxiety, emotional issues, and classroom acting out. Teachers across New Jersey say it’s becoming one of the biggest challenges in education today.

Student Behavior Is Affecting Academics

The impact on learning is serious.

Students dealing with emotional and behavioral struggles scored 11 percentile points lower on tests than their peers, according to the data. Teachers say constant disruptions make it difficult to stay on pace with lessons, help struggling students, and maintain structure in the classroom.

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Many educators now feel like they’re juggling multiple full-time jobs at once: teacher, therapist, mediator, and behavior specialist. We’ve literally had conversations during wine night about this. It’s not just speculation. It really is what's going on inside the schools.

Why Teachers Say Burnout Keeps Getting Worse

I have six close friends who teach in New Jersey, and every one of them says the same thing: behavior problems are getting worse year after year.

Tantrums. Defiance. Emotional outbursts. Extreme anxiety. Short attention spans.

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Teachers say they’re spending more time trying to stabilize classrooms than actually teaching curriculum and many are hitting a breaking point.

So, what can be done? It comes down to the parents. People need to actually parent their children. It’s not the teacher’s job to parent their students. Their job should be to teach. Sadly, now they’re barely doing that (through no fault of their own).