Are Teachers Quietly Proving That Humans > Programs?
Once upon a time in elementary school, “data‑driven instruction” meant counting how many glue sticks were left and praying the TV cart wouldn’t crash into a desk. Now, the average teacher needs more log‑ins than a Netflix‑sharing family and more dashboards than an airline, just to prove that yes, explicit instruction with a 'think aloud' really did happen at 10:32 a.m.
Somewhere between the overhead projector and “click here to confirm that you clicked there,” something important leaked out of the system: trust. The kids are still wonderfully, exhaustingly real, the stakes are still very high, and the people in front of the whiteboards are trying to do serious, life‑altering work while being micromanaged by folks who have not attempted to get 25 eight‑year‑olds to line up quietly since approximately the Bush administration.
Welcome to American public education, where the kids are honest, the relationships matter, and the adults are increasingly powered by caffeine and pure determination.
Living Inside The Great Initiative Blender
Every August, the staff gathers in the cafeteria, clutching coffee like a survival item. On the big screen appears this year’s Big Thing. Last year, it was a new math curriculum. The year before, a “transformational” literacy program. Before that, an intervention system featuring a dashboard you needed a sherpa to navigate.
The script at these meetings rarely changes. There is a slide with an inspirational quote. There is a graph. There is a tagline involving “excellence” and “all students.” And there is the annual pronouncement: “This is the initiative that will finally move the needle.” The unspoken message is softer but clear: “We are not entirely confident in what you are already doing, so here is another system to prove you are doing something.”
Meanwhile, national surveys show educators leading the country in burnout, with roughly 44 to over 50 percent of teachers reporting they feel burned out often or always. That is not “I need a nap.” That is “I just typed ‘jobs where no one sends me rubrics’ into a search bar at midnight” tired.
When more than half of a profession feels that way, the issue is not individual resilience. It is the environment.
Burnout Is Not A Mystery; It Is A Math Problem
Burnout in teaching is not actually mysterious. It is arithmetic.
Start with a 40‑hour week. Add grading, planning, parent communication, meetings, extra duties, and the noble tradition of eating lunch while opening applesauce for six different children. Many teachers report working 50 hours a week or more and still feeling behind. Pile on the tasks that did not exist a decade and a half ago: uploading artifacts, tagging everything to 17 standards, entering data into multiple uncoordinated systems, and meeting to discuss reports generated from data you just spent your Sunday entering.
Gallup and other sources report that educators experience work‑related stress at rates higher than most other professions, with nearly half routinely burned out. When your job has you both physically exhausted and emotionally drained and then politely invites you to a “self‑care PD,” it can feel less like support and more like satire.
The problem is not that teachers forgot how to cope. The problem is that the pile of expectations has outgrown human capacity.
There Is No Teacher Shortage. There Is A “We Lost Their Trust” Problem.
The phrase “teacher shortage” gets tossed around a lot, as if teachers were an endangered species that mysteriously stopped reproducing. The reality is more awkward: many teachers did everything the system asked of them, then quietly left.
Research shows that about 8 percent of teachers leave the profession each year, and another 8 percent transfer to different schools. Around 90 percent of open teaching positions are created not because no one ever became a teacher, but because someone left a job they already had. Two‑thirds of those who leave exit for reasons other than retirement, very often dissatisfaction with working conditions.
So no, there is not exactly a shortage of certified, trained, experienced educators. There are thousands of them in other careers, using their finely honed skills to manage projects, teams, and the occasional difficult coworker who seems suspiciously like that one student from 2014. The system did not run out of teachers. Many teachers ran out of reasons to stay.
Calling it a “shortage” makes it sound like bad luck. Calling it what it is forces us to admit something: the conditions and the trust equation drove people away.
Vendors, Dashboards, And The Myth Of The Data‑Driven Savior
If you want to know what really drives a system, follow the money.
The global K‑12 education software market reached more than 6 billion dollars in 2024, with the top ten vendors hoovering up roughly 42 percent of that. Every platform promises to “personalize learning,” “empower data‑driven decisions,” and “support educators.” Most of them also generate enough dashboards to power a small air traffic control center.
Data itself is not the villain. Good data can help us figure out who needs help and how fast. The problem is that the people who have to collect, upload, and interpret all that data are also trying to teach real children who have real needs, including the need for an adult who is not perpetually frantically clicking through menus. Many tools deliver “actionable insights” that essentially confirm what the teacher already knew, but in more colors and with export options.
Meanwhile, every new program arrives with training sessions, fidelity checklists, and tracking expectations. When every solution comes in a branded box, the subtle message is that teacher‑created strategies are less legitimate than vendor‑produced ones. Classroom innovation starts to look less like “what your students need” and more like “what is pre‑approved and has log‑in credentials.”
The Diplomatic Part: The Trust Gap
Here is the delicate part, stated politely enough that everyone can keep their jobs.
When a system asks teachers to script lessons, stick tightly to publisher language, document every move, and align each activity to a program’s pacing guide, it communicates a quiet belief: “We are not entirely sure your professional judgment is enough on its own.” No one sends an email that blunt, of course. But the daily requirements say it anyway.
To be fair, this mistrust is not always malicious. Administrators are under pressure from districts, who are under pressure from states, who are under pressure from test scores, which are tied to funding, which is tied to whether the school can afford to keep the lights on. Every level looks upward for proof and accountability. Eventually, the only people who cannot look away are the ones actually standing in front of children.
So the trust gap grows. Teachers feel second‑guessed. Administrators feel squeezed. The system keeps trying to fix this with more forms and tools, which is like trying to fix a leaky roof by installing a humidity sensor instead of patching the hole.
Working Inside The System Without Becoming A Robot
For those of us who have stuck around through several waves of reform, the challenge is survival without surrender. The question is not “How do I ignore the system?” because bills exist. The question is “How do I work inside it without turning into a script‑reading robot?”
One survival strategy is to treat curriculum as a resource, not a commandment. Research broadly supports the idea that what really moves learning is a mix of strong content, responsive teaching, and meaningful relationships. So yes, open the teacher guide. Read the lesson. Then quietly ask yourself: “What parts of this make sense for my students, right now, in this room?” The standard is non‑negotiable. The method is not sacred.
Another tactic is to make documentation ride shotgun on things you would do anyway. If you must upload artifacts, design assignments that naturally check several boxes. A project about local communities becomes evidence for writing, social studies, and social‑emotional learning. Students think they are designing posters about neighborhood heroes; the system sees a multi‑standard, initiative‑aligned showcase. Everyone wins, or at least no one loses sleep over extra worksheets.
Building Relationships As A Slightly Subversive Act
There is a running joke that if relationship‑building came in a glossy box with a dashboard and a subscription fee, it would get a lot more PD time. Yet all the research we cite about student success points to relationships as a central factor: when students feel known and valued, they engage more and learn more.
So in practice, building relationships sometimes feels like a quiet act of rebellion. Morning check‑in where students share high and low moments from their week? Officially, this can be logged as an “SEL community‑building circle.” Actually, it is where you learn that Darius is tired because he was up late watching his baby sister, or that Noah is worried about a sick grandparent. A quick conversation about a sketch in the margin of a notebook morphs into “leveraging student interests to increase literacy engagement” if someone needs the phrasing.
The goal is not to game the system. It is to ensure the system’s need for labels does not crush the core of the work. You give the bureaucracy its buzzwords. You give the kids your attention. In that order.
Making Lessons Actually Interesting (While Pretending It Was The Program’s Idea)
Children have a sixth sense for boredom. If you sound like you would rather be anywhere else, they would too.
So when the curriculum says “teach fractions,” you can absolutely do that with pizza orders, sneaker discounts, or game inventory instead of abstract circles that no one cares about. The standard is “understands fractions.” It is not “can recite the exact sample dialogue from page 87.” If the unit is on informational writing about ecosystems, nothing in the standard forbids writing about city pigeons, subway lines, or creating graphs to analyze comparative data about the Knicks and Spurs.
One day, while teaching persuasive writing, the prompt in the book was about zoos. The class stared. Someone asked if they could instead write about why there should be a “no homework on Fridays” rule. The answer, of course, was yes. They still had to use evidence and reasoning. The rubric did not burst into flames. But the engagement skyrocketed, and the student who rarely turned in work handed me a three‑page manifesto.
Miraculously, when students care about what they are doing, the data tends to look better, which leads to more green on the dashboard, which leads to more administrative smiles, which leads to a tiny bit more autonomy. Student interest, it turns out, is an excellent intervention.
Collaborating With Administrators Without Losing Your Soul
Administrators are easy targets, but many of them are just as overwhelmed as teachers, only with more meetings and fancier emails. They are the ones explaining to central office why the chart is not trending upward fast enough. They attend the same initiative launch sessions, just with less opportunity to sneak snacks.
Research on teacher retention makes it clear that supportive school leadership and reasonable working conditions are key factors in whether teachers stay. Which means that administrators are not just enforcing the rules; they are also potentially the ones who can bend them sensibly.
When pitching an idea, speaking administrator can help. Instead of “This program is terrible,” try, “Here is a way I can meet these standards, hit these benchmarks, and also better engage my students. Here is some data and work samples that show it is working. Can I keep doing this version?” You are not rejecting the initiative; you are optimizing implementation. That phrasing plays surprisingly well in meetings.
You protect your soul by staying honest about what students need and smart about how you frame it. You and your principal may actually want the same thing: kids learning and teachers not quitting. The trick is making that visible in a system that loves metrics more than nuance.
Protecting Your Humanity So You Can Actually Stay
Given the burnout statistics, taking care of yourself is not indulgence; it is part of the retention plan.
Self‑preservation can look like leaving some grading for tomorrow, or daring to sit during your planning period instead of volunteering for your fifth extra committee. It can look like deciding that this week’s family newsletter will use the default font. It can look like learning how to say, “I cannot take that on right now and still be effective with my students.”
It also looks like finding your people. Research shows that strong mentoring and collaboration reduce attrition, especially for newer teachers. So if you are a veteran, become the colleague who tells the new teacher, “You are not bad at this; this is just a very heavy job.” Be the one who shares the hard truths and the hack that saves an hour of paperwork.
And if you are the newer teacher, find the person who can laugh in the staff meeting at exactly the wrong moment and somehow still be deeply respected by students. That is usually the teacher who figured out how to be human first and compliant second.
For Leaders And Newcomers: The Deal On The Table
For the leaders, policymakers, and very brave school board members still reading: there is a decision to make.
You can keep layering programs and platforms on top of a stressed‑out workforce and call the resulting vacancies a “shortage.” Or you can work on making teaching a job people can sustainably do for more than eight years without burning out or leaving for something that pays better and requires fewer color‑coded spreadsheets. That means reasonable class sizes when possible, fewer competing initiatives, protected planning time, sane evaluation systems, and genuine teacher voice in decisions.
For those just entering the profession, know this: yes, the system can be absurd. Yes, the paperwork sometimes feels like performance art. And yes, also, kids are still wildly funny, thoughtful, occasionally chaotic, and absolutely worth showing up for. The moments when a student lights up because something finally clicked, or trusts you enough to share what is really going on, are not measurable in a dashboard, but they are why many of us stay.
Some days, it will feel like you are doing your real job in the spaces the system forgot to micromanage. That feeling is not a sign you are failing. It is a sign you care about the right things.
Your Move
No one is riding in on a white horse to fix this for us. What will keep happening is more programs, more platforms, more cleverly branded “solutions” designed far from actual classrooms. That is the weather. We do not control the weather.
What we do control is how we show up in that room with those students. We can choose to let the scripts and screens flatten us into compliance. Or we can learn the rules, meet the standards, and still insist on teaching like a human being to human beings.
Tomorrow, the log‑ins will still be there. The initiatives will still be there. The forms will still be there. But so will the students, waiting for someone to notice them, to challenge them, to laugh with them, to teach them something that matters. The dashboards will not remember you. Your students will.
So, in a system that sometimes feels designed to turn you into an instructional robot, how are you going to quietly, stubbornly, hilariously stay human?
References
Learning Policy Institute. “Teacher Turnover: Why It Matters and What We Can Do About It.” September 24, 2023.
Learning Policy Institute. “Where Have All the Teachers Gone?” Press release, May 11, 2022.
Flip Education. “Teacher Burnout Statistics Worldwide (2026).” March 30, 2026.
Texas Association of School Boards. “Educators Top National Burnout Rate.” August 30, 2022.
Nutmeg Education. “61 Teacher Burnout Statistics Of 2025 (Data & Facts).” February 4, 2025.
Devlin Peck. “Teacher Burnout Statistics: Why Teachers Quit in 2025.” January 2, 2025.
Chalkbeat. “The Teaching Profession Is Facing a Post‑Pandemic Crisis.” June 26, 2023.
NewSchools Venture Fund. “Data Analytics Tools in U.S. K‑12.” October 2, 2014.
Apps Run the World. “Top 10 K‑12 Software Vendors, Market Size and Forecast.” July 23, 2025.
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ABOUT THE ROLE This is a full-time, non-teaching position within the Special Ed Information Management department. The role ensures the timeliness and accuracy of reporting for required Special Education State and Federal compliance reports. The analyst designs and creates management reports to proactively monitor internal performance, productivity, and compliance, and generates ad-hoc reports for the special education department, schools, district staff, and external stakeholders. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Coordinate, analyze, reconcile, and complete monthly student data compliance reporting required by the State of Washington and the Federal government - Ensure accuracy of reported data, compliance with State enrollment reporting standards, and reconciliation of enrollment and billing procedures - Design and create management reports to proactively monitor internal performance, productivity, and compliance using various systems - Generate ad hoc reports for management and respond to audit requests for information - Act as a liaison to school and district staff to ensure district policies and procedures are followed for data accuracy and completeness - Support the central quality control process for special education student data, designing quality assurance methods to identify trends and discrepancies - Use analysis and reporting tools such as Microsoft Excel or SPSS to perform quality assurance on key metrics - Work with State personnel and State Educational Data System (EDS) software programs to monitor changes in compliance reporting - Manage student-level data changes and main data files used for enrollment accounting and reporting - Document and archive processes and data for archival backup and auditing purposes MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Three (3) years of data analysis and reporting, data management, computer/programming, or business experience working with complex business applications and reporting/data analysis tools - Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems, Mathematics, Business Administration, or a similar field - Equivalent work experience may substitute for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis, or an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Criminal Justice fingerprint and background check required - Advanced skills with data analysis, reporting, and presentation tools such as Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, graphing, macros, formulas, linking multiple data sets) - Familiarity with legal requirements related to state and federal reporting for K-12 special education - Knowledge of SPSS statistical software, SQL programming, and data extraction skills are desired - Experience working in a K-12 education environment with Special Education business processes and compliance reporting is preferred SELECTION PROCESS - The first round of application reviews begins on Monday, August 31, 2026 - Evaluation will be based on the application documentation demonstrating the required knowledge, skills, education, and experience HOW TO APPLY - Submit a completed application through the Seattle Public Schools career portal - Ensure all applications are completed in full and reviewed for accuracy before submittal, as errors can result in not meeting minimum qualifications - The position is open until filled EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Job Type: Full-Time (1.0 FTE) - Department: Special Ed Information Management - Job Number: 27567 - Location: John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, WA (Employer Address: 2445 3rd Ave South, Seattle, Washington, 98124-1165) - Opening Date: 08/21/2026 - Closing Date: Continuous - Subject Area: N/A - This is not a teaching position - Employer: Seattle Public Schools
ABOUT THE ROLE The Career Preparation Specialist works under the direction of the Work-Based Learning Manager at Baltimore City Public Schools, in the Office of Secondary Success and Innovation (SS&I), in partnership with the Blueprint Sr. Program Manager. This role is responsible for student support, preparation, and oversight in the implementation of Work-Based Learning (WBL) programming. The specialist builds relationships with school-based staff, students, and parents to ensure students experience and complete high-quality WBL programs, including apprenticeships and internships. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Serve as the primary contact for students and school-based teams to support the logistics of their participation in WBL opportunities. - Work closely with students and school-based teams to vet and match students to relevant WBL opportunities based on their Career Exploration Portfolio. - Monitor and maintain oversight of work experience opportunities for all students enrolled in WBL, Apprenticeship, and Internship courses. - Oversee coordinated strategy with Career Coaches to prepare students for WBL opportunities, including resume and interview prep and career fair workshops. - Maintain all student legal forms and documents in Google Drive and Schoolinks. - Host student and parent engagement events focused on work-based learning awareness. - Collect data and prepare reports for submission to the Office of Secondary Success and Innovation. - Leverage employer networks to plan and execute WBL events, including career fairs, guest speaker engagements, and company tours or job shadows. - Coordinate and collaborate with BCCI Career Coaches and WBL Specialists under the direction of the Work-Based Learning Manager. - Perform other duties as required. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in a relevant field preferred. - Experience: Two years of directly related experience working with young people. - Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be substituted, provided it directly relates to the essential duties and responsibilities. Preference is given to candidates with demonstrated understanding and/or certification in youth development practices. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender backgrounds. - Strong analytical writing and oral communication skills. - Ability to develop and conduct presentations and information sessions. - Understanding of the Apprenticeship Maryland Program and/or Competency-Based Registered Apprenticeship, and the ability to communicate the program to all stakeholders. - Strong data and project management skills. - Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students and school-based teams. - Knowledge of personal computer applications (word processing, spreadsheet, database) in a Google Drive environment. - Note: Grant positions are not eligible for retirement benefits. SELECTION PROCESS - Eligible candidates under final consideration will be required to complete authorization for a Criminal Background Check and/or Fingerprinting, which must be successfully completed. - All selected persons, including current City employees, must complete a mandatory six-month probation. HOW TO APPLY - Apply online via the City of Baltimore careers portal using Job Requisition ID: R0018947. - The application period ends on November 24, 2026. - Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Department of Human Resources directly. Do not attach accommodation requests to the application. EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Department: Mayor's Office of Employment Development / Baltimore City Public Schools (Office of Secondary Success and Innovation) - Work Location: Charles L. Benton, Jr. Building (Hybrid work environment with frequent travel to and between schools required) - Job Type: Full-Time - Position Type: Non-Civil Service (Grant Position) - Equal Opportunity: Baltimore City Government is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and prohibits discrimination on any legally protected basis.
ABOUT THE ROLE This full-time, non-teaching position manages internal Special Education human resource and budget operations. The role provides high-level management support to the Executive Director of Special Education by planning, directing, coordinating, and evaluating operational needs. It involves highly technical, in-depth analysis of complex assignments, including budget development, expenditure monitoring, financial problem resolution, district-wide reporting, legal compliance, labor negotiations, and coordination of state, federal, and grant requirements. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Direct and implement Special Education operation procedures and infrastructure to meet District objectives, Board policies, and grant requirements. - Provide management and analytical support to the Executive Director for department objectives, budget integrity, and position assignments. - Coordinate budget and staffing activities, including position control, staffing adjustments, and spring staffing. - Manage central Special Education budgets and supervise all associated personnel, including hourly staff and contractors. - Produce, analyze, and distribute budget and human resource reports utilizing SAP reporting and audit capabilities. - Interpret legal and contractual documents, providing in-depth analysis based on policies, laws, regulations, and District procedures. - Provide training, leadership, and monitoring to ensure compliance and procedural application across the department. - Develop budgets, proposals, cost analyses, projections, and grant proposals to secure additional funding. - Assign and supervise personnel, establish clear performance expectations, and recommend hires, disciplinary actions, or terminations. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor's degree in financial management, public or business administration, or a closely related field. - Five (5) years of professional budget experience in budget development, cost analysis, interpretation and application of complex fiscal control procedures, reconciliation, auditing, and correcting fiscal control data. - OR any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the work. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Valid Washington State driver's license or evidence of equivalent mobility. - Successful completion of a Criminal Justice fingerprinting and background check. - This is strictly a non-teaching position. SELECTION PROCESS 1. Initial application review begins on Monday, August 31, 2026. 2. Evaluation of education, experience, and alignment with district-wide core competencies, including strategic agility, managing work, directing others, decision quality, integrity, and accountability. 3. Candidates must clearly document their qualifications in the application to be considered for interviews. HOW TO APPLY - Submit a complete application through the Seattle Public Schools official employment portal. - Ensure all materials accurately reflect your education and the required five years of professional budget experience to meet minimum qualifications. - Applications are reviewed on a continuous basis, so early submission is encouraged prior to the first review date. EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Employer: Seattle Public Schools - Department: Special Ed District Services - Job Type: Full-Time (1.0 FTE) - Job Number: 27568 - Work Location: John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, 2445 3rd Ave South, Seattle, Washington, 98124-1165 - Opening Date: 08/21/2026 - Closing Date: Continuous
ABOUT THE ROLE The Iowa Department of Education seeks a talented professional to help ensure all students experience a world-class education. This role provides guidance and support to schools and providers related to federal and state programs, with a specific focus on accreditation compliance and special education accreditation requirements. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Provide guidance and support to schools and providers regarding accreditation compliance with Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 41 - Provide technical assistance for special education accreditation requirements, including annual desk audits and intensive on-site visits - Serve on a team to establish processes and standards for private special education providers to become accredited in Iowa - Participate in Department, Division, and Bureau meetings and assigned work teams - Participate in special education accreditation visits to Iowa districts and schools, supporting procedures outlined in Iowa Code - Maintain working knowledge of state and federal policy and the impact of proposed legislation on overseen programs - Support Department priorities by performing other duties as assigned by the Bureau Chief or Administrative Consultant MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements: 1. Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university and five years of full-time post-graduate work experience in one or a combination of: professional training, teaching, or counseling in education; professional administrative experience in education; professional finance, accounting, or auditing; professional experience in a major technical program area within the Iowa Department of Education; professional data integration, analysis, or statistical analysis; professional communications (public relations, marketing, or journalism); or professional school safety and emergency preparedness. 2. A combination totaling five years of post-graduate education and full-time experience (where 24 semester hours of accredited coursework equals one year of full-time experience). 3. Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree, possession of a valid Iowa Teaching Certificate, and three academic years of teaching and/or administrative experience in PK-12 or a post-secondary institution. 4. Possession of a School Business Official Authorization from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and seven years of full-time professional experience in finance, accounting, or auditing. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Work schedule is 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some nights and weekends required - Occasional in-state and out-of-state travel is required - Must be able to work in complex situations and lead teams as a non-traditional leader with no supervisory authority - State of Iowa participates in E-Verify and complies with federal Right to Work laws SELECTION PROCESS - Initial evaluation will be based on the information provided in the application and any submitted documents - Candidates are encouraged to include detailed information about relevant experience or submit a cover letter and resume in addition to the standard application HOW TO APPLY - Complete and upload all requested materials through the NEOGov online application process - For a copy of the Position Description Questionnaire, contact idoe.hr@iowa.gov EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Employer: State of Iowa, Iowa Department of Education - Location: Grimes State Office Building, 400 E 14th St, Des Moines, Iowa, 50319 - Job Type: Full-time - Job Number: 27-00582 - Closing Date: September 24, 2026, 11:59 PM Central