I prefer the great liberation: A redefining moment in education

“The great resignation” is being talked about everywhere! You’ve heard about it. Perhaps you’re a member! If you have a job, had a job, or never want a job again read on for a liberating point of view. 

The common characteristics of those who have joined the great resignation are described as feeling burnt out and fed up with poor working conditions, demanding bosses, and inflexible work schedules. Instead of sustaining the misery people are “quitting” in droves. Just check out #greatresignation on TikTok and you’ll find that the hashtag has over 110 million views! You can watch people telling their bosses that they’re quitting, people are talking about how they felt expendable, but even more pertinent people talking about how because of the pandemic their values have been realigned for a higher quality of life. Members of the great resignation talk about choosing remote work only so that they can walk their dogs over lunch, so they don’t have to commute for hours every day, so that they can have dinner with loved ones, read a book, or pursue creative projects. What I hear when I listen to these stories is not that people are quitting, instead I hear people reprioritizing their time and liberating themselves from a 1950s mentality that work is the means to be able to have free time. People are not asking how they can have a work and life balance. People are redefining what work means and in some cases getting rid of the word altogether. 

Members of the great resignation are instigators of the great liberation.

Instead of a bunch of quitters I see a bunch of visionaries who know the way they earn an income could be in closer alignment with their values, with their self-image, and with their true priorities in life. These visionaries are helping to redefine societal values and in time, humanity defining systems like education.

The great liberation is impacting all sectors of the workforce. Restaurants in our local area are no longer open seven or even five days a week because there are not enough people who want to return to the service industries. People are starting their own businesses, are joining the gig work force, and are de-emphasizing their consumerism so they don’t need as much money to live a fulfilled life — the same can be said for educators in K-12 public schools. 

The Great Liberation’s Impact K-12 Education

Even if you’re not in education you’ve likely heard that the great resignation is impacting education as well. I can confirm that it is, and it will continue to until we embrace “quitting” teachers as partners in re-envisioning education. 

Teachers have been overworked, underpaid, and under-respected for decades. 

I’m using the title teachers liberally here because there are many school administrators, instructional aides, and other specialists who are also in the same position. Add the long-term stressors of being overworked, underpaid, and under-respected to the challenges that have emerged because of the pandemic including disgruntled parents, lack of safe working conditions, and the malaise of not being able to do enough to help the children in their classrooms. Because of these reasons and many more, teachers are quitting and not enough people are choosing education as a profession. There are not enough substitute teachers so the national guard was just called in to help in New Mexico. If you think it’s bad now, it is only getting worse. Behind closed doors, over zoom and google team meetings, over wine Wednesday meet-ups teachers are planning on liberating themselves at the end of this school year.  Maybe it’s too late but I’m an optimist and I’m choosing to be hopeful in this moment. I’m choosing to see this moment as a huge wake up call for education leaders to call in your teachers who are planning to not return at the end of this year or who are planning on retiring early to ask them not to stay, but what would you change about the current system to make you want to be a teacher again. We have the chance to practice intersectional visioning with community groups, social service providers, and day-care centers.

I don’t have the answers but I do have a lot (!) of questions that could be included in exit interviews, focus groups, or town hall meetings. Let’s work together to avoid a mass resignation in education and instead redefine this moment as the mass liberation of educators, students and the K-12 education system itself. I know this is a bold call to action for a little blog but there is a sense of urgency for action before fall 2022.

Subscribe to my newsletter below to be sure to not miss out on the next blog post which will detail these prompting questions that can be used by school administrators, teacher leaders, policymakers, and even journalists! Where’s Oprah? I think we’re gonna need a stellar 60 minutes piece on this one.