WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE TEACHING?
Teaching may be the toughest job you'll ever love. This perhaps explains why the teacher turnover rate is at an all-time high nationally and why close to 50% of Colorado teachers are considering leaving the profession, according to a 2024 survey conducted by the Colorado Education Association. Nationally, that number is higher at 55%.
The primary reasons teachers are struggling will sound familiar: burnout, high workloads, curriculum interference, low pay, lack of administrator support, safety concerns, and attacks on the profession.
So if you're feeling discouraged as a teacher, know that you're not alone.
Despite these challenges, many teachers we know still love teaching deep down. That's why educators nationwide have flocked to programs related to sustainable teaching. This grassroots theory was developed in 2017 by teachers in CSUWP and has continued to evolve, especially since the pressures experienced in the profession have ramped up considerably since that time.
Take a look at the definition of sustainable teaching below, and download a copy here. The drop-down menu also includes more resources.
The primary reasons teachers are struggling will sound familiar: burnout, high workloads, curriculum interference, low pay, lack of administrator support, safety concerns, and attacks on the profession.
So if you're feeling discouraged as a teacher, know that you're not alone.
Despite these challenges, many teachers we know still love teaching deep down. That's why educators nationwide have flocked to programs related to sustainable teaching. This grassroots theory was developed in 2017 by teachers in CSUWP and has continued to evolve, especially since the pressures experienced in the profession have ramped up considerably since that time.
Take a look at the definition of sustainable teaching below, and download a copy here. The drop-down menu also includes more resources.
Sustainable teaching is the process of fostering
self-compassion, healing, and renewal in educators
who support the growth and development of students in turn.
Sustainable teaching puts educators first
with the goal of creating an inclusive, collaborative community.
Animated by a commitment to hope, educational justice, and advocacy,
sustainable teaching offers an integrated approach to education
where all participants can thrive.
self-compassion, healing, and renewal in educators
who support the growth and development of students in turn.
Sustainable teaching puts educators first
with the goal of creating an inclusive, collaborative community.
Animated by a commitment to hope, educational justice, and advocacy,
sustainable teaching offers an integrated approach to education
where all participants can thrive.
The behaviors of sustainable teaching include:
- Acknowledging and embracing our own vulnerability
- Recognizing limits and stressors, then setting boundaries so that we can attend to our bodies and maintain our emotional well-being as we work for social change
- Developing a repertoire of mindfulness practices and actually using them to build personal resilience and professional longevity
- Cultivating self-compassion and a gracious mindset toward others
- Creating and protecting space for self-care, play, and joy
- Creating and actively participating in support systems for personal and professional growth
- Uniting as advocates to critique and dismantle inequitable systems, promote equity for all educators and learners, and heed the call toward educational justice
- Building relationships with allies who will advocate on our behalf and help us locate and leverage resources to enable our career longevity
- Modeling for all stakeholders, including our students, how to live and work sustainably
Interested in learning more about sustainable teaching?
- Want some resources to sustain your own practice? Click here.
- Want to hear what teachers are saying about sustainable teaching? Check out these testimonials and brief video interviews.