Education Week - October 19, 2022 - 11

Can Teachers 'Quiet Quit?' Educators Talk
About Setting Boundaries at Work
By Elizabeth Heubeck
" Quiet quitting " has been riling
some corners of the business world
lately. But below the surface of the
term and images it may evoke of
burned out-or, depending on your
point of view, entitled-employees,
the actual act of quiet quitting is not
particularly new. Countless employees
from multiple industries have
long chosen to perform the duties
that their job requires-and nothing
more. But, generally speaking, that's
not how teachers work.
Teachers are known for going above
and beyond expectations-giving of
themselves, their time, and even their
own money. It's not unusual for teachers
to skip going to the bathroom or
eating lunch during the school day.
They devote chunks of their evenings
and weekends to lesson planning,
grading, and responding to student
needs and parent inquiries. They also
regularly buy supplies to outfit their
classrooms-in a 2021 member survey
from the Association of American Educators,
around 32 percent of respondents
said they spent between $500
and $700 on out-of-pocket expenses
for their classrooms annually; nearly
9 percent spent $1,000 or more.
" Look at how much teachers spend
out of their pocket, " said Colin Sharkey,
executive director of of the association.
" They do the same thing with
their heart. "
But the longevity and fairness of
teachers' commitment-at-all-costs attitude
has come into question. Teachers'
job satisfaction levels have plummeted
to all-time lows, according to
the Merrimack College Teacher Survey
conducted earlier this year by the
EdWeek Research Center. The same
survey found that 44 percent of teachers
said they're likely to quit and find a
different job within the next two years.
So far, a mass exodus of teachers
has not materialized, even as individual
schools and districts have had
to deal with high turnover and staff
shortages. In a nationwide EdWeek
Research Center survey from July 27
through Aug. 8, district and school
leaders reported that a median of 7
percent of teachers had resigned or
retired within the past year. But just
because teachers haven't officially
quit doesn't mean they are satisfied or
might not be looking for ways to manage
their work-related stress.
" I think it's still coming, " Sharkey
said, referring to an uptick in teacher
resignations. " If you're exhausting the
people who are staying, you're just
buying some time. "
The " quiet quitting " trend-made
viral this summer by TikTok videos
with tips on how to keep your job from
taking over your life-has gotten tons
of attention across industries, especially
as labor markets continue to
challenge employers. In schools-especially
those with unionized teach "
Quiet
quitting
is what some
managers choose
to call employees
setting healthy
boundaries in their
workplace ... The
truth is, employees
are starting to set
and protect their
boundaries at work
around work-life
balance and how
they want to be
treated at work.
That's all.
ELENA STEFANOPOL
Global recruiter
Forbes.com
it's often still with her. " It's hard to shut
off work when I leave, " Saum said.
But recently, when she had too few
paraeducators for students in her
classroom, she recognized that she
needed to speak up. Her classroom
consists of students from various
grades who leave the room at different
times throughout the day-and
require adult supervision.
" I simply did not have the staff to
get all my students where they needed
to go, " Saum said.
The solution proved to be a matter
of asking colleagues to help with the
logistical challenges she was facing.
But Saum-like so many teachers-
wasn't accustomed to asking for help.
" It took me admitting: I can't do
this. I'm overwhelmed, " said Saum.
" It's hard to say that. As educators, we
don't want to admit when we can't. "
Saum acknowledges the role of imers-quiet
quitting may sound a lot
like the " work to rule " concept when
employees stick to official working
rules and hours exactly to the letter.
Education Week talked to some educators
about job-related frustrations
that could lead to negative behaviors
associated with quiet quitting, as well
as practical solutions that include
boundary setting, proactive communication
aimed at problem-solving,
and a deliberate emphasis on building
a positive work culture.
Setting boundaries
Michelle C. Faust is a literacy coach
at Carolina Springs Elementary in Lexington,
S.C., a transition she made this
year after spending over a dozen years
as a classroom teacher. When she hears
the term " quiet quitting, " Faust says
she immediately thinks about setting
boundaries-a need she saw escalate
during the pandemic.
" Everything was an emergency: a
phone call about quarantining, coming
up with emergency plans, " Faust
said. " There was such a heightened
sense of urgency. "
Adding to the intensity of the situation
was a near-constant barrage of
emails from parents, whom Faust says
often expected immediate responses-
despite frequent lack of reciprocation
when she sent messages home. Faust
recalls one such email that forced her
to set some boundaries.
She had taken a personal day for a
doctor's appointment when a parent
emailed her at 5 a.m. requesting a
meeting to discuss a conflict between
her child and another student. " Finally
I was like: No, I don't need to answer
this email immediately, " Faust
said. She then instituted a " 24-hour
rule " in which she'd give herself that
amount of time to respond to parents'
emails that were not urgent.
And rather than respond to parent
emails about issues such as changes to
student transportation and early dismissals,
she began reminding parents
to follow school protocols and contact
the main office with those messages.
The self-imposed boundary-setting
that Faust describes has been labeled
a hallmark of quiet quitting, although
some HR professionals see it simply
as common sense behavior.
" Quiet quitting is what some managers
choose to call employees setting
healthy boundaries in their workplace
... The truth is, employees are starting
to set and protect their boundaries at
work around work-life balance and
how they want to be treated at work.
That's all, " wrote global recruiter
Elena Stefanopol in Forbes.com.
Boundary-setting notwithstanding,
Faust eventually began looking
for an opportunity outside of classroom
teaching that would allow her
to grow professionally and continue
to make a positive impact on students.
Now, as a literacy coach, she partners
with teachers, sharing best practices
and acting as what she describes as a
" think " partner.
Acknowledging a need for help
For countless teachers like Jessica
Saum, it's hard to imagine working
strictly within designated hours-behavior
associated with quiet quitting.
" Change isn't just made between 7:50
a.m. and 3 in the afternoon, " said Saum,
an special education teacher at Stagecoach
Elementary School in Cabot, Ark.
Saum accepts that getting to her
classroom earlier than when the school
day officially begins and staying later
to wrap things up and prepare for the
next day is part of her job. Even when
she's not physically present at her job,
proved communication in solving the
problem. " A lot of times, our administrators
are willing and want to help us,
but they don't know what we need, "
she said. " So much of it feels like a
breakdown in communication. "
Building a positive work culture
from the top
Teachers finding the courage to ask
for help is one thing; administrators
hearing them is another. It's something
that Drew Eichelberger, superintendent
of Bethany Public Schools in Bethany,
Okla., says he makes a priority.
" We practice listening until there
is dead silence, " he said of his leadership
team. " So a teacher or parent
might come in with a concern. We listen,
take notes, do whatever we can to
make the person feel heard. If there is
a reason why we have to do what we
do, we tell them. If it is something we
can change, we change it. "
Eichelberger describes this as part
of the culture he strives to instill in the
leadership throughout his district.
" When I hire, I am looking for people
who believe in the importance of
building relationships with students,
teachers, staff, parents, and community, "
he said.
It starts with seemingly small actions
that leave big impressions.
For instance, each of the district's
principals stands in front of their respective
schools every morning to
greet students and staff with a smile,
a knuckle bump, and some type of affirmation:
I like your hair, nice shoes,
thanks for being here, great job in the
game last night, etc.
Eichelberger credits his emphasis
on relationship building for the high
retention rate among his staff, which
he says typically runs between 95 percent
and 97 percent.
Said Eichelberger: " People will run
through brick walls for people they
believe care for them, have their best
interests at heart, will listen and will
go to bat for them. "
EDUCATION WEEK | October 19, 2022 | www.edweek.org | 11
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Education Week - October 19, 2022

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