Falia Justima teaches entrepreneurship education at Immokalee High School in Florida’s Collier County Public Schools.
Since March 2020, K-12 educators like me have weathered a variety of upheavals — from remote instruction and hybrid classrooms to tackling students’ unmet needs, both academic and social-emotional.
It’s no wonder teachers are struggling to find joy these days, which is impacting teacher turnover. As bad as that is for teachers, it’s even worse for students: Researchers have found teacher turnover negatively impacts student performance, which disproportionately impacts students at low-performing schools.
This is no small matter. Getting kids excited about learning starts with the idea of joy, and joy starts with teachers.
