Massachusetts Teachers Bring Passion and Commitment to Their Challenging Work

Nearly every Massachusetts teacher (99%) agrees that teaching is more than a profession; it is how they make a difference in the world. This sentiment is reflected in their reasons for becoming a teacher, which include the following:

• To make a difference in children’s lives (86%)
• To share their love of learning and teaching with others (76%)
• To experience and be a part of those “aha” moments when things “click” for a student (68%)
• To help students reach their full potential (68%)

Far fewer Massachusetts teachers say they chose their career for reasons unrelated to students or the love of learning—for example, to have summers off (14%).

Nearly all Massachusetts teachers (99%) see their roles extending beyond academics to include things like reinforcing good citizenship, building resilience and developing social skills.

Still, Massachusetts teachers acknowledge many challenges in their profession.

• Constantly changing demands on both teachers and students is far and away the challenge most cited by Massachusetts teachers (77%).
• From there, Massachusetts teachers most often report lack of time to collaborate with colleagues (60%), a need for more parent-teacher collaboration (34%), too-large class sizes (33%) and lack of supportive in-school leadership (32%) as significant challenges.

Complex classroom dynamics also add to the challenges in Massachusetts’s classrooms, and teachers are working with students of varied learning levels and characteristics.

• 99% of Massachusetts teachers have at least one student in their classroom who needs assistance or intervention for social, emotional or behavioral challenges.
• 80% of Massachusetts teachers have special education students in their classroom.
• 66% of Massachusetts teachers work in classrooms with student reading levels that span four or more grades.
• 63% of Massachusetts teachers have students in their classroom who are working two or more grades below grade level.
• 53% of Massachusetts teachers have English Language Learners in their classroom.
• 44% of Massachusetts teachers have students in their classroom who are gifted or who are working significantly above grade level.

Notably, 90% of Massachusetts teachers agree that the rewards of teaching outweigh the challenges. Further, the majority of Massachusetts teachers feel gratified by their careers, with a full 92% saying they are either satisfied (48%) or very satisfied (44%) in their profession.

National data reveal teachers overall are more likely to say they are very satisfied in their jobs when they feel the voices of teachers like them are heard. In Massachusetts, a strong majority of teachers (66%) feel their voices are heard in the schools where they teach. That perception changes, however, the further away teachers get from their school. Far fewer Massachusetts teachers feel heard at the district level (32%), and fewer still at either the state or national level (5%). This pattern is consistent across all states. The Primary Sources study is one part of the solution to this challenge as it widely shares the views of teachers in Massachusetts on the most pressing issues facing education today.