“Teachers in Illinois have taken on the herculean task of renovating entire school systems while being prepared on short notice to pivot should the pandemic present the need for a new adaptation.”
COVID-19 has exacerbated several challenges for teachers, some of which predated the pandemic. Teachers had to adapt to the rapid shift from in-person school to virtual instruction, while juggling pressing concerns about the well-being of their students, families, and communities and worries of decreases in funding and support. Teachers have faced a myriad of challenges that few other professions have experienced. Illinois and other states have struggled with teacher vacancies prior to COVID-19, but the personal and professional struggles of the pandemic have led many more educators to consider leaving the industry.
