Almost half of the teachers surveyed say they are considering a new job.

Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) is an online marketplace where teachers share, buy and sell resources, lesson plans, curriculum, and more with other teachers. TpT hosted an online survey of 1,200 PreK through 12th-grade educators between August 19 and 21.

The results revealed that educators are just as unsure as parents and students when it comes to how this school year is going to turn out.

Results from the TpT survey revealed that:

• 32% of respondents said they had low morale; 24% responded that morale was high.
• 38% of teachers said they feel confident they can provide effective instruction to their students under their current district's plan.
• 57% of teachers instructing students face-to-face felt confident they would be successful this year.
• 31% of educators teaching remotely felt confident they would be successful.
• 26% of educators working in a hybrid model reported feeling confident about the school year.
• 47% of all respondents reported that they had debated a job change in the last month.
• 17% said they were considering changing careers completely and trying a new profession. 

A NewSchools Venture Fund Gallup poll also tackled the subject of distance learning and how students, teachers, and parents are feeling about it. They surveyed 2,345 public school parents and 1,088 public school students 3rd through 12th grade and conducted teacher surveys from July 16 to 23 with a random sample of 1,111 PreK through 12th-grade public school teachers.

That poll revealed that students, parents, and teachers have varying expectations of how much information students will learn and retain this year. 

• 56% of teachers said they expected students to learn less this semester.
• 50% of students said they would learn the same amount this semester; 49% of parents agreed. 
• 48% of teachers felt they would be making up for a lot of lost time in the spring semester.
• 54% of students surveyed said they did not think they would need help catching up. 
• Students from low-income backgrounds and Black students were more likely to say they will need support to catch up.
• 90% of teachers felt that there was great value in developing and continuing to use digital learning tools. 

These surveys show that both sides of the table are concerned about how this school year will turn out. Online and hybrid learning is new territory for most, so this is a learning opportunity for everyone. As the school year gets underway, there will be plenty of tears shed by students and teachers, as well as feelings of confusion, frustration, and stress. But, there will also be moments of connection, positivity, innovation, collaboration, deeper understanding, joy, and learning.

What do you think about online learning and teaching? Are you a teacher who has considered a career change? As a student or parent, what are your biggest successes so far with online learning? Sound off in the comments below.