Is there a Teacher Identity Crisis in Today’s Classroom?

A look at the connection between teacher identity, efficacy, and mental health in today’s classroom.

In this article I share with you what I believe is the meaning behind teacher identity, its connection to self efficacy, and how teachers can overcome any crisis that comes to their mental health.

Teacher identity: is a set of beliefs, values, and commitments that an individual connects towards being a teacher.

Self efficacy: is a set of beliefs in one’s own behaviors and ability to perform well and achieve desired goals.

Teacher identity and self efficacy are very much interconnected and here’s why.

I did my my final thesis for my master’s on this very topic, so go with me on this, as I’ve thought it through…

Why Teacher Identity Matters

With the establishments of schools, teachers took on what we call an ‘assigned identity’, that is an identity that others assigned to them.

Teachers were ‘assigned’ the role of an authoritarian figure in the classroom through which all knowledge was gained.

Not bad, eh?

This in turn, meant that teacher self-efficacy was high since students depended solely on the teacher for knowledge.

Teachers did not feel the need to ‘claim’ an identity, or in other words, establish themselves in the classroom as a trusted source of knowledge since they enjoyed full autonomy in the classroom.

Cool.

Crises in Teacher Identity

However, as schools become more established and educational pedagogy began to evolve to allow for more student autonomy in the classroom, the role of teachers began to move away from the authoritarian figure, towards a more libertarian figure for learning.

This inevitably began to create crises among teachers as they began to recognize that their ‘assigned’ identity no longer meant that they had the autonomy they once took for granted in the classroom.

Teachers now worked to ‘claim’ their identity in the classroom, in order to remain a trusted source of knowledge.

Teacher Identity and Technology

In recent years, technology, and by that I mean the Internet, has become in the eyes of students, the most trusted source for learning.

So in essence, teachers are competing with the Internet in front of students as valued sources of knowledge.

Flipped classrooms, online educational tools, and now AI technology have forced yet another reinvention of teacher identity, as AI sources such as ChatGPT, may make it seem like the need for teachers is becoming obsolete.

What then does this mean for teacher identity and mental health?

Teacher Identity and Mental Health

Research into the effects on the mental health of teachers in changing classroom dynamics, has seen growing interest in helping teachers at any stage in their careers, with formulating an understanding as to the new roles teachers are expected to take on in today’s classroom.

Teachers who experience high levels of stress can dramatically affect the learning of students in the classroom.

Therefore, in looking to rationalize the research behind the growing numbers of teachers leaving the profession, the concept of mental health became an emerging field of interest.

Different people may define well-being differently; however generally speaking, well-being can be representative of a positive sense of self when our cognitive, emotional, social and physical needs are being met.

In defining mental health and well-being in ministry wide policies, the definition speaks to the mental health, well-being, and self-efficacy of teachers.

Therefore, if teachers’ needs are not being met, their self-efficacy begins to suffer.

Challenges To Teacher Identity

Teachers may find certain challenges with teaching in today’s classroom, which may become a source of stress, whereby impacting on their mental health.

Therefore, surrounding those teachers who manage to stay in the teaching field through their own resiliency, a question that remains is:

What strategies may help with teaching in today’s classroom?

Ready?

I. Educational Policy Reform

The challenges of implementing new and rapidly changing policies regarding technology and teaching very often is overwhelming for both first year teachers and veteran teachers alike.

Teaching in today’s world of ChatGPT, as any teacher will tell you, is a whole different ball game when compared to traditional teaching methods in the classroom.

Solution: Flexibility With Teaching Strategies

When teachers are allowed flexibility in their own classrooms they can then reclaim their identities as being in control.

They can offer new teaching strategies that may allow for students to become more active members in this new AI driven learning environment that is today’s classroom.

II. Offering Technical Support To Students

As any teacher who has taught using online tools knows, the struggle with having to navigate teaching while trouble shooting any technical errors students may have with using technology at various times is very real.

Solution: Keep Calm — The Show Must Go On!

Okay not the show, but the lesson, must and will go on, until it’s time to end the class.

It’s important for teachers to remain calm and to know that eventually it does get easier with each lesson.

Why? Because as teachers you can spot the ones who need help faster, and can assume their problems never change.

Or you can assign them to those in the classroom who can help you…even if it means bribing those students with extra marks.

Now I don’t condone bribing…but extra marks for kindness never hurts.

III. Differentiating in The Classroom

Differentiating in the classroom means having extra activities that more advanced students could find on their own that allow them to move at different paces with their learning.

When having students work with online tools in the classroom, teachers may struggle with helping students at different levels, especially those in the primary stages, adjust to this new style of learning.

Solution: Tasks With Specialized Activities

By allowing more independent students who are well versed in technology complete more advanced tasks on their own, teachers may provide these students the means to remain engaged with their learning.

Conversely teachers may put students at different levels together and encourage more advanced students to support the others with their learning as a means to strengthening their own abilities and identities.

Support For Teacher Identity In Education

When administration recognizes and acknowledges the benefits to mental health and identity by allowing for flexibility in the classroom, teachers may benefit by passing on this knowledge to their students who are mindful of all the benefits to a healthy environment.

By working in collaboration with administration, parents, and students, teachers can then work to allow for healthy students, with healthy minds, that believe in themselves enough to be proud of who they are, where they came from, and where they will hope to see themselves in the future.

Teacher Identity in the Online Classroom (Video)

If you were teaching in 2020, then you know that teaching online presented many challenges.

How then have these challenges impacted on teacher identity?

Watch my video to see how teachers can work to establish (or claim) an identity that will benefit them and the students they teach in the online classroom.

A Final Note:

My suggestions are meant to be a means of support as to how teachers can cope with teaching in today’s classroom.

I recommend teachers stay in constant communication with their school administration for all the up-to-date changes to their school policies involving teaching in today’s classroom.

If you enjoyed this article, here are a look at my other teacher related articles that help to support teacher identity and efficacy in the classroom.