Summary
In this episode of Reclaim the Room, Ridley discusses the pressing issues surrounding student behavior problems and the impact on teachers, highlighting the distinction between burnout and secondary traumatic stress. The conversation delves into the challenges educators face, the inadequacy of proposed solutions, and practical strategies for teacher support. Ridley emphasizes the need for systemic change while offering actionable steps for teachers to protect their well-being.

Long, C. (2025, August 8). The survey says: ‘We’re at a crisis point’. NEA Today. National Education Association. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/survey-says-were-crisis-poi

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Takeaways
We're stepping into conversations about what's showing up in the news.
These problems have reached a national crisis point.
Teachers report losing instructional time.
An outburst fractures the rest of the period.
Burnout reflects a workload depletion.
Secondary traumatic stress is often mislabeled as burnout.
Teachers need support, not just to manage students.
We routinely expect teachers to be responsible for parent engagement as well.
Teachers and paraprofessionals are absorbing abuse, stress, and trauma.
None of this replaces systemic change.