Teacher burnout is a reality. Although most teachers will momentarily question their fit for the profession, leaving the classroom doesn't have to be the outcome. Rather than wait for teachers to express or exhibit signs of professional fatigue, educational systems can take steps as early as the recruitment and hiring process to prevent burnout from taking hold. Group hires—hiring two or more preservice teachers into their induction year at the same school and perhaps even the same grade level—can be an effective tool in the battle against burnout.
As a teacher educator and supervisor of preservice teachers in their fieldwork placements, I have helped facilitate group hires for some of my graduates. For these hires to take place, I let the preservice teachers know about the potential of a group hire and advocated for them with hiring administrators. In these cases, graduating preservice teachers sought out positions at the same school and were hired together to teach at the same grade level. I have followed the teachers from two group hire situations during their early years and feel this beneficial path warrants more exploration. By being hired as a group, these new teachers had better built-in supports to reinforce the research-based practices and resources introduced during their teacher education programs. As a cohort of new hires, they were better set up to apply this knowledge and these skills to their new positions in Title I schools.
Start with Group Student Teaching Placements
Before their group hire and induction year, the preservice teachers were in group placements during their student teaching semester. Five to seven preservice teachers were placed at the same school for their fieldwork. Although the preservice teachers did not necessarily know each other as more than college classmates, they transitioned to professional colleagues during this experience. They celebrated their educational accomplishments and would commiserate with and encourage each other when frustrations arose, all with a shared contextual knowledge borne of a common preparation and training background. A case study of a group placement of preservice teachers in the 4th grade at the same school found that themes of support emerged, including camaraderie over the shared goals of building relationships with students, understanding the content and curriculum, and knowledge of themselves (Baker, 2017). This support system became so important to two of the preservice teachers that they adapted their postgraduation plans and relocated so that they could enter the profession together on another same grade-level team.
What It Takes from the System
A group hire takes collaboration among the teacher education program, the cooperating clinical schools where fieldwork takes place, and the hiring administrators. First, a teacher education program should seek partnership school sites that will place preservice teachers in a group to explore their professional relationships early. A teacher education program and school site may choose to set the stage with professional development offerings and meetings between the teacher educators and clinical partners to ensure best practices and a shared vision for the preservice teacher preparation (Mojica & Friel, 2015). Then, preservice teachers need to seek out schools with multiple position openings and advocate for group hires, and they must be able to educate those hiring about the benefits of a group hire.
Although preservice teachers will still require mentorship from veteran teachers and must consider others' ideas outside of their group, a group hire may be a valuable burnout prevention tool because it provides a built-in support network of individuals with shared goals and experiences. When new teachers are placed within a familiar network of colleagues acquainted with their teaching style and needs, new teachers may be more willing to take productive risks and tackle ambitious pedagogy. A group setting may also help new teachers seek support and renewal earlier rather than later, before burnout has a chance to sink in.
Teacher education programs must not paint an overly glossy picture of the profession devoid of its needs and complications, but they must also not induce a debilitating fear of burnout before preservice teachers even embark on their induction year. Structuring preservice teacher education and clinical partnerships around the opportunities for group hires may encourage lifelong educators.