Fostering Teacher Vitality Through Student Care: A Mixed Methods Study of The Demoralized Teacher

This mixed methods research study on teacher demoralization works to conceptualize the school as a site of care, teachers as providers, and obstructing forces in the performance of that care as the problem. It lays bare the fact that if teachers feel that in order to do their assigned job they are being asked to work against their sense of morality, or if they feel significantly blocked from enacting their moral goals, then there may be issues not just with how we are treating teachers but how we are teaching students. Ultimately finding that rather than understanding teacher exhaustion as able to be remedied by additional resources, coping mechanisms, or professional development, combatting demoralization calls for a reimagining of school values and roles