Principals Are Expected To Be The ‘Rock’ Of Schools, But They’re Stressed Out
No single incident led Kristen Craft to leave education after a nearly 30-year-career. It was a combination of the pandemic, a polarizing political climate and a public backlash against educators, she said.
Craft fielded complaints about masks and critical race theory, some of which escalated to full-on threats, all while working nonstop, she said. Before long, the veteran administrator, named Kansas High School Principal of the Year in 2021, felt burned out. Just as teachers and children have felt high amounts of stress during the pandemic, so have principals, as they dealt with the mental health of students and faculty, staffing shortages and shifts in teaching methods. All the while, they faced growing hostility from some policymakers and members of the public.
“People have become m...