A Texas teacher was placed on administrative leave amid an investigation after she was caught in a viral social media video stating that her junior high school students “utter morons.”
In the audio of the video obtained by KHOU the unidentified first-year Harry Wright Junior High School teacher recently voiced her frustration to students about her job. A reporter at the station posted a snippet of the recording on Twitter on Wednesday.
The incident was met with both backlash and some compassion, according to the report, as teachers are grappling with burnout as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Lamar Consolidated Independent School District did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
A recent study found new teachers in Texas are leaving the job after their first year at an alarming rate. It’s an issue education leaders say is adding to staff shortages districts are already facing from the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, we’re seeing a lot of burnout in teachers in their first year of teaching,” said Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers.
The 2020-2021 Texas Teacher Workforce Report found almost 50% of teachers quit after their very first year.
Source: Business Insider KHOU-11