Moving Toward Teachers’ Positive Persistence: A Complex Systems Approach

• In Event: Systems Thinking From Different Vantage Points: PreK-12

Abstract

This theoretical paper addresses the current crisis of teacher job satisfaction, burnout, and attrition. We argue that change to the teaching profession will only occur when all stakeholders understand complex systems theory for transformation that centers teachers’ positive persistence (TPP) which we conceptualize to encompass personal resilience, compassion satisfaction, professional organizational support, professional relational support, and low levels of burnout. We frame our argument using the teacher costs to caring resilience framework for TPP, Forrester’s (1969) framework for complex systems, and Barton et al. 's (2021) framework for leverage points. Overall, we argue that once these leverage points are better understood by all stakeholders in the system, change that supports TPP on all levels of the system can occur.

Authors

• Sherry Pineau Brown, Colby College

• Tatiana Geron, Harvard University