When "What’s Best for Kids" Ignores the Adults Who Teach Them

In education, we often hear the phrase, “Do what’s best for kids.” It’s a powerful statement. It's one that reminds us to center our work on student success. But too often, this phrase becomes the rationale for decisions that overlook, diminish, or even dismiss the needs of school staff. Sometimes it’s used intentionally to silence concerns or avoid accountability. Other times, it’s unintentional - a mindset so deeply ingrained that we fail to realize how it shapes our actions.

Either way, the impact is clear: when staff well-being is sidelined, students suffer too. Teachers, aides, counselors, and support staff are not separate from the student experience. They are the student experience. This piece calls for a shift in perspective, not to downplay the needs of students, but to recognize that supporting students requires us to care for the adults who serve them every day.

The Hidden Cost of a Student-Only Focus

Prioritizing students may sound like the obvious choice, but when that priority overshadows the needs of staff, schools begin to fracture. We see it in rising stress, in lower morale, and in classrooms where experienced educators can no longer stay.

Recent data highlights this troubling trend. A 2024 RAND survey reported that 44% of K–12 teachers in the U.S. feel burned out “often” or “always.” Burnout is not just about being tired—it’s the depletion of emotional and mental reserves needed to teach, lead, and care. High-need schools are seeing attrition rates as high as 29% in a single year. Even in districts with more stability, national annual turnover averages around 8%, with spikes in hard-to-staff areas. These numbers reflect more than staffing issues. They reflect broken systems.

As staff leave, students face a revolving door of substitutes or early-career educators who are thrown into unstable conditions. Learning lacks continuity, relationships falter, and culture suffers. Educators are not just leaving for better pay. They’re leaving because their work is increasingly unsustainable. Heavy workloads, limited mental health resources, pressure to maintain test scores, and shrinking time for planning or collaboration create a perfect storm. And when that storm hits, it doesn’t just impact adults. It disrupts the entire learning experience for students.

When Staff Thrive, Students Succeed

The link between staff wellness and student outcomes isn’t speculative. It’s well-established through years of research and lived experience. Educators who feel supported, respected, and resourced are more likely to bring creativity, energy, and stability to their classrooms. They’re more present, more patient, and more capable of creating environments where students feel seen and safe.

When morale is high, classroom management improves, student engagement increases, and the social-emotional learning we value is more effectively modeled. Students learn not only academic content, but how to regulate emotions, build relationships, and navigate challenges. All this is because the adults around them are equipped to do the same.

Academic growth also benefits. Schools with lower teacher turnover tend to see higher student achievement, particularly in schools serving vulnerable populations. Stability in staffing builds trust with families, deepens instructional consistency, and fosters a shared investment in learning. Even student behavior improves, not because of harsher discipline, but because trusted adults provide consistent expectations and empathetic support.

Supporting staff should not be viewed as a side benefit. It is foundational. When we take care of the adults, we’re creating conditions where kids can truly thrive.

Why Staff Needs Cannot Be an Afterthought

To ignore the needs of staff is more than being shortsighted, it’s damaging. Educators today are navigating increased complexity with fewer supports than ever. When we ask more of them while giving them less, we set them - and our students - up for failure.

Burnout doesn’t stay behind closed doors. It shows up in classrooms as absenteeism, reduced emotional bandwidth, and growing frustration. Staff who are stretched too thin take more sick days or mental health leave, leading to more instability for students. Morale dips, and with it, the motivation to innovate or go the extra mile. And as experienced educators exit the profession, schools lose not only knowledge and skill, but the very relationships that keep students grounded.

When we ignore staff wellness, we lose the anchors of our classrooms - those who bring consistency, culture, and care to the work each day. The result is a school that feels unstable, where students sense the tension, even if they can’t name it.

Practical Solutions for Balanced Care

The good news is that schools don’t have to choose between staff and students. A balanced approach is not only possible, it’s necessary. By designing systems that center both groups, we create school cultures that are healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable.

Whole-school models like professional learning communities, trauma-informed practices, and social-emotional learning for both adults and students create a foundation of shared responsibility. When staff have space to learn, reflect, and collaborate, they are better prepared to meet the complex needs of their students.

Support must also be practical. This means respecting workload limits, protecting planning time, providing access to mental health resources, and offering regular opportunities for staff to recharge both individually and collectively. Whether it’s through wellness events, reflective circles, or simply honoring professional boundaries, these supports matter.

Integrated initiatives also go a long way. Programs that simultaneously benefit staff and students - like joint SEL training or schoolwide community-building events - create alignment and foster a sense of “we’re in this together.”

Investing in the Long Game

Long-term success in education doesn’t come from quick fixes or slogans. It comes from cultivating ecosystems where people, and not just policies, are the priority.

Schools that invest in staff well-being see stronger retention, better climate, and deeper student impact. Teachers stay longer, relationships grow richer, and learning becomes more meaningful. When staff feel valued, they bring their full selves to the work. And because of that, students benefit in every measurable and immeasurable way.

This is where leadership comes in. Administrators and policymakers have the power, and the responsibility, to shift the narrative. “What’s best for kids” should never be used to silence or sacrifice the very people making that success possible. Instead, we must ask: What’s best for the whole school community?

Because when we do what’s best for everyone, that’s when schools become places where both children and adults can flourish.