PhoPictured: 2026 Sarasota County Teacher of the Year Andy Harshman working with students in his classroom. Teachers support their students in many ways that go beyond academics. Provided photo.

Ask any parent what makes a great school year, and the answer, more often than not, comes down to one thing: a teacher who is present, patient, and engaged. What we don't always ask is what it takes for that teacher to arrive each morning ready to give that kind of presence, day after day.

That question is at the heart of a new episode of Education Conversations, the Foundation's podcast, releasing this month. In "How Humans Show Up in the Classroom," I sit down with sisters Dr. Stacie Herrera and Sandi Herrera, co-founders of HumanizEDU. Stacie is a licensed school psychologist, and Sandi is a culture-transformation coach. Both have spent their careers working with schools and leaders, and they share an important belief: we cannot separate student well-being from educator well-being. When adults in a classroom are stressed, depleted, or dysregulated, students feel it, often before they can name what they are sensing.

And the research backs that up. RAND's 2026 national survey of public school teachers found that 55% reported frequent job-related stress, compared with 34% of similar working adults. A systematic review of 14 studies and more than 50,000 students found evidence linking teacher burnout with poorer academic performance and lower-quality student motivation. One study found higher cortisol levels, a biological marker of stress, among students whose teachers reported greater burnout. Stress doesn't stay contained in the adult carrying it. It can move through the room.

Think about what we ask of a teacher in a single school day: teach the lesson, manage the classroom, notice the student who has gone quiet, respond to the one acting out, communicate with families, and remain patient and present through it all. That emotional load is real. We understand this in other helping professions. Hospitals build in shift changes and debriefing because people who absorb the stress and crisis of others need ways to recover. Educators do, too. Caring deeply for other people's children is meaningful work, but it can take a toll, even on those who love what they do.

What struck me most in our conversation was Sandi's reminder that burnout is not something an individual teacher can simply self-care their way out of. Individual wellness practices matter, but they cannot compensate for a workplace culture that continually depletes people. Lasting change requires attention to trust, autonomy, leadership, and the conditions in which educators do their jobs. If we want teachers to bring their best to students, we have to create environments where they can do their best work sustainably.

That's why the Foundation is proud to introduce School Staff Well-Being Grants this school year, in partnership with Sarasota County Schools. Principals at ten schools will receive funds to invest in school-based strategies that strengthen staff culture, morale, and retention. Resource options included HumanizEDU's "From Burnout to Bliss" program and workshops from Resilient Retreat focused on compassion fatigue, stress regulation, and self-care.

The Foundation does not have all the answers, nor should we. Our role is to listen to educators, identify promising approaches, bring the right partners together, and put resources behind ideas that can make a difference. Here, that means helping schools support the adults who support our students every day.

This is not only a school-level issue. It is a community one. Our public schools, and the educators inside them, are among Sarasota County's most valuable assets. When we invest in the well-being of the adults who shape our children's days, we strengthen the conditions for students to learn, grow, and thrive.

We talk often about what students need to thrive. We should ask the same question about the adults standing in front of them every day. Supporting educators isn't separate from supporting students. It's part of the same work. I hope you'll listen to this month's episode of Education Conversations and, more importantly, ask an educator in your life what helps them show up at their best. Their answers are worth hearing.

Jennifer Vigne is President and CEO of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and host of the podcast Education Conversations.

PhoPictured: 2026 Sarasota County Teacher of the Year Andy Harshman working with students in his classroom. Teachers support their students in many ways that go beyond academics. Provided photo.