NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — As schools continue to endure challenges in educating students, some schools say teachers in particular are experiencing exhaustion in balancing so many changes tied to the reopening of schools.
2 On Your Side heard from some teachers unions Friday about their struggles and what's being done to help teachers avoid burning out.
"Stress is something that is really getting to teachers. We have our worries for our own membership," said Dan Weiss, the president of the Niagara Falls Teachers Union, who is also a husband and a father.
"I have two children of my own in grade school, my wife is a teacher as well, so when you've got four people on a computer, two trying to teach, two trying to learn it obviously presents its challenges," he said.
Weiss says challenges related to remote and hybrid learning -- from scheduling conflicts to technology issues are piling up for teachers -- taking an emotional toll.
This is a sentiment also being felt in Sweet Home Schools.
The state teachers union says teacher drain is a concern across the state. The union also has a full-time social service specialist on staff who is a crisis therapist for members, who need to talk with someone about any range of issues that is causing stress.
To help teachers out, the NYSUT is holding seminars to educate teachers on how to avoid burnout.
At YMCA branches across Erie County, virtual learning support centers have been offered throughout the pandemic.
Parents can drop their kids off and the Y works with schools to navigate remote learning issues.
"We've converted some of our gymnasiums into classrooms, our aerobic studios, any spaces that we can use, we're converting them into classrooms," said Penny Snell, the YMCA's vice president of Program Quality & Innovation.
In the Falls, teachers can get emotional support through UB's Institute of Trauma Informed Care.
"I think it's really been a time where we've seen people really rely on professional relationships to get through some of these things," Weiss said.
Admission into the YMCA's virtual learning centers depends on your income.
The Niagara Falls Teachers Union says no teachers in the Falls have quit because of the mounting stress.