Myths and realities of teacher health

This paper reports a series of myths and realities derived from a study designed to answer two basic questions: What is the experience of an educator who develops a health disabling condition? In what ways are these educators similar to or different from teachers who do not leave the classroom? The study of 422 educators included four groups: all teachers currently on long-term disability; all teachers on LTD within the last five years who had subsequently returned to work; a selected group of teachers who had acknowledged interest in leaving the profession, and a selected group of teachers who were identified by area administrators as satisfied with teaching as a career, and who were judged to be physically and emotionally well. Interviews and questionnaires were used. This article is restricted to reporting the highlights synthesized from the combination of the qualitative and quantitative methodologies and reported as myths and realities.