The New Teacher Shortage
Ladies and Gentlemen, I respectfully submit to you that there is not a teacher shortage in Texas (or the U.S.). I will let you think about that for a moment…
The truth is, there are plenty of teachers in the marketplace but many of those teachers have left the profession for other jobs outside of education for one reason or another. The teachers are out there–for all subjects–they just don’t want to teach anymore. The allure of education is gone.
Sure, the holidays are great, the summers rock, and the M-F hours make the rest of the world jealous, however, of the 2007 graduates from colleges and universities in the field of education, a large portion of these teachers will leave within 5 years.
The real question that educational leaders need to ask is why. Why are teachers leaving in 5 years especially when we know that there is generally a very strong drive in a person to become a teacher. Few of us choose the profession because of the salary and benefits.
What are these new teachers lacking? I believe that there is a void that is not being fulfilled for new teachers. They are beaten down by the system, overwhelmed with the rigors of the new job, or just plainly run over by students and parents with little to no support for their administration. As a result, we are losing good teachers and the salaries are not rising outside of major metropolitan areas. To be honest, I would not be able to function on a salary outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
As I prepare for my dissertation, I am beginning to think that more research is i needed to help determine what new teachers are lacking and therefore driving them out of teaching for good. As I prepare to move into administration, I want to do what is necessary to help my new teachers adapt, become successful educators, and become grounded in a rewarding profession. This will only help the school community be more efficient and manageable.
What I want to know from you is what do you think a new teacher needs the most as he or she enters the profession for the first time? What should an administrator do to help these teachers be successful?
Jerry, As a ten year veteran who is leaving the profession, I understand where your blog is coming from. A little clarification from my point of view, and it is only that. 1) Teachers needs to be seen as more than consumables. Administration is not at all concerned when teachers leave because there are plenty of newbies waiting in the wings. Send in the new troops! However, turnover effects overall campus morale and should be seen by central administration as an indicator of local campus problems. 2) Teacher starting pay is not as much a problem as the fact that the teacher who works diligently is paid as much as the teacher who is on their phone or computer constantly. Also, I’ve done a study of my own and many teachers work the same number of hours as other professions, they simply work all of those hours in 10 months, so the fact that summers are “off” – which they hardly are anymore – is not a benefit at all. 3) Districts need to find a way to provide an advocate for teachers; perhaps a teacher liaison on each campus. It would need to be someone with real authority. At this point this is no communication going on between teachers and administration, at least I saw very little on our campus.
V
June 6, 2007
Amen, Jerry!
I think teachers need better preparation for the realities that they will face in the system. In my opinion, traditional teacher preparation is too “airy, fairy” and alt. preparation is just none existent. But somehow, alt. certified folks seem to have some grounding in stiffer realities…this is probably what drove them to education, where they find no escape but a lot of them do have some better coping skills. Of course the salary thing is a bummer. Any government that truly wants and educated and empowered citizenry should put their money where their mouth is….hmmm or have they already demonstrated how much they value having thinking and informed citizens.
I think it sucks and is suspect, and I hope to God that things change soon.
Kim
June 6, 2007
Jerry:
AS someone who has come and gone twice, I definately have an opinion (shocking, I know!). My reason for leaving is an overall feel that administrators over use the teachers who are good and continue to give Acceptable PDAS evaluations to those who shouldn’t be there. As one of the other replies mentioned, how do I stay motivated to be in the classroom dealing with asinine parents, testing, and unsupportive administrators (mostly at the district level, not building), when the teacher who does nothing, and is gone every day 15 minutes after the kids, is getting the same pay and recognitiion that I get?
Another reason that I left is because of self-satisfaction. Kids are great and I remember students for the funniest of reasons, but at times you have to stop and think about who we are as individuals. Can I come in everyday to this and be satisfied? Most educators are hard working and over achievers…how can i settle to sit down in one room and shuffle kids through like cattle…day in and day out. What is my goal…where is my achievement? Now I know that will open up a whole can of worms…teachers are there for their student’s acheivement..but I don’t believe that. I didn’t strive for a 4.0 for my Master’s because it was for the students. I did it for me.
Speaking for myself only, I left for me…who I am and who I will be. I was a good teacher, I cared for my students, I did my best in every classroom I ever taught in, and I believed in every child, but how do you re-prove yourself every year, with every child, and every parent, to be rated by standardized tests and looked down upon for something that not everyone can do?
Sorry for the run-on, horribly punctuated sentences. I am a math teacher!
Tamara
June 7, 2007
Jerry, I have three points-(a) Teachers are afraid of the principals, Principals are afraid of the central office, central office is afraid of the superintendants, the superintendants are afraid of the school boards, the school boards are afraid of the angry aprent voter, the parents are afraid to disciplinre the kids, and the kids are afraid of no one! The fear must be driven out of our system.
(b) Educators need to take back our field. When we let people with no meaningful knowledge of education make decisions we get the mess we have today.
(c) NCLB calls for the active training and RETENTION of HQ teachers. We have law….now we need to make it work. Once a district or two gets slapped hard for not working with great vigor to keep HQ teachers
On a related note- there is a model for predicting burnout. It is used in the corporate world a lot. When the factors are overlaid on education, bells go off for me. Might be worth looking at.
Derik Hayenga
June 7, 2007
Not to make it more complicated…but there’s plenty of variables to why teachers leave, and that’s going to confuse the issue. I know our kids’ school in Texas had HUGE turnover – lots of younger women who’d stay for a few years, then have a baby/marry and flee. The schools here in Oregon are not the same – median teacher age has to be 5-10 years higher, and the percentage of “new” (0-2 yrs experience) teachers is quite low. Is it pay? Less standardized nonsense? (I hated taks) Better parental support? I don’t know – but something I’d already noticed before it was mentioned here.
AB in OR
June 7, 2007
Being a hispanic teacher I was so sorprise by the low expectations, and indiference of the administration. I can not believe that this is happening in such a develop country. Administrator are so unsoportive, and indeferent to the teachers. The students need to have high expectations, boundaries, consequesces for their actions, etc. It is ok to have consequences for students misbehavior even if they are minority students.
B. Revilla
June 14, 2007