Teacher shortage

 I was eating lunch with a former student who was thinking about becoming a teacher.  He asked me, “Why do you think there’s a teacher shortage?”  I took a few seconds to gather my thoughts, and then I responded. 

Covid definitely knocked some teachers out of the market.  Many teachers close to retiring just called it quits, while others left the profession rather than learn the technology and rethink the way they would teach during the pandemic. 

The demands of the job are much more than the public realizes.  It is close to impossible to be a great teacher while only working 7:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m.  While almost all the teachers I know work way more than these hours, the profession is often called “lazy” by outsiders who think we only punch in and out. 

Over the last three years, many jobs became more flexible, while teaching returned to pre-pandemic days.  Teachers could now leave the profession for higher-paying jobs with more flexible hours.  Whereas the hours once made teaching attractive, now many other professions offer more flexibility. 

Many teachers became tired of being underpaid and underappreciated.  It is rare to see positive stories about teachers, while often the public blames teachers for societal problems.  When you combine the two things, you end up with a toxic workplace. 

The scary part is that most teacher colleges are at an all-time low in enrollment.  Therefore, as teachers  retire, there are no backups.  In my area, there were once standards for becoming a teacher.  Those have been waived in order to have someone in front of the classroom.

 

At the end of the conversation, my student asked me why I am still teaching.  I will share my response next week.