Why is there a teacher shortage?
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Anonymous
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Because teachers are busting their ass to teach your little snowflakes, and parents do nothing but complain. Administration kowtows to central office, and doesn't support teachers. Some kids are disruptive, and no there's no consequences allowed, others are hungry, and living in not great situations.
Low pay with benefits that keep getting hacked away. Sounds fun right? Everyone complaining that it's such a great job, why don't you do it? |
Anonymous
If you're struggling that much, perhaps it's time to find a new job. |
Anonymous
L Yep. Taught in FCPS last year and enjoy reading on here. Teaching elsewhere my second year. It’s my last year teaching bc the stress of unreal!! Had AAP 4th last year and still needed to differentiate as a few kids I wondered why/how they were in AAP because they really, really struggled. Others needed to learn the standards we were to teach, so they were right where they should be. And others were taking classes or doing extra things at home with parents and were super far ahead of the standards in different ways... Most couldn’t write to save their lives but because the school used Lucy Calkins so I think that’s why explicit instruction in writing wasn’t really happening and clearly never had, except for my students who did writing classes outside of school. They could write beautifully and told me they were never really taught how to write a paragraph in school. Where I subbed in another state the first graders were expected to be able to write a paragraph so it drove me nuts! But I tried teaching some mechanics and was told not to, and as a first year they checked on me a lot so I basically stopped except I’d tell kids things about mechanics when we conferenced on to one so if anyone walked in I wasn’t being a “bad” teacher teaching kids how to actually write. This year my fourth graders are reading from a kindergarten level to a fifth grade one. Yes, one kid reads at a K level. They aren’t autistic or an ELL, I’ve been told they’re severely disabled in writing but I don’t really understand. I’m not special ed or a reading specialist. Another student’s mom wanted a fifth grade math book because her kid was in a catholic school last year so she’s getting bored but I was told I can’t send one home. So I have over 20 kids ranging from a K level to a 5th grade level. And they’re all online. Half my class has an IEP or 504 with long lists of accommodations I’m supposed to remember. I hope my hair doesn’t fall out this year. After graduating I started to get horrible stress because finding a teaching job where I’d lived my whole life is highly competitive. South Shore of Massachusetts. I graduated from one of the best public high schools. Subbed and student taught in surrounding towns. They hire people they know (extreme nepotism) or applicants with many years in their own classroom. I don’t have the patience to teach in places like I have for many more years just to get in around the area I call home. I’m commuting an hour right now (yes for all virtual they make us go there. They have one virtual teacher for each grade level and it’s a one year only position so I’ll need to job hunt come June, but I didn’t want to move back to the DC area. There are 5 teachers teaching online from one room. Their kids’ voices come through their headphones but we can hear each other the whole time and parents have emailed me saying they can hear other teachers in the background but there wasn’t much done when I shared this info.). Last year my dentist could tell I’d been stressed. I spent two summers applying to teach near home and subbed for a measly $75/day. I felt like a loser. I started grad school to teach at 25 so I felt too old to be paid so badly but I thought I’d really like teaching since I enjoyed student teaching a lot and didn’t mind subbing minus the horrible pay and zero benefits. I got a mouth guard to wear at night. My stomach had had major distress and my boyfriend, a therapist, had told me it must be stress, but I took a celiac test wondering if that could be it and it was negative. It probably is stress. I think I’m slowly killing myself because I really do care about the kids and there’s so many of them with such varying needs. And admin and other higher ups expecting you to magically do it all, when they clearly left classroom teaching because they know it’s not possible. And parents who are often lovely, but many who are very demanding and expecting me to treat their child like the only one in class. I’m enrolled to earn a certificate in HR by June and take the aPHR. I’ll have to restart but it’s not like entry level HR pays as low as $12k a year like subbing. I enjoy helping people and have a few friends in HR. It can also be stressful like all jobs, but teaching truly is an impossible job. None of my HR friends being work home although I’m sure in some places people do but they’re at least likely paid a lot if they are. I’m just only one person and there’s only so much I can do and I can’t teach to multiple levels in one reading block and in one math block. I just can’t. I’m sure some people have strategies that are impossible that I could try. My physical and mental health really has declined since graduating from grad school. I wish I never went and wish someone warned me about how bad it is, but when I subbed before going to grad school it didn’t seem to bad. So either I was in a rare good school or the teachers didn’t want to scare me. I wish they’d warned me though. I wouldn’t recommend this career to anyone either unless they can handle extreme stress without it effecting their well-being. I’m trying my best but I’m afraid I’m going to like lose all my hair this year and that’s not a fun thought at all. I’d give notice and find an office job now if the economy wasn’t so horrible. |
Anonymous
Most of us are looking for other jobs, thanks! But it is a pandemic right now. There’s literally ex teachers trying to help teachers get out because they know how hard and unhealthy the job is. I’m in a group online with all teachers trying to get out and I see a lot of success stories of teachers leaving for other fields! You don’t have to stay stuck and let this job slowly ruin your life. If you think teaching is easy, please do try. Let us know how it feels. I’ve done office work and I’d rather go back to feeling bored compared to extreme stress. Thanks! https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/treating-the-new-ptsd-postteaching-stress-disorder-were-trying-to-survive-a-career-thats-destroying-us-155043903.html |
Anonymous
I don't think it's an easy job. If it was, then anyone- including you- would be able to do it. Clearly that's not the case. |
Anonymous
That article hits the nail on the head. This is my 28th year teaching and it would be very difficult and possibly foolish to stop at this point and switch to something else. Since I can’t realistically stop I try to make it day by day and contstantly plan for ways I can whittle off the number of years I have left to do this. |
Anonymous
And this post almost perfectly illustrates how and why our schools are in the mess that they are. There are a bunch of teachers who stay at their jobs not because they want to teach, but because they don't have any other marketable skills. As they countdown the days to retirement, they're trying to as little as possible to get by. And there's no way to hold them accountable, since a teacher with tenure is nearly impossible to fire. |
Anonymous
PP here. I will add that I am not trying to do as little as pssonle to get by. At minimum I am working 55-60 hours a week, trying to stay positive, working with my colleagues to create engaging online lessons for a primary grade. This is draining, is less effective than being in the classroom, and 5 hours a day online with students will all lead to burnout no matter who you are. As recently as 7 months ago I was very happy with my job, but that has changed. This is not the same job. |
Anonymous
Also, I have no doubt that I could get another job but I highly doubt it would be st the same salary or with the same benefits. It also would not be smart to stop 3 years short of unreduced state pension and 6 years short of the full local pension. |
Anonymous
With that attitude I really hope you're not in Maryland. |
Anonymous
| Lots of Maryland teachers feel the same way. I feel like it's a giant psychology experiment. How much can we dump on teachers before they break? |
Anonymous
You don’t seem to understand at all. The problem originates with a the job conditions, not the employees. You aren’t going to be able to attract ANYONE to do an increasingly unappealing job with stagnant wages. I had to work my way through my masters degree by taking classes at night and teaching full time. I cried every single day. I had no time to spend with family or friends, between grad school work and planning lessons for five subjects. My school had no curriculum and no resources that were appropriate for my special education students. I was scratched, hit, and bitten at work. There were kids in my class who couldn’t recognize numbers and kids who were working on division. Some kids could write independently and some couldn’t hold a pencil. I was responsible for managing five adults as well, but had no real “power” over them if they didn’t do their job or broke school rules, like being on their cellphone while students were in the room. I could only request they stop, but would get written up and told I was ineffective if they didn’t listen (to someone much younger and with much less seniority than them). I had parents texting and calling me at midnight to complain about things like the school play or how their child’s sweatshirt got dirty. My planning time was regularly taken away. I thought that it would be much easier once I finished grad school, had some experience, and had more resources built up. In some ways, it is. But in others it is not, and the constant changes to our responsibilities and class rosters, last minute demands, delivery of state tests to students for whom they are not an appropriate measure of skills or growth is draining. COVID has only made it more difficult, as I’m teaching both online and in person. There’s an extra layer of stress and responsibility and vigilance necessary now to ensure everyone is following protocols. We’ve also dealt with threats of layoffs (while simultaneously facing a shortage of thousands of teachers) and the lack of funding means the resources we did have are now decimated. It’s a lot. I’ve been reconsidering my options this year because I don’t want to turn bitter, and I don’t want unhappiness at work to run my life. I adore the kids and working with them is one of my greatest joys. I just don’t know it that’s enough to cope with the chronic stress. |
Anonymous
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Lol!! Teachers do have other marketable skills... I had two office jobs offers over the summer and my family convinced me to try teaching again since I loved student teaching in my home state. I hated teaching in Virginia. I got a teaching job in my home state and I’m hating it. I’ll never listen to their advice again lol.
Follow Teacher Career Coach. Join her fb group called Teachers Leaving the Classroom. People leave all the time. You have many marketable skills but need to rephrase them on a resume for non-teaching jobs. It’s hilarious to think teachers are just too stupid to do anything else!! Hahaha people are horrible to think that. But go ahead and think that... and teachers who want to leave, go ahead and connect with Daphne Williams and all the teachers in her group that are finding jobs outside the profession. |
Anonymous
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PP here. Where I subbed and student taught they NEVER interviewed subs or aides. I only saw them hire people who were related to staff or who had over five years classroom teaching experience. But I only saw like three vacancies because people get tenure and don’t leave. Where I went to school I’ve never seen a teacher opening since I graduated about three years ago. I’m 30 and my first and fourth grade teachers are still teaching at the same schools. My other elementary teachers were pretty old when I had them so I assume they retired within ten years after I had them. But I’ve only really been exposed to desirable places to teach I guess... so I never knew how bad it could be until getting my own classroom and I couldn’t get that in the areas I live in. Out of my last class in grad school (that went along with student teaching) most are now working office jobs because they couldn’t get hired to teach full time bc MA attracts teachers (not a perfect place to teach, but strong unions help with pay) and didn’t want to move (or were married and really couldn’t uproot their family). I took the leap and moved to try teaching and while I worked with many kind parents, I come on here and cringe at how disrespectful the DMV area seems to be towards teachers who are like killing themselves to serve your children... At least I can say I tried teaching somewhere and finally tried it in my home state (currently) and it’s not for me. I didn’t expect to dislike it since I enjoyed subbing and student teaching, but it’s too much stress for the pay. I can’t go back to subbing because of the even more horrible pay. The one girl from my last grad school class who got a teaching job right away left that district after two years. She told me she’s miserable and so unhappy with the profession. But, because of the current economy she is now teaching in a different district. I haven’t heard if she’s feeling any better but it seems like she’s ready to leave education as well. But, go ahead and kick us while we’re done. Call teachers stupid. Say we have no marketable skills. That we do everything wrong. While you’re at it, go ahead and get certified to teach! That way your kids will have people around who can take the jobs when we all leave because the BS is too unreal. Enjoy finding out just how horrible it can be first hand and having the added stress of society thinking you’re some idiot who never works and couldn’t get another job even if you tried. Psh! |
Anonymous
By all means quit then. I think you'll find the grass isn't greener on the other side. Maybe the school will let you back when you have less of a victim complex. |