Why is there a teacher shortage?

[Anonymous]

Because the entire profession is a pretty much a sham in the eyes of people actually doing it. It does not involve teaching anymore. To others, we are useless, the cause of societal problem, leeches of state and federal money.

We know this:

Data mining is crap. You can aggregate ALL the data you want, but it still doesn't explain why Johnny can't read. It just indicates over and over that he cannot. From K-12. Imagine going to the doctor and all that's done is bloodwork. You might have diabetes, but those elevated numbers don't say WHY..... just that you have it. You might be predisposed, you might be obese, you might have the worst eating habits in the world. Your diabetes doesn't change. Dr advice is not taken. So the Dr. tries insulin or Metformin. You might take it, or not. Your glucose numbers keep rising. No diet, no lifestyle change. You might be close to death. We are in an American crisis!

Your doctor must be incompetent.

Schools do not stop for those falling behind- they are just pushed ahead.


Behavior problems rule the day, parents enable, administrators keep pushing more and more crap- nothing having to do with teaching. It really is the worst job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/america-has-a-teacher-shortage-and-a-new-study-says-its-getting-worse/2016/09/14/d5de1cee-79e8-11e6-beac-57a4a412e93a_story.html


Washington Post article claims there's been a dramatic decrease in new teachers entering the profession:

"Enrollment in teacher-preparation programs dropped from 691,000 in 2009 to 451,000 in 2014, a 35 percent decline, according to the study, “A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand and Shortages in the U.S.”"

It also claims nearly 2/3 of teachers leave before retirement age.

If teaching is supposed to be such a cushy job, "summers off, home by 3", and so well paid with great benefits ... why aren't people rushing to become teachers?

Duh, I hate to be snarky but you really don't know the answer to this??? It's about the pay! Economics, my dear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter teaches in a self-contained middle school autism classroom. She absolutely loves it! The pay isn't great. But honestly, $50,000 for a kid only a year out of college isn't bad. She works as an education instructor at the zoo during the summer. Her yearly salary is about $58,000.

She gets to school at about 7:15 and is never back at her apartment before about 5pm. She only lives a couple of miles from her school. It is a long day, especially when you add in the parent conferences, back-to-school nights, school events,.... But she is passionate about "her kids" and has had a heart for ESE since her high school years. And she is very good at what she does! If your kid has her as a teacher, you are lucky!

How is $50000 for 9-10 months of work not a great salary? She is not making much less than engineers if you extrapolate for the months she is off.

I think people that live in urban and/or wealthy areas have a skewed idea of how much teachers across the country are paid. The average starting salary in Georgia is ~34000. If the average salary in Atlanta is ~44000, being really simplistic with calculations, this means someone in rural Georgia is making ~24000. Two married teachers wouldn't even hit $50k.

We pay our admin 45k a year. And don't require a masters pp. it's under paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is $50000 for 9-10 months of work not a great salary? She is not making much less than engineers if you extrapolate for the months she is off.

OP here -- this is what I mean. If it is such a great salary for only 10 months of work, why aren't candidates for teaching lining up around the block looking for jobs? How can there possibly be a teacher shortage and why are teachers leaving the profession in such large numbers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is $50000 for 9-10 months of work not a great salary? She is not making much less than engineers if you extrapolate for the months she is off.

OP here -- this is what I mean. If it is such a great salary for only 10 months of work, why aren't candidates for teaching lining up around the block looking for jobs? How can there possibly be a teacher shortage and why are teachers leaving the profession in such large numbers?

It's not horrible as a recent grad, but there's little growth potential. 8 years later, I make $3000 more than when I started. My husband started at the same salary but now makes $100k more than when he started. It can be demoralizing to realize there are no performance bonuses or promotions available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is $50000 for 9-10 months of work not a great salary? She is not making much less than engineers if you extrapolate for the months she is off.

OP here -- this is what I mean. If it is such a great salary for only 10 months of work, why aren't candidates for teaching lining up around the block looking for jobs? How can there possibly be a teacher shortage and why are teachers leaving the profession in such large numbers?

It's not horrible as a recent grad, but there's little growth potential. 8 years later, I make $3000 more than when I started. My husband started at the same salary but now makes $100k more than when he started. It can be demoralizing to realize there are no performance bonuses or promotions available.

In case it wasn't obvious, DH is not in education!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is $50000 for 9-10 months of work not a great salary? She is not making much less than engineers if you extrapolate for the months she is off.

OP here -- this is what I mean. If it is such a great salary for only 10 months of work, why aren't candidates for teaching lining up around the block looking for jobs? How can there possibly be a teacher shortage and why are teachers leaving the profession in such large numbers?

Did you read the thread? The money, or as a poster notes the starting salary, is not the reason there's a teacher salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always find the people who champion the market-side economics in the public sector choose to not see why there's a teacher shortage. It's because we, as a society, do not value the job enough either through pay or through support (i.e. administrative support for teachers). I'm married to a teacher and it's pretty clear teaching would be a ton better if teachers could have administrative support, i.e. someone to handle things like scheduling, correspondence, copying, etc. Or else pay way, way more.

Nope, the solution is to throw 22 year olds with a summer camp's worth of teaching training into the classroom. And you think that's going to save education in this country. Sigh.

Do you have a teaching degree? My daughter was in the classroom with kids from her very first semester of college. Every semester for four years involved some kind of practical classroom work. Her entire senior year was an internship. The first semester of her senior year she had a mentor in the classroom with her. The second semester, the class was all hers.

I assume this poster was referring to Teach for America, where a summer camp worth of training gets you thrown into some of the worst schools in the worst areas and the claim that it is going to be some grand savior of inner city schools. Actual teaching programs are not TFA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is $50000 for 9-10 months of work not a great salary? She is not making much less than engineers if you extrapolate for the months she is off.

OP here -- this is what I mean. If it is such a great salary for only 10 months of work, why aren't candidates for teaching lining up around the block looking for jobs? How can there possibly be a teacher shortage and why are teachers leaving the profession in such large numbers?

I think most people don't think it's a great salary. And it's 12 months of work condensed into 10 months. 7:15-5pm plus weekends and evening grading for $50k is not that great when I got $50 9-5 and no weekend or evening work straight out of school without a masters (engineer). 10 years later I'm well over $100k and same hours and I don't have to stand or deal with kids all day or anyone measuring my performance based on someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is $50000 for 9-10 months of work not a great salary? She is not making much less than engineers if you extrapolate for the months she is off.

OP here -- this is what I mean. If it is such a great salary for only 10 months of work, why aren't candidates for teaching lining up around the block looking for jobs? How can there possibly be a teacher shortage and why are teachers leaving the profession in such large numbers?

I think most people don't think it's a great salary. And it's 12 months of work condensed into 10 months. 7:15-5pm plus weekends and evening grading for $50k is not that great when I got $50 9-5 and no weekend or evening work straight out of school without a masters (engineer). 10 years later I'm well over $100k and same hours and I don't have to stand or deal with kids all day or anyone measuring my performance based on someone else.

Exactly, it's an extremely under-paying job in terms of what someone could do elsewhere. That's why they can't get qualified teachers honestly. Raise the pay and reduce the nonsense like tying testing to pay and you might actually get people who want to do the job.

[Anonymous]

For the PPs who are saying we're getting paid for 8/9 months of work - you do realize the school year is 10 months, right?

And yeah, lack of respect. One only needs to peruse the education threads here to see that. It seems teaching is one of the few professions where other people feel like they can shit all over us and that's just fine, despite the fact that you entrust us with your kids, day in and day out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught for three years. Couldn't hack it. Now I have a desk job and make over $100K.

Now that charter schools are everywhere, teachers are seeing reduced benefits - no more pensions, no more substitutes - plus longer hours.

Teachers need to be paid more and respected more, especially excellent teachers. Teacher programs should be competitive and there should be apprenticeship programs set up in which excellent teachers team teach with new graduates.

If you sign up to teach for 10 years, perhaps your loans should be forgiven and you receive a substantial bonus ($50K?).

I could go on.

Ooh, doing what? Teacher considering a change here..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have nothing but the utmost regard for teachers. Nevertheless, 100K+ may not be cushy for 8 months of actual work but with regular hours and a pension it doesn't seem that shabby.

Where are teachers working 8 months and making $100k?

[Anonymous]

The benefits where I teach are ok, but not great by any means. For example, retiree healthcare costs are not cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/america-has-a-teacher-shortage-and-a-new-study-says-its-getting-worse/2016/09/14/d5de1cee-79e8-11e6-beac-57a4a412e93a_story.html


Washington Post article claims there's been a dramatic decrease in new teachers entering the profession:

"Enrollment in teacher-preparation programs dropped from 691,000 in 2009 to 451,000 in 2014, a 35 percent decline, according to the study, “A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand and Shortages in the U.S.”"

It also claims nearly 2/3 of teachers leave before retirement age.

If teaching is supposed to be such a cushy job, "summers off, home by 3", and so well paid with great benefits ... why aren't people rushing to become teachers?

I am the child of a teacher and wife of a teacher and none of that is true. I wasn't true in 1980 and it isn't true now. The school day doesn't end at 3 p.m. and never did, the money isn't great, it's high stress, you have parents, principals, random people on DCUM coming at you from all directions and kids with troubles that you can't always help. It's a mostly thankless job.

Teaching is a calling and I have a lot of respect for people who enter that career and stick it out. My husband is good at what he does and spends a lot of time outside the classroom preparing lessons, talking to my mom and other more seasoned teachers about pedagogy and classroom management techniques, meeting with parents, tutoring, doing home visits, taking classes, and so on. He cares about the kids and many have come back over the years to thank him for his dedication and helping them to get through troubles and make it out into the world as a productive citizen.