Why is there a teacher shortage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It pays pretty well in urban areas like nova, but it's not a cushy job. It's a horrible job with long hours, no respect, and a ton of stress. Lots of people go into teaching - few stay long.

The use to stay....not anymore. We can't even get subs in our building and I don't blame them...

[Anonymous]

Don't forget admin threatening/ carrying out blacklisting teachers who grade fairly, don't inflate, reporting crime incidents, etc that make their lives and career difficult. Teachers have to put up with a review process that has to do with likability than doing a solid job. It makes education even more unequitable for teachers and students alike to see schools run by bullies instead of striving for a fair playing field.

[Anonymous]

I’m debating whether to change careers and leave my job at a public elementary school teacher. The administration bullies the teachers and has no respect for their professional training. So many systems have been put into place since they started that I can’t do my job effectively. I love my students but I am not sure I can handle another year of this insanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m debating whether to change careers and leave my job at a public elementary school teacher. The administration bullies the teachers and has no respect for their professional training. So many systems have been put into place since they started that I can’t do my job effectively. I love my students but I am not sure I can handle another year of this insanity.

Find a school with good admin before deciding to leave the profession.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m debating whether to change careers and leave my job at a public elementary school teacher. The administration bullies the teachers and has no respect for their professional training. So many systems have been put into place since they started that I can’t do my job effectively. I love my students but I am not sure I can handle another year of this insanity.

Find a school with good admin before deciding to leave the profession.

Hard to know because admin also is experiencing exits and transfers at a higher rate. Admin that teachers like often aren’t liked by parents of district higher ups. I’ve watched our new-last year principal who was keen on transforming our school warp into a Central Office toady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m debating whether to change careers and leave my job at a public elementary school teacher. The administration bullies the teachers and has no respect for their professional training. So many systems have been put into place since they started that I can’t do my job effectively. I love my students but I am not sure I can handle another year of this insanity.

Find a school with good admin before deciding to leave the profession.

I agree with this. I transferred to a school with a strong admin team and I’m much happier. There’s now mutual respect and an understanding that we are all working toward the same goals.

(My old admin team treated teachers as the enemy and micromanaged us - poorly - every available second of the day. We really need to reevaluate the admin level in American schools. They often do far more harm than good in school environments. It’s time for teachers to lead, but that’s an argument for another thread.)

I will say the workload is the same and I still have to give up at least one full day every weekend to get work done. The difference is now I’m thanked for my extra time instead of being chastised for not doing even more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because Republicans are idiots

Who wants to teach with those morons as parents

You need to go back to school to learn both analysis and argumentation. It is probably best for you to stay out of the teaching profession.

[Anonymous]

Money money money. Most experienced teachers would put up with all this just to be paid what a comparable mid career office worker is paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Money money money. Most experienced teachers would put up with all this just to be paid what a comparable mid career office worker is paid.

I don’t think so. I retired last year, 3 years earlier than I had been planning. The salary was fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Money money money. Most experienced teachers would put up with all this just to be paid what a comparable mid career office worker is paid.

It’s not the money. It’s the demands on my time. I shouldn’t need to work over 60 hours every week just to meet the minimum in my classroom. Demands are absolutely unreasonable.

You could pay me 2x my salary and I still wouldn’t stay. You can take away 20 hours of work a week and I’ll consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Money money money. Most experienced teachers would put up with all this just to be paid what a comparable mid career office worker is paid.

I think a lot of people, including teachers, have a warped sense of what other people make. Plenty of mid-career office workers make less than teachers (60-80k ish) I’ve said it many time but money almost never comes up when I’m talking with school colleagues about job dissatisfaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money money money. Most experienced teachers would put up with all this just to be paid what a comparable mid career office worker is paid.

It’s not the money. It’s the demands on my time. I shouldn’t need to work over 60 hours every week just to meet the minimum in my classroom. Demands are absolutely unreasonable.

You could pay me 2x my salary and I still wouldn’t stay. You can take away 20 hours of work a week and I’ll consider.

Also- the demands are contradictory. One demand logically can’t be met if the other one is, but we are still expected to do both. So much doublespeak it is impossible to do the job.If they fixed just that, I would be happy staying for the current salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money money money. Most experienced teachers would put up with all this just to be paid what a comparable mid career office worker is paid.

It’s not the money. It’s the demands on my time. I shouldn’t need to work over 60 hours every week just to meet the minimum in my classroom. Demands are absolutely unreasonable.

You could pay me 2x my salary and I still wouldn’t stay. You can take away 20 hours of work a week and I’ll consider.

I'm a special ed teacher and I'd stay for either more money or a reduction in workload. That's a pretty common refrain I hear in special ed. Most of us work 60-70 hour weeks and get paid for 40.

[Anonymous]

What do all you 60 hour teachers teach? HS English? Is it the grading? I teach ES and don’t work any extra except near report card time. I’ve taught the same grade for years and get all my work done during the school day and leave about 45 mins after the students do each day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do all you 60 hour teachers teach? HS English? Is it the grading? I teach ES and don’t work any extra except near report card time. I’ve taught the same grade for years and get all my work done during the school day and leave about 45 mins after the students do each day.

HS English, and I regularly work over 60 hours a week.

I just broke down about a hour ago because I’ve been working most of the day and still didn’t get everything done. I’m not ready for Monday and I’m running out of steam.