Reply to Why is there a teacher shortage?

Forum Index » Schools and Education General Discussion

Reply to "Why is there a teacher shortage?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Most teachers I know like the schedule because it allows them to be there for their kids for much of the summer. On the other hand, it’s not such a perk that it’s keeping them from leaving.[/quote]

+1, I also know teachers without kids who like it because it allows them to take longer vacations in the summer. I have a friend who teaches and she does foreign travel every summer. She's considered changing fields because there are things about teaching she doesn't like, but she's really reluctant to give up the ability to go abroad for a full month -- if you love foreign travel but don't have a ton of money, it's a much more economical way to do it because you only buy the plane tickets once and then you can visit multiple countries and cities.

So in her case, I guess sit is a perk that keeps her from leaving. She's also a 15 yr veteran in a district that pays well though, and has a good pension. I think the teacher shortage is really most acute places where teachers are paid poorly. Teachers in most DMV districts actually make pretty good money, especially if they put in some years to reach the highest pay step, and/or are willing to work in Title 1 schools, which many are. I know teachers in this area who make around 140k plus will qualify for a full pension in their 50s. Even in a high COL area like this, that's really not bad at all. Especially if you are married to someone with a similar or better income.

I get why teachers quit, it's a tough job and doesn't get enough respect. It's also my impression that many schools and districts are just incredibly poorly run, and no matter what field you're in, working for dysfunctional organizations wears you down over time. It's my impression that at least in the DMV, job dissatisfaction among teachers is driven by stuff like hating curriculum changes or bad administration, much more so than low pay or annoying parents. The pay is not that low and, tbh, if you are in the DMV at a school where the parents are involved enough to be annoying, you probably recognize that the alternative is a school with little to know parental involvement, which is generally a lot harder.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics