Call It Education

Folks, we might be in some trouble. But first, a little music…

There is a tsunami approaching our nation and that wave is a nationwide teacher shortage. It’s not hyperbole. It’s not a joke. And it’s not something that can be fixed overnight. It’s very much a real thing. You can look up the reports yourself. In every state, in every grade and subject matter, there are reported shortages. The reasons vary for why these shortages exist but in essence, it can be boiled down to three main things: fewer people are training to become teachers, teachers aren’t staying in the profession very long, and many long-term teachers are retiring. There is also a major shortage of substitute teachers, which is lucky for me because that’s how I got my job.

Let’s start with the first problem. There are a lot of reasons why fewer and fewer people are training to become teachers. The pay isn’t good. The training can be expensive compared to the lifelong earnings. But mostly I think that a lot of it comes from teachers not being appreciated or honored in the ways they used to. Being a teacher is a really hard job. I think most people have a misconception about what being a teacher in 2021 is like. You might think that having summers off is a nice perk. And it is. But in my experience, having lived with a teacher for nearly two decades and counting a number of them as my friends, the summer is a chance to recover from the school year. If anyone thinks being a teacher is easy, by all means, become one. Or just sub for a few weeks and see how it goes.

The teacher shortage starts at the pipeline. Here’s what it looks like right now:

Not great! And ok, also not the most scientific of graphs since the y-axis isn’t labeled. But I think you get the point. Without a steady stream of applicants becoming teachers, it becomes harder and harder to replace the ones who are leaving the profession, whether it be through career changes or retirement.

Some of these videos and stats are pre-pandemic so the situation is even worse now than it was before.

Every year, the number of kids in public schools increases. So the need for more teachers grows. And since there is already a shortage to replace and cover the kids currently enrolled in schools, the situation is going to explode over the next few years. I mean, what are we going to do with kids if there is no one to teach them? Part of this problem can be solved by changing how we retain teachers and get new teachers in the first place.

Teachers in the US are underpaid, overworked, and not supported by their communities as much as they could be. When you factor in the toll that the pandemic has taken on students and staff alike, it’s easy to see the looming problems we are only just beginning to experience.

How long do you think a new teacher stays a teacher? Recent studies seem to indicate that half of all new teachers will leave the profession for good within 5 years. That’s about the amount of time it takes to BECOME a teacher in the first place. By losing half of all new recruits in that time, it is clear that a system like this is not totally sustainable.

On one end of the teacher system, we have fewer and fewer people becoming teachers. In the middle, we lose half of all new teachers within 5 years. And at the end, we have teachers who are either retiring early or changing to a more flexible part-time schedule. It can be deceptive because systems like this don’t change in real-time. It happens over a period of years or decades. And a lot of this is based on projections, predictions that can be altered by events such as the pandemic.

I know probably a dozen or so people who work in education. And almost all of them routinely say they aren’t sure they can keep doing their jobs for much longer. For whatever reason, this school year seems to be especially hard. I can see it on my co-workers’ faces. I can see it in the kids and how they behave. There is something very, very off about this year. Maybe it’s a one-time thing and next year will be better. Perhaps this is just a pandemic hangover and will be a blip. I can’t help but feel that it is only the beginning evidence that the system is starting to collapse.

Another thing that teachers have to contend with is people who do not understand their profession telling them how to do their jobs. It is incredible to me that we have such high standards to become a teacher and yet people act as if teaching is something anyone can do. I would love to become a full-time licensed teacher but after four years getting my bachelor’s and another two getting a master’s I cannot afford to go back to school for another two years. There really isn’t a pathway for people in their 30s and 40s to change careers and become teachers without having significant financial resources. I am perfectly qualified to teach college courses and yet I could never teach in a public school beyond what I do now. If we have these rigorous standards, then why do so many people who know nothing about education share their opinions on it?

Over the last year or so, one topic that seems to have been getting a lot of attention is CRT (critical race theory). Mind you, nothing even resembling CRT is being taught anywhere in American public schools. CRT is just a buzzword for “teaching the true history of American race relations that makes white people feel bad”. You’ve seen all the insane people screaming about this at school board meetings, right?

Why would anyone want to join or remain in a profession where people yell at you for doing your job? Or are constantly second-guessing the decisions you make? And this notion that an ignorant person knows more than an educated one is spreading. The vast majority of doctors understand that COVID is a serious, real thing. And yet people rail against their best advice and practices. 40% of our country remains unvaccinated. And people continue to die. The same thing is happening in education except that the thing that’s dying is our children’s knowledge and understanding of the world.

I don’t have many solutions for you. Pay increases will help. The avg starting salary for a teacher is around $45,000 per year. It can be a lot less in certain states. And because most public school districts have tiered salary steps, a great teacher will make the same as a terrible one, as long as they have the same qualifications. This isn’t to advocate for union-busting. But it is one area we could consider looking at.

We also need to reduce the workload on teachers. Class sizes can be massive in some districts. And if a teacher has 5 classes per day with 30 students, that’s 150 students (and usually it’s higher) to keep track of. That’s 60-70 IEPs and 504 plans to know and follow. That’s hours of grading on top of teaching all day. If we reduce the size of classes teachers have, that will help solve a lot of burnout. But, in order to do that, we need more teachers. You see the problem.

There should also be many pathways to becoming a teacher. Not everyone knows they want to teach when they’re 18. Or 22. And if you miss the college window it can be really tough to find the time and money to get into it. I am not an expert in education so I won’t even throw any ideas out there but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look at figuring out how to lure more people from other careers into teaching. Their knowledge and experience could be invaluable.

Lastly, and I apologize for being crude, but parents need to shut the fuck up and stay in their lanes. A feeling you have about something is not valid. I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard from co-workers talking about parents who didn’t let their kid read a book, do an assignment, or even straight up did their work for them. Unless you have a degree in education, I assure you that you do not know shit about education. Stop protecting your precious children and let the professionals do their damn jobs. This isn’t 1834 where the smartest donkey in town was the school teacher. These people go to school for years to practice their art. They (mostly) know what they’re doing. Kaylee will just have to learn something she doesn’t like. Tough shit.

We should already be in crisis mode over education in America. But it seems the only people freaking out are the mouthbreathers who don’t want mask or vaccine mandates. Everyone else is too busy keeping their heads above water. I get it. There are days when it seems like so many institutions are under attack that I’m like the little Dutch Boy with his fingers in the dyke. Stop one thing and five more spring a leak. This situation will resolve itself one day. How it unfolds is up to us.