Tim Steller wrote a good column Saturday, Underpaid and disrespected, Arizona’s teachers flee. Arizona teachers are leaving the profession altogether, he wrote, or leaving the state for greener—as in higher-salaried—states. It’s worth a read, in part because of Steller’s support for Ed Supe Diane Douglas’ education funding proposal which is the only one among those currently being floated that targets the teacher shortage directly, to the tune of $400 million.
But the story doesn’t end with Arizona. Things are tough all over, not only in the current shortage of teachers in the classroom but also in the waning number of prospective teachers in the national pipeline. According to a piece in Politico’s Morning Education email briefing:
Many states are struggling with teacher shortages. Teacher pay is dismal. Fewer students are enrolling in teacher preparation programs, drawn to better-paying jobs as the U.S. continues to climb out of the recession. During the 2008-09 school year, more than 719,000 students nationwide were enrolled in teacher prep programs. By 2012-13, that number fell to about 500,000.
A recent Daily Star article said the enrollment in the UA College of Education follows the trend, with an enrollment drop from 1,135 in 2009 to 900 in 2013.
I’m sure Politico is right to say that the improving economy is part of the reason people are choosing other professions over teaching, but that’s far from the whole story. The savaging of teachers, which has been promoted by conservatives since the Reagan years and has become a regular drumbeat in the media, is driving people out of the profession. Teachers are thinking, “I work my ass off to educate your children while being paid a ridiculously low salary and having to cope with too many students and too few books and supplies, and all I hear is what a lousy job I’m doing.” The disrespect is literally adding insult to injury. And then there’s the increased pressure to teach to the test rather than to the whole child.
Would I go into teaching if I were a college student today, or would I stay there after my first few years in the classroom? The profession would certainly be less appealing to me than when I began in 1969 — with a $7,200 yearly salary, by the way, so I certainly wasn’t in it for the money.
Case in point. You know those idealistic young people who join Teach for America, generally from the top ranks of college graduates, to spend a few years in classrooms, often in low income areas? Their numbers are down by nearly 25% from two years ago. One reason may be that graduates are having an easier time finding jobs because of the economic rebound, but I doubt that tops the list. TfA numbers were high when the economy was booming. I’m guessing two other factors are deterring top graduates from spending a few years in the classroom before they join their chosen professions. First, who would want to go into that “lousy profession” and work in “failing schools” where they’ll get nothing but grief for their efforts? That would put a serious crimp in those feelings of altruism that might have drawn young people to the program. Second, lots of people go into TfA at least in part to burnish their resumes. A few years in the program used to give them a leg up over other applicants for high paying jobs. These days, I’m guessing when you tell a job interviewer that you spent a few years as a teacher, it has less cachet than it did back in the a-little-better old days when teaching was still considered a somewhat noble profession.
This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2015.
The only reason there is a teacher shortage is because the seats are filled with illegals, stealing resources and the attention of the teachers we have instead of our own children.
Teachers are professional just like any other profession in the business world. The only difference they teach others for a salary, most professionals would not work for. The real issue is that politics has taken over our educational process. Thus teaching is in a chaos, like the GOP party is. The GOP is trying to hijack education in all the states, demanding certain subjects be removed from education ad other subjects be added.
Many Southern states have removed civics from the class room, not wanting kids to learn about our nation and the voting process as well as their civic rights.
Illegals have nothing to do with education, lets educate them too and make them good citizens in the USA, so they can get a good job, pay taxes and raise a LEGAL family.
OMGitsme – actually, you are quite incorrect. Teachers are UNLIKE any other profession in the business world. 1) They have collective bargaining, 2) they only work 9 months per year, 3) they are part of the state retirement system, a very generous system paid for mostly by the taxpayers.
We are educating the illegals. See how it’s working out? Or are you offering to cough up more of your own money to educate them.
Education tells us it’s “cachet,” not “cache.” Feel free to delete this comment when fixed.
We would have plenty of teachers if there was an illegal shortage. Taxpayers are being fleeced.
@ what again: There are many professionals that work in state or public positions. All police, firemen, city, county, state attorneys, politicians, public defenders, prosecutors, judges..to name a few. IN addition there are social workers, clerks, public health workers (including doctors and nurses), road maintenance crews that also are paid by the taxpayer. These professionals also have collective bargaining rights, a retirement pension etc. Teachers are only paid for 9 months of work so that is why they only work 9 months out of the year. They also take classes for continuing education and attend professional development during the non-contract days. This is b/c most schools are in session for 9 months instead of 12 months. Teachers have an ethical and legal obligation to educate all students that enroll in their particular school so teaching “undocumented” children is our legal obligation. If you want teachers to work 12 months out of the year then they will need to increase their salary and expand/change their contract days.
Hurri, you’re right, I’m wrong. “Cache” will be changed to “cachet” as soon as the Weekly web folks can get to it. And your comment stays. I deserve the public shaming (he said, head bowed).
I couldn’t believe that she was able to catchit.
Good one, Rat T! (There, don’t say I never threw you a compliment.)
I would never say that. But this is a vast improvement from “I don’t read his comments.” Thank you.
Bad pay, continual movement that teachers shouldn’t have a pension, teacher shortages( large class sizes), inadequate materials, no money for support staff, terrible attitude towards teachers as demonstrated here by comments here, way too much testing which uses up valuable class time and then they are evaluated on those results even though they are very poor tests…… And everyone knows it is only going to get worse with these budget cuts. What’s not to love? This nation better wake up fast or we will be the dumbest nation of developed countries.
@What Again — you’re still living in the last century. Tucson teachers work 10 months a year, at an average of 60 hours a week. Collective bargaining? The transit workers recently went on strike for 20-some days – something no teacher would do. Last, I see that you would rather have uneducated “illegals” (as if that’s a noun) than uneducated ones doing the jobs that you won’t do. Now, that is illegal.
Quit whining. If the demand is there, the shortages will go away.
We do need to eliminate the requirement for a degree in education for teachers. Major in something substantial, like STEM.
Da Coach – look at Catalina Foothills High Calendar. 9 months plus two weeks and that includes all the half days and Christmas vacation. Count your days, you can spread the peas all over the plate but it’s still 9 months.
I would rather have 1) no illegals – throw their asses out of the country, 2) Public schools which the property owners pay for that are dedicated to our children, legal children, 3) I don’t give a crap if the illegals are educated, that’s their parents issue.
It’s really only eight months when you remove all holidays, grading days, sick leave, personal time, family leave, holidays, and teacher appreciation day. Did I forget fall, winter and spring break and rodeo? looks like I did.
OK. Seven months.
Without considering the tiresome, red meat, change-the-topic comments on “illegals” here (because the point being made by Stellar and Safier is much bigger), I submit that teaching is not an easy job. Contrary to what many might think and no matter how you calculate time on the job, I also submit that few who so easily complain about teachers in public schools would have neither the patience nor the professionalism required to stick it out for a whole year’s time – complying with all the demands of board policies, state guidelines, administrative oversight, curriculum sequences, testing/measurement, out of control behavior from students, and sometimes out of control parents as well. Demonizing decent hardworking people is too easy.
$400 million tax payer dollars every 6 months for education is not enough because of unsound business practice, creative accountabilities, greed & fraud.
David, David, David. I’m only guessing here but it could be people don’t enter the profession because they read non stop, never ending whining about an otherwise noble profession by someone who claims to have been a teacher {more likely someone occupying a seat the dist couldn’t get rid of except through early retirement}. Of course I’m only guessing here but I’m confident my guess is better than yours.
Teachers manage to work the 2080 hrs for a year in 9 months with the grading, planning and other duties they have. Most teachers I know take additional education, improve their lesson plans and teach during their “breaks.” Administration oversight for these trained professionals is over the top–no other profession has less autonomy. I think it is because for so many years, women were the predominant gender. When I substituted for long term positions, there was a limit to copies and other supplies needed to run the class. For instance, having kids copy the information from an overhead is not that productive!
I would need to add that “a few bad apples spoil the barrel.” As a veteran teacher of over 30 years, I teach in a district that has close to 100% free lunch and the highest SEI population within my district in the state.
Year in and year out, no matter what grouping of kids I get, unbelievably high class sizes, no added help within my classroom; my scores are the highest at my site and in the top 5% in my district, exceeding expectations. This is not done without a lot of work above and beyond what is considered my contracted time. Minimally, each week, I put in 16 hours beyond what is “expected” of me to fulfill my contract.
You may wonder why. I truly love what I do and I want kids to feel success. Those who are in the profession and do not have the drive to excel need to re examine why they have chosen this profession. Until we have individuals who are truly dedicated and continue to grow within the education field and hone their craft, we will be seen as second class professionals.
It must also be noted that decisions that are being made for teachers concerning how best to educate children are often done by people who have been out of a classroom setting for many years and are definitely out of touch with what is needed to increase student performance. And in some instances, individuals who have never taught at all.