Teachers push back against 'shortage' label as they seek new jobs

Teachers who are quitting their jobs are rejecting the idea that there is a teacher shortage, saying that burnout and low pay are the reason they are leaving. NBC News' Guad Venegas has more.

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[dillardphilosophy]

This is 100% correct. There isn't a shortage of teachers willing to work. There is a shortage of schools willing to work with teachers. There is a shortage of schools willing to hold students accountable for violent, anti-social behavior rather than holding the teachers accountable. There is a shortage of schools willing to hold students accountable for their poor grades and academic performance rather than holding the teachers accountable. There is a shortage of schools willing to trust teachers to teach. And there is a shortage of school administrators without Ed.D degrees, which is quite frankly the most useless degree, which only trains school administrators to string together lovely sentences of buzzwords that accomplish nothing but sounds progressive, and to hold teachers accountable for everything while holding students accountable for nothing.

[yenxion]

I work at Walmart and one of my coworker is a teacher. He work 7am to 3pm as a teacher then at Walmart 6pm to 10pm. Sometimes I see him in the break room grading homework, it sad that he have to work so hard and get paid so little.

[sabrinaestrada]

A pay increase will be nice, but we also need some autonomy, standards for behavior, and supportive administration.

[MNP]

Same for health care. There isn't a nursing shortage, there is a shortage of nurses willing to work in the current conditions.

[ronlugbill]

I just quit. Couple of problems going on in practically all schools now.
1. Kids can barely read because the curriculum does not emphasize reading. Not much reading in schools. They mostly learn to read, sounding out words, but don't have much vocabulary or knowledge, so their comprehension is very low. They can't do basic math either because memorization is out of style
2.Curriculum does not include enough review, so students learn and forget afterwards.
3. Students all have cell phones. And many are in constant contact with their parents. So, if a student doesn't like something a teacher did, like enforce a rule the student broke, the student will text the parent and lie or exaggerate about what happened. So, the parent calls the principal, and the principal calls the teacher who has to defend himself against false allegations.
4. Administration does not support teachers but bullies teachers into doing silly activities, games, making posters, small group work, etc. Admin looks down on students reading and students writing and taking tests. The kids are supposed to learn from fellow kids instead of learning from a book or a teacher.
5. No discipline. Kids are out of control and disrespectful. Teachers are blamed for students' poor behavior. No consequences for bad behavior. Classroom management takes up half the time in school.
6. Teachers are not respected by Admin, parents, or students. Respect for teachers makes a huge difference. Teachers are hired for their education and knowledge and experience and then are told not to use that and instead are bossed around by someone without the knowledge, training, or experience. Frustrating to know how to help the students but not able to do so because of administration or the curriculum or the district.

[breal]

DO NOT become a teacher in the US! It is a stressful, unappreciated, and even dangerous profession! If your passion is to teach, learn a new language and go teach overseas (Asia, Europe, or even Latin America. You won't get paid much more but at least you'll feel more respected, valued, and supported.

[ebman]

They are performing one of the most important jobs and deserve to be paid much more.

[SDpapa]

My brother is marine vet, speaks 4 languages fluently, a master's degree, over 9 years of teaching experience to special kids, yet still makes less than $50K/year. No respect for educators educating future leaders. Shameful.

[msls]

This is my 24th year as a teacher. I would never advise a prospective college student to go into education.

[RB-ytrx]

I wanted to be a teacher but was talked out of it. Am so grateful i listened. Teachers do not get enough pay. Period.

[AlexasArtRoom]

I was a middle school long-term substitute this year in FL. Luckily my class was cut by the district due to numbers, so the decision was made for me. I wanted to quit about a month in, but I did not want to abandon the kids. I experienced burn out so quickly! I feel for the teachers who do this all year, they have so much to deal with. The majority of the work is classroom management, trying to get the kids to sit down and listen. The majority of the students could not care less about learning. They are all apathetic. What's even worse is that they get passed through year after year. If a lot of these students were actually failed they would still be in 3rd grade. I had an 8th grader that could barely read and did not even know the months of the year. I think a lot of people would be surprised at how many students can barely read or write. I have no idea how these kids are going to survive in the real world. They have no real consequences to not even trying. They know they will be passed through, so they don't care. I have gone back to day-to-day subbing only 2-3 times a week. I cannot handle working anymore than that. It is draining trying to get the students to do their work. The education system enables the kids and it is sickening. I would have loved to be a full time teacher, but not anymore!

[chanela.]

Just had an interview to be a teacher’s aide and we only spoke for 6 minutes and I received an immediate offer…these schools have it bad..

[IzzyKawaiichi]

When I was in college and people asked me what my major was, whenever I said "English, " people always asked "Do you want to be a teacher?" My response? "Not in this country."
Now I teach English in South Korea.

[eksbocks]

They're going through an elaborate form of abuse.

-Pay for all supplies with your own money.
-Salary that is under a living wage.
-Not allowed to remove students who disrupt the lesson.
-Hatred from parents and state politicians.

Even the immigrants who come here for teaching jobs had the same complaints. And abruptly quit like everyone else.

[jrm]

Overworked, underpaid, and disrespected on a daily basis. Why would anyone choose teaching?

[lazygardens]

There is a salary shortage, a respect shortage, a school maintenance shortage ... plenty of shortages.

Unfortunately, there is an abundance of political meddling.

[queenkimba]

I taught in the US for 5 years and finally moved overseas to teach. If I would have stayed in the states, I would have quit being a teacher. I couldn't handle the politics, the behavior of the kids, and the lack of support after the pandemic.

[jptarus]

High school teacher with 18 years experience.

DO NOT DO THIS JOB.

[terrestrialradio]

Require administrators (who make the “big bucks” & hide out in “cushy offices”) to teach at least 1 class every day.

[MichaelBlaneWalker]

Let’s not forget students misbehaving and parents blaming schools for their bad behavior and grades…