Teacher shortages: Why educators are leaving the profession in droves | USA TODAY

With teacher shortages affecting schools nationwide, educators share how pay, parents, politics and the pandemic have led some to leave the profession.

There is no national teacher shortage. Many classrooms have all the educators they need and in some cases never had vacancies to begin with.

Yet shortages in many others persist. Staffing levels can vary significantly by state, district, school, subject and grade level.

The National Center for Education Statistics has been regularly surveying a nationally representative sample of schools about various topics, including staff vacancies, in the COVID-19 era. According to its latest School Pulse Panel survey, from October, nearly half (45%) of public schools have at least one vacant teaching position, about the same rate as when the survey was conducted in January. The average number of vacancies per school, however, dropped from slightly more than three in June to two this October.

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#Education #Teaching #School

[monkeybunny]

I quit teaching after 5+ years. I continuously feel anger bursting out that I have to contain when I think of that principal and how she treated me. This was in LAUSD, Los Angeles. What I hated the most, was that I couldn't report her to the administration higher ups because of fear of retaliation. In a country where recommendations mean a lot, employees need to suck up no matter how unethical or cruel their supervisors might be. That is the REAL problem. The system puts way to much power on principals and they puts impossible expectations on teachers.

[MarkSmithhhh]

Out of control kids, parents who don't hold them accountable, and blaming the teachers for everything

Im not surprised

[theguyshepassedupfortyrone]

The kids are too damn bad, and their parents are even worse.

[randomcommenteronyoutube]

I taught for a few years and would never in my life walk back into a K-12 classroom. It's not even a compensation issue. It's the stress, disrespect, and insufficient resources to do our jobs. Just no, no, no. And the education that I received from a teaching college was a joke.

[mygirlg]

I left 3 years ago and i'm so glad i did. the system is so broken and needs to be changed on the cultural level. Americans don't value education.

[monal]

The culture of respect in schools need to be brought back. Respect from the kids and administrators. Higher pay and support when it comes to dealing with behavioral issues.

[davidmckinley]

A guy once told me that teachers only work 185 days a year. I said, and you only sit at a desk. You don't have to work with 150 teenagers a day.

[ecmoore]

I left teaching. It is unsustainable as a profession, too much personal, financial and now adding the threat to personal safety all for low wage. I entered the tech sector for much higher pay and safer conditions.

[jascam]

Teaching was once a noble profession when a teachers role of reading, writing and arithmetic was clearly defined. Unlike other professions with clear duties teachers are expected to wear whatever hats they’re told to wear or quit if they don’t like it. Sickening.

[emilyc]

I’m quitting after 4 years. These students are violent, don’t care about their edu in most cases, parents are never held accountable, I’m not paid enough and management is the worst

[ASR]

Teaching is a dying profession. It’s really sad what it has become. Many teachers say that most of the time is spent on testing. I had a teacher about year ago tell me I came into this profession to teach not to be a tester/ babysitter. Very sad what it has become.

[mho...]

underpayed, underappreciated & ridiculed by parents & "the system" .... what do we expect to happen?

[TheCasualRealtor]

Put politicians in classrooms for a few years and watch things change. As a veteran teacher, I have 46 days to go and I’m out. The fight is not worth it.

[deandreray]

Speaking as an educator. The students are bad as ever, no ability to retain so students misbehave and act out all day with no consequences. The office is a big joke they take them and bring them back the parents are crazy just to name a few!

[FrugalTeacherFI]

Reality is in most places you can’t raise a family on a teacher’s income. Pensions are not portable and are woefully inefficient. And 15 states are WEP/GPO states where teachers’ social security is reduced as well as that of their peers. I did 6 years of college and made $27000 gross with a masters degree the first year of teaching.

[robertblake]

The disiintegration of family life, the high divorce rate, men rejecting fatherhood, the high rate of illegitimacy means too many parents are using the schools as daycare centers. As one teacher put it, "Children should be sent to school to be educated, not raised."

[ohshanana]

I’m a student. If you go to a classroom and ask what students wanna be. At least 4 elementary kids will say teacher. But no high schooler will. People realize that teaching is not a good job. Dealing with shit kids, for subpar pay. I wouldn’t do that job

[inthevault]

I can’t stand it when I see ex-teachers cry for leaving. It’s like getting a commuted sentence. Be happy you were able to got the hell out. I’ve told both my daughters to never, under any circumstances, become a teacher. I have 6-7 more years before I can retire “early” with medical and a little less than 2/3 of my full pension, after 30-31 years of teaching at 56-57 yo. Teachers need to get their full pension after 20 yrs like cops and firefighters bc we go thru more trauma than they do. former cops who went into teaching have said that teaching is much more stressful than any situation they were ever in as a cop! 😱👀☠️

[ssdwired]

It's unfortunate that kids weponize their parents and record teacher "slipping" a joke or breaking character.

[Jay-uqbf]

I lucked out, I have one class where the kids are so good that the one bad kid left.

But I'm still considering leaving. I literally can't afford to be a teacher. I want a house and can't even be considered for these inflated mortgages