This one hour special airs during Teacher Appreciation Week, so we not only honor our teachers but look at the issues facing the teaching profession. Hear from teachers in their own words what their days are like, hear from student teachers about why they chose this field and what they think needs to be done to alleviate some of the problems. We will ask the U.S. Secretary of Education what his plans are to help teachers. We'll also have some emotional "thank yous" to teachers in our communities.
55% of teachers say they will leave the profession sooner than they had originally planned, according to a poll of its members by the nation's largest teachers union.
The National Education Association poll, conducted in January, helps quantify the stress being placed on educators right now. It found that the number who say they'll leave the profession sooner has risen significantly since August. Among the NEA poll's other findings:
- 90% of its members say that feeling burned out is a serious problem.
- 86% say they have seen more educators leaving the profession or retiring early since the start of the pandemic.
- 80% report that unfilled job openings have led to more work obligations for those left.
As reported on NPR.org
According to the Wisconsin Education Association Council,
The number of students enrolling to become teachers is down 35% nationally, with some Wisconsin programs seeing even steeper enrollment declines.
The Economic Policy Institute estimates that by 2025 we can expect the national teacher shortage will result in roughly 110,000 fewer teachers than the country needs.
So what’s behind this teacher shortage? Some say low pay and the pandemic. But a teacher’s blog that has gone viral and even picked up by the Washington Post seems to indicate problems long before Covid.
Julie Rine Holderbaum is a high school English teacher at Minerva High School in Ohio. She wrote a blog after a difficult day of teaching and it was posted on the Ohio Education Association site. She received feedback on social media from around the country. Her blog was also picked up by the Washington Post.
Her blog is called "A Typical Teacher's Brain in an American Public High School on Any Given Day."
Will Montei is also an English teacher. He's been teaching for two years at Middleton (Wisconsin) High School and reacted to Julie's blog.
