Ep 17. The Teacher Shortage and Why Teachers are Not Ok

In today's episode, I discuss the teacher shortage and recent teacher stories in the news. The first step to overcoming an obstacle is admitting there is a problem.  There is a huge problem with the state of teaching and although it will take time, I believe a solution is possible. 

Announcement:  Starting in June, the UX Teacher Prep Podcast will be released biweekly.  Our next episode will be June 11th.

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Transcript

0:00

Hello teacher friends, Coach Zee here. And we need to talk. My heart has been very heavy lately as I've listened to the news. And I see what's going on with teachers around the country. I dedicated 15 years of my life to teaching. And I've just seen the profession changed so drastically. And I'm so sad for teachers. Luckily in my new profession, UX research. I get to talk to teachers and I can still hear the passion in some of their voices, but at the same time, I feel the tension and the burden that they're carrying. Today. I want to talk about why teachers are not okay. Let's get into it. Welcome to the UX Teacher Prep Podcast. The ultimate destination for educators who aspire to break into the field of user experience and product design. Your host, Zee Arnold, a 15 year teacher turned UX researcher, is here to guide, coach, and mentor you through every twist and turn as you make your career transition into tech. If you're ready for a more satisfying career and lifestyle, and you want the balance to unleash your creativity, this podcast is for you. Now, for the show! Before I start, I want to announce that starting next month, I'm changing from weekly to biweekly podcast releases so I can provide even better content. It takes a lot of time to research and technical skills to produce a podcast. And I want to make sure this podcast is sustainable and continues to bring me joy and you have value in the process. So starting in June, we'll switch to a twice a month. Cadence. Okay. So now to the show, Teachers are not okay. And the world is learning more and more. What's going on behind closed school doors. And that's why there's a teacher shortage. Teachers are leaving or being forced to leave. And no one wants to take on the burden of a teacher position. Because they're hearing what teachers have been going through. No sign-on bonus. No stipend. Is going to work to bring in new teachers and no promise is going to retain those who are already in place. It's really a sad, sad situation. The teacher shortage is affecting the education system profoundly. I did a simple Google search of the word"teacher". Click to"News". And these are the headlines that came up. All news stories from this week."English teacher at posh Dalton school. resigns amid accusations of sex abuse by her former student.""Former Pittsburgh public school teacher found not guilty of sexually assaulting student."Maryland teacher under investigation, reassigned out of classroom after video shows students un braiding hair, painting his nails in class.""Arizona teacher retiring over frustration of students not putting down phones; addiction worse than drugs.""Woodglen teachers, parents frustrated with district as several educators won't return next school year.""North Carolina teacher turnover is rising; why experts say pay alone isn't the solution.""Las Vegas substitute teacher accused of child abuse dies after posting bail.""Visa program draws foreign teachers to a rural Alaska school district facing a staffing crisis." Teachers are not okay for so many reasons. Every incident I just mentioned is a different situation. And I'm no lawyer or an investigator, but it seems to me that teachers are going through it. So it feels like with all that's happening in the news about teachers and all they're going through. The teacher shortage is inescapable. It's going to take a lot more than grit and passion to keep teachers in the classroom. So why are so many teachers leaving the profession and what can be done to improve the situation and retain more teachers? First of all the teacher shortage has reached critical levels, but it wasn't until the pandemic that people really started to realize how bad it was. Here are some of the top reasons why there's a teacher shortage according to a 2022 report. By"The Learning Policy Institute". The first is the most obvious reason, and that is low compensation. Teachers are underpaid compared to other roles that require this same level of education. And by the way in New York City, you need a bachelor's degree to teach. But I know that's not true in every city or state. Then there's a burnout. Teaching is an extremely stressful and demanding job that involves long hours, high stakes testing. Which is used to rate teachers. And it's a job that you have to take home with you because there's no way you're teaching five periods a day, doing coverages for absent teachers, eating lunch, et cetera. And still having time to plan prep and grade before 3:00 PM. There was a survey done by the American Federation of teachers. And it found that 61% of teachers feel stressed. Always or often at work. Next is the lack of support and resources. A lot of teachers rely on Teachers pay teachers and similar websites. to find resources and have to spend their own money to buy resources like copy paper pencils, loose-leaf anchor charts for their classroom. Because the teacher's choice money just isn't enough. And sometimes teachers have to turn around and build their own curriculum. Now imagine being a new teacher with little guidance and having to create your own curriculum from scratch. Not good. And honestly, a lot of the PDs that teachers are sent to are insufficient, the best PDs I've been to, or the ones that were hosted by fellow teachers and handpicked by the teachers themselves. Another reason for the shortage is a large class sizes. Classroom management is a skill. It's an art. When you have over 30 students in your classroom at once, it becomes extremely hard to manage that while also teaching a lesson. You simply can't control the behavior of so many students at once. Even 20 students is a lot to manage. Every child has a mind of their own, and it takes time to practice to become an expert at classroom management. And only a small percentage of teachers get to that place. Students are acting out in class for so many reasons. And some of those reasons are out of teacher's control. Teachers are not guidance, counselors or therapist. They're not trained to do certain types of work. They were trained to teach and report. That's it. And recently there's been an influx of students with special needs and differences. And second languages and not enough trained staff to support those students. So what's causing all of this. Schools are struggling to fill positions. Which leads to those large class sizes, because you don't have enough teachers to cover the classes. And honestly, a lot of districts are hiring unqualified people to teach. or lowering the standards for incoming teachers and. even substitutes. No offense to substitutes, but a lot of them are not qualified to teach in the classroom. But it's like a catch 22, because how rigorous can your hiring process be? If no one wants to take the job. It's just crazy. And this obviously affects the quality of education that students receive. So now you have teachers getting frustrated because there's not enough support for them. Or students. And students are failing and then teachers are leaving because they're being blamed for it all. High turnover rates means that schools are constantly in hiring mode, which is costly and disruptive. New teachers need time to become effective. So that constant turnover stops schools from developing experienced teachers. I think back to when I was a teacher and in my experience, teacher shortages led to a bad school climate. That was always the result in the end, because those of us who were left. Had to take on extra periods and there was more burden on us, which is stressful. And honestly, that's why I held off on leaving. The classroom until closer to the end of the school year. When I finally decided to leave the classroom, I waited until after I had prepped my students for their state exams, because I didn't want to leave that burden. on one of my colleagues. It's a lot and it didn't feel right. If you're a teacher listening right now, you know that these factors are affecting you and might be the reason why you're thinking about leaving as well. Now there's nothing that you or I can do to change the situation right now. But there are some things that can be done in the longterm to make things better for education. I say this over and over again. Teaching is no longer sustainable. Yes. You'll still have some new teachers joining the workforce, but they won't stay for longer than a few years. So there are four things that can be done in the meantime. And I sincerely hope these things happen sooner than later for teachers. The first is increasing teacher salaries. Competitive salaries are crucial for educators. States and districts need to allocate funds to make sure that teachers are paid fairly. This is a big factor. That's going to attract new teachers and retain experienced ones. The second is improving the working conditions for teachers. The first part of this is reducing class sizes. And I know there's already been some movement towards this in New York City with the help of the union, which is great. Also providing adequate planning time during the school day and making sure that teachers have the resources they need. To support students and to get their job done effectively. Teachers shouldn't have to hide and hoard copy paper. Third is meaningful professional development. Investing in ongoing professional development helps teachers grow in their careers and stay engaged. But admin needs to ask teachers what they want to learn more about and let them self reflect and choose the PD. That's most meaningful to them. They're going to be more likely to implement what they learned. When they can choose their own learning paths. And the fourth change is addressing student behavior and mental health. School districts have to provide teachers with training and resources to handle diverse classroom behaviors and student mental health issues. This is something that you don't learn when you're getting your degree to be a teacher. You have to learn in the field as things come up. That's when you learn how to deal with them. And something has to change there. I taught middle school for 13 years. And let me tell you. When it came to student behavior and attitudes, the students were teaching me. I was not equipped to handle half of the incidents. I found myself facing in the classroom. So this type of training is going to alleviate some of the stress that leads to teacher burnout. One thing that comes to my mind right away is something that I hear in the news over and over again. And that is teachers dealing with students. Inappropriately using cell phones during class time. How do you address that as a teacher, without getting into a standoff with a student? The truth is every situation is different and it really comes down to knowing your students. Personally, I believe cell phones should be left at the door. When students enter the school building to avoid these types of confrontations. But not every school has this kind of policy. It's a lot. You have to have adequate staff and procedures in place to make this work smoothly. One thing's for sure. Schools definitely need more guidance counselors to alleviate the burden. On teachers. The teacher shortage is a very complex issue, but it's not an issue that can't be solved. It's going to take some time and strategic planning from educators, administrators, parents, policy makers, and the entire community. I really hope to one day see a major overhaul of the education system and for teachers to be proud of the work they do and the pay they receive for all of their hard work. I also hope to see more positive news in the media about teachers and all the great things they're doing for students and their communities, because great things are happening. If you're considering a career change, remember that your skills as an educator are valuable and transferable. You're more than a teacher and you deserve to work in a place where your expertise is valued. Hey, thanks so much for tuning in. If you liked this podcast, hit follow and scroll down to leave a five star rating, then share it with a friend. If you're looking for resources to help you on your tech transition journey, head over to uxteacherprep. com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram at uxteacherprep for daily tips and motivation. Have a topic you'd like to hear addressed on the show? Send us a DM on Instagram. If you're listening on YouTube, like, subscribe, and share. Until next. Next time, be well.