Blog Post: America is Losing Its Teachers

In about the twenty-first year of my career as a teacher I remember that an ex-student showed up one day to announce that she was thinking of pursuing a teaching credential after completion of her Bachelor's degree. She was talking to some of her ex-teachers to gauge their views of the profession. This was an extremely bright girl. She was getting her Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Yale. Her grades were as high as her potential. In the brief time she talked with me that day I didn't overtly discourage her from becoming a teacher, but I gave her a very realistic summary of what it was like to be a teacher and what it was really like to run a classroom and keep thirty kids focused. About eight months later she wrote to me and told me that she was joining a publishing firm. She opted out of teaching for a career. It was probably the wisest decision she made in her early career.

I am not anti-teaching by any means. But I will be the first to admit that the profession is very different from the teacher's perspective. Students, parents and other adults only get a limited view of what the profession entails. Yes, it is a noble profession in principle. Yes, we need bright and gifted people to enter the profession. But in spite of that, the attrition rate these days for people entering the profession is causing great concern. American education is losing teachers at an alarming rate. 20% of teachers in urban schools leave every year. Nationwide, 46% of all teachers quit before their fifth year. With more than half of our teachers eligible for retirement within the next ten years, we could be in serious trouble.

Educating our young people is crucial to our economy and our future. They need to also be competitive with young people all over the world. They need expert instruction and motivation. Even the Bill gates Foundation, which provides funding to improve education in our country lives by the mantra: "Having great teachers is the very key thing."

One of the reasons there is a lack of teachers is because those in the profession are constantly being demonized. When a teacher is in the news it's usually negative exposure. There is also a lack of respect for the profession. Every parent, adult and even administrators who have never taught in a classroom think they know how to teach and what to teach. They don't. One of the prime reasons that we have so many problems in schools is that decisions are being forced or made by people who have never taught. The results of that approach is evident in the failure of the system.

Teaching requires long hours and an extreme commitment. There is a lack of support within the system itself for teachers and the salaries are so low that 62% of all teachers have to take second or even third job to support their families. Teachers make 14% less than other similarly educated professionals.

All of these factors and barriers have been in place for years. If you talk to any teacher they will tell you that the students are the reason they are there or the reason they stay. Teachers do want to make a difference, but everything within the system now makes it nearly impossible to do that. Teachers are seldom helped, encouraged, supported or respected for what they do. It's no wonder people are leaving the profession in droves. Who wants to stay in a profession where you're not appreciated, nurtured or encouraged?

For further information on this topic try these resources:

"American Teacher" A new documentary about the rapid loss of American educators playing at AMC Loews in Santa Monica.