Let’s stop doing the usual and start changing our perspective.
It should surprise nobody that the pandemic made the long-standing teacher shortage even worse. The controversies surrounding school closures, combined with divisive politics and finger-pointing served only to throw salt on the wounds of a profession undervalued and underpaid.
Let’s be careful not to mistake the recent hype and media attention as an actual solution to the problem. While national headlines draw renewed attention, there still appears to be a less-than-substantial response to the core issues of respect, honor, and compensation.
Thankfully, there are at least a few reporters who actually gather facts and then point out our common mistakes. In her opinion article published by The Hechinger Report on August 16th, 2022, Anne Lutz Fernandez sums it up nicely with her recommendation to ‘stop making matters worse.’
Here’s a quick rundown of her advice to STOP the following:
- downplaying the problem
- punishing teachers for leaving mid-year
- donating donuts
- piling on additional responsibilities
- loosening state requirements
- offering signing bonuses
Each of the above points is further unpacked with rationale and understanding.
In short, the mindset we currently hold is a big part of the problem. Try adopting a new one: We DO NOT have a shortage of teachers; we have a shortage of good teaching positions.
TRiGroup’s Advice:
- Read the full article by clicking HERE. It’s well written, only takes about 5 minutes, and really helps re-shape our perspective.
- Express your support for more respect and more compensation both inside your schools and on the larger county- and state-wide platforms.
- Here’s an additional article from The Hechinger Report about bad politics in other states.
- Here’s an article about what’s actually happening with Board elections in California.
- Keep the pressure on our CA State Legislature. This year’s increase in public funding is much-needed and well-deserved, but with an economy as strong as ours, we need funding increases like this one for many years to come.