The Teacher Experience 2
Teachers are quitting, and it’s not just the money. In 2016, before COVID, the United States was projected to be over 110,000 teachers short of demand:
COVID does not appear to have increased attrition. In fact, for a short while, teacher loss diminished slightly:
Barnum, M. (2022, March 9). Uptick but no exodus: Despite stress, most teachers stay put. Chalkbeat National. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2022/3/9/22967759/teacher-turnover-retention-pandemic-data
The upshot? We’re still 110,000 teachers short in this country.
Should we care? To make up the shortfall, districts are employing strategies that do not serve students well. The qualifications of those in charge of your child’s future are diminished for example:
Podolsky, A & Sutcher, L. (2017, January) California Teacher Shortages: A Persistent Problem. Learning Policy Institute Fact Sheet. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/California_Teacher_Shortages_Persistent_Problem_FACTSHEET.pdf
Why are teachers leaving? It’s the stress and the culture, not so much the money:
Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2016). A coming crisis in teaching? Teacher supply, demand, and shortages in the U.S.. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/coming-crisis-teaching
Now what?
Can we attend to that dissatisfaction by building a more supportive school culture? An article in Edutopia (Miller, 2020) suggests we consider Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). While no panacea, when managed well a PLC can be “the lifeblood of innovation and risk-taking in school. When structured well, they can be teams that constantly learn together and work to discover what is best for students”.
Miller, A. (2020, January 3). Creating Effective Professional Learning Communities. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-effective-professional-learning-communities
The power of this idea?
It is teachers in the first five years of their career most likely to leave the profession. If we can stop isolating them in their classrooms and offer them the support of PLCs, then we may well be on the path to creating a more supportive school culture.
Your thoughts on this journal post are highly valued, as I continue to build and refine my perspective on schools and the school environment. Please share your own experiences and perceptions of the school environment below!