Here We Go: Teacher Shortages 22-23

[iamwhatiseem]

It's hard to believe, but school starts in late July in some areas, early August in some, and as late as the week after Labor Day in others (who have been out of school only since the end of June). As predicted, many districts are scrambling to hire teachers and school staff: I can't say it any better than this article, which states that ONE Florida county alone has 500 openings:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Industry experts say the problem is pretty simple, nobody wants to be a teacher anymore. For multiple reasons, it’s seen less and less like a viable, fulfilling, career option.

The regional director of Teach for America said – the solution is simple – take steps to make teaching an attractive career once again.

Largest teachers union: Florida has 9,000+ teacher, staff vacancies for upcoming school year

The state of Florida is about 9-thousand teachers SHORT for the upcoming school year this fall – that’s according to the state’s largest union of education workers.

www.news4jax.com

I plan to keep this thread updated with teacher shortages around the nation and how districts are attempting to deal with the problem. Meanwhile, I'm sure it helps to highlight every hourly worker in a daycare who makes vile TikToks and screech about "Teacher groomers".

It seems we can't help but burn everything to the ground in 21st century America.

We started the year this week.
There are 120 positions short in a system of 13 schools.
47 of those are teachers.
No one in their right mind would want to teach today. Teachers are treated like 2nd class citizens in their own class room.
Students have all the power. Thanks to over protective parents, and especially the DEI boards using gestapo tactics to control every move and thought teachers have.
No way would I teach in the toxic environment that is the American education system.

 

[initforme]

So you think that someone would work hard to get a master's degree to get a job that only pays $37K a year? Really?

Here's their battle cries today

1). "nobody wants to work anymore"
2). "It's hard to find workers"
3). "There's a lack of work ethic today"

All of these of course are fake news.

 

[initforme]

We started the year this week.
There are 120 positions short in a system of 13 schools.
47 of those are teachers.
No one in their right mind would want to teach today. Teachers are treated like 2nd class citizens in their own class room.
Students have all the power. Thanks to over protective parents, and especially the DEI boards using gestapo tactics to control every move and thought teachers have.
No way would I teach in the toxic environment that is the American education system.

Pretty well said.

 

[flan327]

Extremists of both sides are a cancer on the nation.

No

People can so

Here's their battle cries today

1). "nobody wants to work anymore"
2). "It's hard to find workers"
3). "There's a lack of work ethic today"

All of these of course are fake news.

You ONLY speak for YOURSELF

CAPISCH?

 

[SweetSue92]

Actually, it’s triple above - and that’s for working only 10 months a year, AND for a young grad starting out. Let them take a summer job, and bring it up to the low 40s. That means two 23-year-old married teachers, or two young single teachers sharing, have a combined income of more than $80,000. Pretty good for that age.

You don't have to convince us. It's a free market. Again if it's such a sweet deal for the work involved, people will flock to it.

And yet

They're not

 

[flan327]

I plan on teaching

Just need to get my resume updated

 

[JoeB131]

Here's their battle cries today

1). "nobody wants to work anymore"
2). "It's hard to find workers"
3). "There's a lack of work ethic today"

All of these of course are fake news.

Are they, though? I'll admit, I have it pretty cush... I work behind a computer all day, and make a lot more than a teacher. Not that I am going to do back-breaking work at my age.

Now, I think part of that is that we see the advent of the "McJob", where jobs are designed to require little skill and workers are easily replaceable.

It's not like the good old days when you could work for a company for 40 years and enjoy retirements.

It's more like you change jobs every few years and hope to get a better job when times are good and don't get pushed back too far when times are bad.

 

[SweetSue92]

Details are negotiable. The main intent is to shift education from the agrarian model to a more modern year round model. In my state the number of student contact days is 180 and the number of teacher contract days is 200. I'd shift that to 200 student contact days and 250 teacher contract days.

The main intent is that there are is the opportunity for core semesters and and a remedial semester based on the needs of the student based on constant evaluation and positive feedback. That doesn't mean their can't be music (art, PE, etc.) classes during a students "core" semester.

And I will disagree, in our system [EDIT: meaning my state, yours may be different] "Music" is always and elective as it is not a core requirement for graduation regardless of what career the individual student may decide to pursue for post-secondary education or for employment.



What I said no where even comes close to your "well they can take lessons" comment.

Also note that the long summer break is broken up, so while the student have an addition 20 contact days, there are other breaks.

WW

And that's part of the problem. The Industrial Revolution Model--all our students do the same thing, so they all need the same classes. Sigh.

Also. Are we sure more seat time = more learning?

Really?

We can see how this works out when we go to professional conferences and realize we get more breaks throughout the day/week than we give students in school. Start at 8:30. Break at 10. Lunch at noon. Break at 2:30. Done at 4.

Yet we think if we make kids go LONGER, more OFTEN, somehow they will absorb more. The brain doesn't work that way. At some point it's unable, and shuts down. There goes the behaviors.

 

[SweetSue92]

We started the year this week.
There are 120 positions short in a system of 13 schools.
47 of those are teachers.
No one in their right mind would want to teach today. Teachers are treated like 2nd class citizens in their own class room.
Students have all the power. Thanks to over protective parents, and especially the DEI boards using gestapo tactics to control every move and thought teachers have.
No way would I teach in the toxic environment that is the American education system.

This in spades and a hundred times over.

Look at the way adults speak and act now. How do you think their children speak and act?

Who wants to do this for 35K a year and long, long hours?

Anyone? Sign up.

 

[WorldWatcher]

And that's part of the problem. The Industrial Revolution Model--all our students do the same thing, so they all need the same classes. Sigh.

"All our students doing the same thing"? Arguing a statement I didn't say.

Also. Are we sure more seat time = more learning?

Really?

To little "seat time" can mean to little learning.

To much "seat time" can mean burn out and little learning.

Can an increase of 11% contact time over the course of a year enhance learning? Possibly.

We can see how this works out when we go to professional conferences and realize we get more breaks throughout the day/week than we give students in school. Start at 8:30. Break at 10. Lunch at noon. Break at 2:30. Done at 4.

I can't speak for your school, but our students are typically in schools for about 6.75-7.00 hours per day with breaks between classes and lunch.

Yet we think if we make kids go LONGER, more OFTEN, somehow they will absorb more. The brain doesn't work that way. At some point it's unable, and shuts down. There goes the behaviors.

You seem to miss the point, two core semesters with the remedial semester. The remedial semester will target the needs of the student to ensure they can function at level and where lacking they will get the help them need to progress. It's not about "one size fits all", it's about tailoring the focus based on quantifiable data as to the students strengths and weaknesses. Teachers in the remedial rotation for that semester would have the flexibility to work with smaller groups with targeted need. It's part of a continuous improvement feedback loop.

I know it's different and can be scary.

WW

 

[flan327]

And that's part of the problem. The Industrial Revolution Model--all our students do the same thing, so they all need the same classes. Sigh.

Also. Are we sure more seat time = more learning?

Really?

We can see how this works out when we go to professional conferences and realize we get more breaks throughout the day/week than we give students in school. Start at 8:30. Break at 10. Lunch at noon. Break at 2:30. Done at 4.

Yet we think if we make kids go LONGER, more OFTEN, somehow they will absorb more. The brain doesn't work that way. At some point it's unable, and shuts down. There goes the behaviors.

Year round school is BEST

 

[WorldWatcher]

Year round school is BEST

Modern iterations of "year round schools", keep the teachers employed 10-months a year and student contact days the same. Basically just changing when break occur. That is not my revamping of education.

It's a slight increase in student contact days and making teachers true year round employees. The additional two months of employment would:

• Begin treating them like the professionals they are.
• Increase their compensation due to increase in contract period.
• Provide them with vacation accrual like other 12-month employees that they would then schedule.
• Most importantly provide for continuous review of student performance and a positive feedback loops for additional remedial attention if needed.

WW

 

[Lisa558]

Modern iterations of "year round schools", keep the teachers employed 10-months a year and student contact days the same. Basically just changing when break occur. That is not my revamping of education.

It's a slight increase in student contact days and making teachers true year round employees. The additional two months of employment would:

• Begin treating them like the professionals they are.
• Increase their compensation due to increase in contract period.
• Provide them with vacation accrual like other 12-month employees that they would then schedule.
• Most importantly provide for continuous review of student performance and a positive feedback loops for additional remedial attention if needed.

WW

I sooooo agree with this!

There are so many benefits, as you mention. First, as you mention, it treats teachers as professionals, all of whom work year-round. Second, since it increases their schedules by about 20% to full-time work, salaries would increase by 20%, raising the starting salary of “newbies” from $37k to $42K, which is close to the $45k* average of all college grads.

Then you have the benefit to the students. There would be the remedial classes in the secondary term for those who need it, and those who don’t could pick an elective - music, art history, etc.

This also frees up time during the primary term for the basic academics - math, history, geography, reading comprehension, and so forth - in which the U.S. has fallen behind other developed countries.

It’s a win-win. Too bad the teacher’s union would fight it tooth and nail.

*https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/College-Grads-Salary

 

[SweetSue92]

I sooooo agree with this!

There are so many benefits, as you mention. First, as you mention, it treats teachers as professionals, all of whom work year-round. Second, since it increases their schedules by about 20% to full-time work, salaries would increase by 20%, raising the starting salary of “newbies” from $37k to $42K, which is close to the $45k* average of all college grads.

Then you have the benefit to the students. There would be the remedial classes in the secondary term for those who need it, and those who don’t could pick an elective - music, art history, etc.

This also frees up time during the primary term for the basic academics - math, history, geography, reading comprehension, and so forth - in which the U.S. has fallen behind other developed countries.

It’s a win-win. Too bad the teacher’s union would fight it tooth and nail.

*https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/College-Grads-Salary

Imagine thinking that every student needs history 10 months a year but not even students who are going to be musicians should be in music class daily.

Welp. There it is though.

 

[SweetSue92]

Modern iterations of "year round schools", keep the teachers employed 10-months a year and student contact days the same. Basically just changing when break occur. That is not my revamping of education.

It's a slight increase in student contact days and making teachers true year round employees. The additional two months of employment would:

• Begin treating them like the professionals they are.
• Increase their compensation due to increase in contract period.
• Provide them with vacation accrual like other 12-month employees that they would then schedule.
• Most importantly provide for continuous review of student performance and a positive feedback loops for additional remedial attention if needed.

WW

Yes well. Last day in my district is June 10th. Teachers return August 22nd. So we are essentially already there.

 

[Lisa558]

Imagine thinking that every student needs history 10 months a year but not even students who are going to be musicians should be in music class daily.

Welp. There it is though.

They can take music lessons after school, like I did. It is more important to have a basic knowledge of history than know how to play the piano.

I’ve been hearing lately how poorly educated kids are who come out of government schools, so I put it to the test last week and asked a 20-year-old the following questions:

1) When was the Civil War?
2) Who was president during it?
3) When was World War 2.

Her answers were:

1) The 1700s
2) Jefferson
3) 1912

Public schools are graduating total ignoramuses.

 

[SweetSue92]

"All our students doing the same thing"? Arguing a statement I didn't say.



To little "seat time" can mean to little learning.

To much "seat time" can mean burn out and little learning.

Can an increase of 11% contact time over the course of a year enhance learning? Possibly.



I can't speak for your school, but our students are typically in schools for about 6.75-7.00 hours per day with breaks between classes and lunch.



You seem to miss the point, two core semesters with the remedial semester. The remedial semester will target the needs of the student to ensure they can function at level and where lacking they will get the help them need to progress. It's not about "one size fits all", it's about tailoring the focus based on quantifiable data as to the students strengths and weaknesses. Teachers in the remedial rotation for that semester would have the flexibility to work with smaller groups with targeted need. It's part of a continuous improvement feedback loop.

I know it's different and can be scary.

WW

I have taught in two states, in three districts, in twelve different buildings, for I don't even know how many administrators, thousands and thousands of students ages 4-14 over the span of thirty years. "Different and scary"? I taught 11 classes a day in a trailer with raw sewage underneath while pregnant.

Your scenarios don't scare me.

Please.

 

[WorldWatcher]

Imagine thinking that every student needs history 10 months a year but not even students who are going to be musicians should be in music class daily.

Welp. There it is though.

Are you purposely misconstruing the proposal or is it accidental?

There would still be government class yes, just as there are now. There would also be music classes just as there are now. Students would still take a variety of "Core" classes with various requirements for graduation. Students would still take a variety of "Elective" classes.

WW

 

[SweetSue92]

They can take music lessons after school, like I did. It is more important to have a basic knowledge of history than know how to play the piano.

I’ve been hearing lately how poorly educated kids are who come out of government schools, so I put it to the test last week and asked a 20-year-old the following questions:

1) When was the Civil War?
2) Who was president during it?
3) When was World War 2.

Her answers were:

1) The 1700s
2) Jefferson
3) 1912

Public schools are graduating total ignoramuses.

So you are saying that a student with a high aptitude in music should just let that go and instead memorize facts about history.

Americans have terrible ideas about education. Really terrible. Awful. They grew up hating school, they TELL me they hated school, but then they really think the best plan is to have school be the miserable experience they had.

It's unbelievable to me, but here we are.

 

[SweetSue92]

Are you purposely misconstruing the proposal or is it accidental?

There would still be government class yes, just as there are now. There would also be music classes just as there are now. Students would still take a variety of "Core" classes with various requirements for graduation. Students would still take a variety of "Elective" classes.

WW

I was responding to a different poster