Where Have All the Teachers Gone?

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I sit in the parent center at the school where I do my practicum and I watch the students and the teachers walk by.  The children are smiling, laughing, hopping on the squares (when the teachers aren't looking); they are on their way to specials.  The teachers are not so energetic.  They are stressed and they are tired.  You can see the wheels turning as they walk by, planning what they need to get accomplished during this "break".

We are facing an impending teacher shortage in our state and in this country with teachers leaving the field in record numbers, and young students entering college not even considering the field of education.  As Educational Leaders, what can we do to head off this all too soon coming crisis?

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 25, 2016 at 5:50 AM

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  2. UnknownJanuary 25, 2016 at 5:52 AM

    New teachers have expressed how much they are overwhelmed with the daily mandates along with the amount of required assessments and the overall teacher evaluation system. The overall complaint is that the load is too much! We try as an administrative team to go into classrooms to support as much as possible by teaching lessons, reading aloud, protecting their planning time as much as possible etc.

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  3. UnknownJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:49 PM

    You are correct in asking where are all the teachers going? In my school quality teachers are leaving due to state mandates. This year alone we are losing teachers. One who is retirement age and the other two are walking away because they can not take it anymore. It's hard to see effective teachers walk away after 20+ years all because they can not take it anymore nor do they care if they receive their full financial benefits. If nothing changes real soon, Georgia is going to have a serious crisis.

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  4. HollyEliseJanuary 31, 2016 at 6:00 PM

    We cannot change what the government is placing on teachers. Well, I guess we could through voting leaders in, but, we can change the climate and culture of the school. Teachers are stressed, overwhelmed, and sometime feel under appreciated. As leaders, we are able to change that thinking within our own building. Work alongside them, offer support, put things in place that will help with tasks that require additional time. We begin Wednesday collaborative planning sessions. Grade levels come together with the instructional coaches and administration to plan lessons. This allows the teachers to work together and utilize resources in the building. The response has been positive.

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