I've been hearing a lot about the ongoing teacher shortage, and it seems like this year might see even more teachers leaving the profession than in all the previous years of the pandemic combined. What do you think it will take to resolve this problem? I understand that one significant factor is the bullying that teachers face.

More time off.....

They brought it upon themselves. I have no sympathy for them.

There is no teacher shortage in the Frisco school district, too many teachers chasing too few jobs.

Starting pay is $59,000 for a new teacher with no experience and they only have to work 184 per year.

They brought the shortage upon themselves? Makes no sense. I normally stay out of these threads because I am biased, but this statement piqued my interest.

No way I could do it.

My wife is an English major from UNT. She was a nanny for many years then decided to go back to teaching. While studying to get her Texas teacher certification, she’s been adjunct teaching 6th grade reading for the past 6 months. Subbed for a year before that. She learned she passed her first of 2 exams last night. She is studying day and night for the 2nd and final exam.

Teaching is a calling. It certainly isn’t the money. She doesn’t even need to work, but it’s something she is deeply committed to doing. The school is Vivian Field Junior High in Farmers Branch. Has its share of low socio-economic factors, trouble kids, crappy parents, but she makes a difference is kids’ lives- without indoctrinating them with hooey.

It’s a calling. I am immensely proud of her. Teachers are special and you should be thankful.

Bad parenting is mostly what’s caused it. Hippies and millennials don’t value respect. And without respect as a basic foundational value in the classroom, the job becomes extremely difficult.

With the ridiculous talk of vouchers and other efforts by people who know nothing about public education trying to end public schools, it’s inevitably going to lead to more talented people being less likely to choose education as a career path, which will only make problems worse. On the $50k salary teachers make, they can no longer buy a basic car and $125k home and raise a family. The only way to teach is to marry someone rich or be content being poor. Most bad teachers do it for the time off and benefits. Most good teachers do it for the love of the kids. But poor parenting is making the job exponentially more difficult, and the lack of respect for the profession overall in the general public is pushing this latter group into other fields.

In my 17 years as an engineer, my salary has gone from $50k to over triple that. My wife’s 17 years in education have seen her salary go from $45k to $68k. Can’t imagine why we are having problems finding people to do it…started 10k behind and now 100k behind.

So the pay sucks and the job is starting to suck is the short answer. Lots of people like Greg Abbott with no clue about anything thinking they understand or just trying to punish an entire group for the sins of a few aren’t helping either.

How do we fix it? Adjust salaries for inflation like other industries have (my salary has gone up 50% since 2020 with no change in employer or role), allow admins to support teachers without fear or lawsuits, and get liberal nonsense out of classrooms completely so the profession can regain the respect it once had.

Me either. I couldn’t do it before the last 20 years downfall in parenting. Now I’d last a day or two before telling a kid to stfu and be fired.

My wife is thinking about coming out of retirement to teach SPED. She would still get her full retirement check, plus the 30 year tier salary, and the school district would have to pay into her retirement fund. All in, she’d be making around $140,000 a year, plus benefits.

The schools are so desperate for licensed SPED teachers that she is getting interviews. Haha.

I agree there is a teacher shortage...I thought they'd be taller.

So you are saying teachers Took Prayer out of the classroom, took the Ten Commandments out of it also, and Discipline/Corpora Punishment, Dress Codes, heck kids can't even be expelled very much any more. And that doesn't even include having to Teach to a Test instead of just teaching the students plus all of the Government Paper Work that has to be completed.
Dang, now I remember why my wife retired as soon as she had enough points.

Never see tallages anymore. I blame the RINOs for that

Watch it now - I went to Field. Might have changed little since 1971 when I moved on to HS. I have said many times, the worst two years of my life were Junior High.

JR