I read this piece from The Wisconsin Examiner on the teacher shortage from Tim Slekar, a university professor. He calls the shortage an exodus and blames the accountability movement.
Here is the cause of the exodus:
Accountability—loved by Democrats and Republicans—has almost become a religious movement. In fact, the idea of even questioning the usefulness of test-based accountability can cause enraged panic in accountability zealots. “How will we know what children are falling behind?” “How will we close the achievement gap if we don’t measure it?” “How will we fire bad teachers without the data?” “How will we know what schools to close?” “What will happen to my lucrative consulting gig with test company X?”
Time for the hard truth. Test based accountability has done one thing well. Over the past 35 years, we have beyond any doubt, measured and confirmed the achievement gap. That’s it! Nothing else.
What is the effect on teachers? We want out.
Who designed such a pernicious system? Not teachers. They’ve been too busy trying to shield their students from the harm being dictated by policy makers and think tanks. However, all of that shielding has taken a toll and the number of demoralized teachers leaving our classrooms cannot be labeled as a simple shortage. It is an exodus.
How do I know it’s an exodus? Because I have surveyed more than 650 teachers for a book that I am writing. Well over 90% of these teachers have responded that they are leaving teaching, thinking about leaving, telling potential new teachers to stay away, seeking mental health services, taking anxiety medications and losing their own families because of conditions in the classroom created by a reckless belief in test based accountability by those in charge of education policy.
The sad reality is that the solution is so simple. End the era of accountability, give schools adequate resources, and just let teachers do their jobs. Our future depends on it.
From what I read here in comments, that over 90% number is about right.
The solution to let us do our jobs is that easy but the forces lined up against us have lots of money and are playing the long game to destroy us.
20 comments:
My 18th year, I'm getting the last 2 retro payments and I'm out.
The job sucks. The money, in a high tax and high cost state is below average. The abuse is neverending. Complete lose-lose.
This is the only job, where a qualified adult, with multiple levels of education, master's degree and more can be told by a 15 year old "student" to suck the dick of the student, and that is perfectly ok.
I'm waiting 20 years for a transfer to Staten Island. Uft is zero help. I too will be leaving shortly.
In NY, there is no teacher shortage.
People sip the kool aid and want to ‘change the world’
I should have been a garbage man.
There are plenty of shortages in certain su ject and geographic areas.
And then 40% quit in the first 5 years.
So, is there any chance we arent working 12/23? Would like to book a flight for the 21st in that case.
so here we are and another year of atr madness....the schools now do not even know who is assigned to their schools....you show up and the office says you are assigned where? what is your name? let the madness continue
What needs to be discussed, as was briefly written, is how many hate the job and why...
Call the Concierge 1:40 pm. Put the pressure on the UFT that we are not happy.
"I should have been a garbage man. " Maybe it's still possible. Go and try it. I also hear you can work for the MTA. Same pensions so you lose nothing. Bet you won't.
Fact is with all the whining the DOE has no problems getting people to work in the system. Talk to charter school teachers who would die for a UFT. The people commenting here are the 1%. Or the 13% who didn't vote for Mulgrew.
You are a misinformed Unity hack 2:22. 83% of the teachers did not vote in the UFT election. We know the election is over before it starts. We are not New York's dumbest.You are a a snake oil salesman and we ain't buying the bullshit.
Many come from different states and quit almost immediately. Many are too dumb to know that they are being screwed. Many have lousy chapter leaders. Many have chapter leaders who misinform them or tell them how lucky they are or how great each contract is. Then, you have those who got a bachelors and masters and dont want to start over. it s like when Mulgrew and CLs told us that we got every penny of retro...Yeah, sure. After 11 years with no interest. And if we quit we forfeit the retro. And the stock market has gone up $400 percent since the retro started in 2009. So what is the $50k they held worth to me now in real money. I guess they forgot to mention that.
Mixed metaphor, no?
So you're leaving after 19 full years? Might want to another year past retro to get your full 20.
For me and many I know, it's not the admin or the system--it's the "students" who have no interest in education, no alternative place to go but the streets or prison, and no accountability for their often grotesque and violent behaviors; this, combined with the not-so-new but increasingly virulent anti-white agenda makes staying untenable. That's why we are leaving.
Hope this comment passes the relevancy test criteria...
You’re wrong. Charter school teachers are 25 year olds who are holier than thou and are taught that the unions are evil. If I were 22 instead of 44, I would try for sanitation or the Mta
I’m pro-union but I hate teaching. 22 years will do that to a person.
I smile, say ‘yes, sir’ to the admin, pass everyone and am a complete yes man. I’m a terrible teacher, but a good employee.
In my 20’s, I fought tooth and nail and guess what? I was viewed as bitter etc and hated by admins.
I’m in surviva mode. Day to day. This is not a career.
That is bs. There are so many atrs and new hires each year.
Zero shortages.
Even in the Bronx, they hire new bleeding heart liberals who want to change the world only to be burnt out.
@7:41 I am in my 18th year too, I highly recommend finishing your 20th year and then go out so you can get the bonus increase to your pension.
Of course nobody wants to teach:
- cant suspend students
- no accountability
- charter schools take the better students
- meetings and administrators who can torment you
- students who are not at the top DOE schools seem not to care about anything
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