The Five R's: Teacher drought hurts
Do I need to run down the figures in the California teacher shortage? Like the drought, it’s been coming for a few years now. And like the drought, we stood by and watched and did little to nothing as the teacher pool dried up.
Most sources seem to think the recession that forced the state to raid the education budget in 2008 onward led to layoffs in the teachers ranks. The dedicated and talented educators who received pink slips found jobs in the private sector and apparently aren’t coming back.
The number of college graduates entering teaching academies and programs is half of what it used to be, according to a report by the Californian Commission on Teaching. It noted that in 2013 there were fewer than 20,000 students enrolled in teacher preparation programs, less than half the number in enrolled in 2008.
The movement to reduce classroom sizes so teachers can reach more kids with more time to do so is in peril.
Schools are in emergency mode, scrambling for warm bodies to fill the shortage and hiring well-meaning but uncredentialed and untrained people. Some of them vow to do what it takes to become credentialed but they aren’t there yet.
So what kind of education are our children receiving in those classrooms?
Do you think you’d get an honest opinion from the administrators who hire the temps in training? Are they merely placeholders until we come out of the drought?
The best, most effective teachers are those who are expert in classroom management. No one can teach or learn unless there is control in the classroom. In my opinion, no one should step into a classroom to teach unless they have mastered that discipline. Otherwise, the climate is unstable and that’s unfair to the student and teacher both.
In the meantime, what options are there for school districts to fill the void?
I spoke briefly with George Lopez on Wednesday night at the Alisal Union School District board meeting. He’s a veteran teacher and president of the Alisal Teachers Association. Alisal is experiencing a teacher shortage, too. I asked Lopez what grade he teaches. He’s not in the classroom this year. He’s an instructional specialist, The Five R's: Teacher drought hurts:
