No one goes into teaching in order to become wealthy. Though teachers may have as much or more education than other professionals, all they really desire is a stable middle-class existence. Raising salaries surely helps in that regard, but if the district and the state try to make teachers into robots, they'll leave the profession.
Part of the problem of worsening teacher shortages is the education degree itself. Schools of education are a self-perpetuating morass of both super-trendy and outdated ideas taught by those who look down on aspiring teachers. Rarely are graduates prepared for today's classrooms. Further, students who enroll in those courses show less and less scholastic ability, truly problematic for education's future.
"Data from the Commission on Higher Education shows South Carolina's colleges and universities have seen a 30 percent drop in the number of their graduates eligible for teacher certification — in just four years. New and better financial incentives might not be enough to attract more teachers and keep them in the classroom."
"The SC Education Department committee solicited feedback from educators about why teachers leave the profession. Among the 197 responses, the most common complaint, after teacher pay and a lack of classroom support, regarded the demands of assessments and accountability."
"'What we know from having taught is not valued, and they’re constantly changing what they think should be taught in the classroom,' said former first-grade teacher Mary Ellen Woodside, who ended her 40-year teaching career at the Charleston County School District in June. 'There's less and less time to do the things that we know matters most at that age.'"
If the creative side of teaching disappears, teachers will also. It's already happening.
Maybe you think a computer screen or robot will do just as well. We may find out.
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