Diane
What is the outlook for education as we are experiencing teacher shortages?
I am a teacher in a poor, uneducated county. I am gravely concerned for our education system, especially as people are leaving the field...not entering it. It is so difficult to certified teachers in our areas that almost all schools in our county have people teaching full time, but they are still in the middle of their studies. #teacher #education #shortage
2 answers
Jeffrey Keller
Jeffrey’s Answer
I think I can speak a little to your question, being a teacher myself who came from the private business sector prior. Education isn't going anywhere. For one, we can see from the COVID crisis, how many families are severely dependent upon the education system to both teach their children and take care of them during the day while the family adults work. Simply from a pragmatic view, the World would need an economic overhaul for there to be a substantial revolution to education. Now, with all that said, education will evolve, both in content and in delivery mode. Virtual instruction is only going to grow, especially for families with adults who want their children to be better than they are. Virtual instruction provides learning opportunities outside of formal classroom timeframes. Think Mathnasium and other tutor programs. Only now you won't need a brick and mortar building to teach. I believe that aspect of education will only grow in the future. I also think asynchronous learning will start to take hold. Think Linkedin Learning, Lydia, others. Right now, classrooms are structured to teach the average student in each class. With virtual formats, students with needs outside of the average (below or above) can be given learning opportunities that match the pace of their individual learning.
With regards to low income schools, I think there's going to be a consolidation of District to take advantage of economies of scale. I work in the 10th largest school District in the US, and it encompasses an entire county. Most school districts aren't even close to the size of the one I work in (175,000 students). Because of its size, it can do an enormous amount of things. Merging smaller school districts allows for lower administrative costs. It also allows for bonds, grants, etc to go directly to the actual learning and not have to subtract anything for management of it. They would also have a much larger base to pull taxes from. It just makes sense. However, this won't happen without a fight from some contingents in the country. So it won't happen anytime soon.
I realize this is a long answer to a fairly short question, but being a teacher yourself (new or not), I think you can understand a lot of what I said. Stick to your principles and passion for educating others. As the saying about storms goes, "It sometimes gets worse before it gets better."
Lissa Collins
Lissa’s Answer
Unfortunately, your county is not the only one facing a teacher shortage in this country. Some other problems faced by public education are the emergence of public charter schools and online education programs that draw students to their programs. One reason for the teacher shortage in particular areas is school districts that do not offer a competitive salary. However, education overall is not going anywhere. To secure employment be sure to become certified, perhaps in multiple contents, to remain relevant. You can also supplement your income by becoming a private tutor. These days you have to be creative. In addition, attend school board meetings and voice your concerns, as well as speak to your local political representatives.