Why aren’t there enough good teachers ?

There are many reasons why there are not enough good teachers. First of all, good teachers is a definition that changes depending on who you are talking to and enough good teachers is another vague perrameter. Overall though, the shortest of good teachers is based on many problems facing the profession today. Here are a few reasons; teachers are expected to get master's degrees, do training every year, deal with a bunch of changing expectations and then are rewarded with little to no respect in society, loans from college, ever diminishing benefits, low pay and pension funds that are being gutting by dishonest politicians and broken state agencies. Once a college student looks into becoming a teacher they encounter many discouraging pieces of the puzzle. Unions that protected teachers and provided good solid benefits, job security and pensions are under act by many groups. As a result, the profession doesn't offer job security, good benefits and a good pension which basically made up for the low pay in the past. So, to answer your question, there is a lack of good teachers because the profession is not offering rewards or incentives to entice the best students to become teachers. The good students who do become teachers are often disillusioned by all the problems I have mentioned and leave teaching for other professions.

After my 30 years teaching, I mainly just agree with Andrew. Yet, as a teacher and librarian, I have gotten to use my kind of creativity to great extents and actually provided others with things they needed, whether they realized it or not, appreciated it or not.

Here are some old but still indicative facts:

The nonprofit National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) estimates that 300,000 veteran teachers retired between 2004 and 2008 alone. Nearly 50 percent of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years. Facts about the Teaching Profession - US Department of Education https://www2.ed.gov/documents/respect/teaching-profession-facts.doc

Hi Samantha:

I applaud you for wanting to go into teaching; especially because you want to be the "best" teacher you can be. I agree with the comments above and would like to add my response. My daughter is a new High School Math Teacher; one (1) year into the profession. It's been a tough year but she remains dedicated to the profession.

Pay vs. Investment: Teachers are required to be very educated. They go into debt to pay for a college degree, masters and doctorate. Their salaries don't match up to the level of education teaching requires.

Gender Gap: The teaching profession is heavily female dominated, especially for younger students. Ninety-seven percent of kindergarten and 85 % of elementary school teachers are women; gender parity in teaching staff doesn't occur until high school, when 50 % of teachers are male.

Location: Where you live makes a difference when it comes to salary.

Keeping Good Teachers: - -> https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/most-and-least-meaningful-jobs/teacher-pay-versus-job-meaning

Source: - -> https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/most-and-least-meaningful-jobs/teacher-pay-versus-job-meaning

I wish you the greatest success on your journey to become a Teacher. Our children could use your passion for the profession.

Best of Luck to You!

~ Sheila