The truth about why teachers are leaving the profession, and what we can do about it
We know there is a teacher shortage in the education system. Today’s teachers are leaving the profession in staggering numbers. The gap between the open positions for teachers and those going into the profession is growing wider every year, and it is starting to reach alarming levels for educational leaders.
In the latest episode of the Clearly Christian podcast, we talk with Scott Barron. Scott is the Chief Reinvention Officer for School Growth LLC. It is his job to determine how we can reinvent what it means to be a teacher and to deliver excellence in the classroom, especially when impacted by change.
The premise for the episode is laid out in two important Chalkboard Points. If you’re taking notes (and you should be!) here they are:
Chalkboard Point #1: Excellent schools understand that success depends on the teacher. In the face of a national teacher shortage, educational leaders have to understand what it's going to take to effectively lead, inspire, and encourage those teachers in our classrooms today. Chalkboard
Chalkboard Point #2: Kindergarten through 12th Grade schools are some of the most complex organizations in our society. There are so many variables that impact student outcomes and the school culture. Excellent schools require a team of professionals who relentlessly are devoted to that mission and profoundly trust each other.
Scott Barron references time management for school leaders. He says that it is known that teachers are the most valuable asset for an effective school, “And yet,” he says, “…administrators spend, on average, less than 5% of their workweek focused on building their people”.
Dr. Smith laments a desire to be a “coach”, without the mandate to do so. He compares a school to a business or a career, where “coaching” is expected and welcomed to grow and advance. But in education, “22, 23 and 24-year-old educators are assumed to know exactly what they’re doing because they have those education credentials”.
Perhaps most embarrassing for the educational community, and perhaps a major contributor to the teacher exodus is the disruptive behavior in classrooms. “They're not just teaching a curriculum. They're also having to raise children”, says Scott Barron. “They're having to teach discipline. And in many situations, in many of our government schools, they're having to feed kids and do a lot of social, emotional development, other things that.”
Add in the disruptive behavior in the classroom and on social media against teachers that today’s society seems to encourage and you’ve got an environment that is not conducive to effective teaching or encouraging for those who have chosen teaching as their career.
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For more information about Dr. Cy Smith and the Clearly Christian Education movement, click on ClearlyChristianEducation.com. If you’d like to join the movement with partnership, funding resources, or ways to impact your own region's Christian Education opportunities, contact Dr. Smith today at 419-756-5651, ext. 218
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