Sunday Musings – July 24, 2022
Solving the teacher shortage
Many states in these United States are experiencing a teacher shortage. There is certainly a myriad of reasons for such shortages. Many legislators and bureaucrats seem to think the primary reason is the relatively low pay, especially when one compares that pay to that of the median income of what it takes to maintain a relatively decent standard of living with a minimum of frills. Yet most know that the primary reasons most men and women enter the teaching professional is because of their love of teaching; of sharing the excitement of learning.
Pay is a concern of teachers, and many will direct their unions to continue to fight for salaries and benefits which allow teachers to take care of themselves and their families. They will also direct their unions and legislators to ensure that public school are funded well enough that it is not assumed that teachers will spend their own limited resources to purchase needed supplies for their students.
As important as these concerns are they are not the primary concerns of most teachers with whom I talk. The primary concerns of most teachers with whom I talk are,
Written July 24, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Solving the teacher shortage
Many states in these United States are experiencing a teacher shortage. There is certainly a myriad of reasons for such shortages. Many legislators and bureaucrats seem to think the primary reason is the relatively low pay, especially when one compares that pay to that of the median income of what it takes to maintain a relatively decent standard of living with a minimum of frills. Yet most know that the primary reasons most men and women enter the teaching professional is because of their love of teaching; of sharing the excitement of learning.
Pay is a concern of teachers, and many will direct their unions to continue to fight for salaries and benefits which allow teachers to take care of themselves and their families. They will also direct their unions and legislators to ensure that public school are funded well enough that it is not assumed that teachers will spend their own limited resources to purchase needed supplies for their students.
As important as these concerns are they are not the primary concerns of most teachers with whom I talk. The primary concerns of most teachers with whom I talk are,
- Respect: Trust the teachers to be the well-educated, skilled, caring individuals they are. Allow them to challenge the students while respecting individual struggles. Do not pass laws or rules stating that the goal is to teach only those facts which do not run the risk of making students uncomfortable. Their job is to teach: to challenge the students to stretch their thinking and knowledge base. That is often uncomfortable.
- Funding. Respect that public schools should be the top schools for all the students regardless of economic background or special needs. Quit diverting public school money to private schools. Also, do not base funding on property taxes or other means which is going to guarantee that schools are unequally funded.
- Areas of responsibility: Ensure that there are school counselors who have the time to counsel on emotional needs of the students and who do not have to spend all their time with testing or vocational counseling.
- Inclusivity: Do not attempt to put teachers in the position of pretending that it is acceptable to discriminate against children actively or passively because of sexual orientation, gender identify, race or other identities or constructs.
- Sexual activity. Children of all ages are sexual. Certainly, post pubescent children are more hormonal but children at a very early are acutely aware of whether they are identified as the wrong gender or attracted to same sex - opposite sex or both. Children get pregnant. Sadly, some are raped, often by a family member. Passing laws which restrict access to abortion and other services affects the teacher’s ability to teach.
- Parenting. Just because individuals manage to successfully introduce a sperm and an egg does not make them good parents. They may or may not know what is best for the child. Often the teacher and other school staff are the best equipped to make decisions for children, not the sperm or egg donor.
- Religion: Public school should be open to all children regardless of their religious background, beliefs or lack thereof. Prayers representing one religious tradition have no place in public school. Do not force teachers to pretend otherwise; to pretend as if all United States citizens are or should be Christian. It is fine if a teacher is Christian but he or she cannot assume that they should force their tradition or beliefs on students or other teachers.
- Flexibility: Trust teachers to adjust teaching plans to meet the needs of the students while challenging them to grow. Insisting that all lesson plans be pre-approved, published and available for the critique of school board members and parents is not respectful of the teaches or students. If a lesson plan is not giving the students what they need to learn, then the teacher must be allowed to adjust the plan without fear of being reprimanded or even disciplined.
Written July 24, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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