Teacher Crisis

Quality teachers are in high demand, but it seems as though there are too many unqualified teachers teaching in many classroom, especially in lower income districts.

The problem is complex, and there are many reasons that high quality teachers, or highly qualified as the government requires. One of the reasons is because teachers are leaving their jobs. A small percentage are retiring, although many will be retiring within the next ten years since the average teacher age is 44. The higher percentage are leaving because of job dissatisfaction or in search of higher paying positions.

Many of the low income districts have a severe teacher shortage, because of the harsh environment, low pay, and low moral. These districts are the ones that need highly qualified teachers probably the most. So instead of quality teachers, they are left with teachers who are not as effective, often times not qualified in the area they are teaching, and sometimes have no teaching certificate at all.

The solution is to offer better teaching programs, so teachers are more prepared and effective in their classrooms when they first enter the work force. Many community colleges are offering programs for educators and many states are offering state wide articulation agreements, so one doesn't lose credits from one college to the next. This makes it more affordable for many people, and they have the advantage of taking many of the required classes in a smaller classroom environment where they might get more help from their instructors than in a large classroom at a University. Community colleges are all about teaching, so the students learn not only the materiel but the effectiveness of teaching styles.

It is imperative that new teachers have the skills and knowledge before they enter the classroom. The learning of the children depends on it. New teachers need to take advantage of the tools offered to them while in their first few years of teaching, and throughout their teaching career.

With the higher expectations placed upon teachers, it seems that many states are providing many different ways to grow up better teachers, and make teaching a more appealing job.