Teacher Shortages: Are we calling this a crisis yet?

According to a recent survey at K12.com, 48% of teachers admitted that they had considered quitting within the last 30 days. Of that number, 34% said they were thinking about leaving the profession entirely.

Northampton has had its share of turnover, as teachers have left mid-schoolyear.

K12 notes that teachers feel stressed and overworked. The covid pressures of the past two years have stretched many to the limit. Conditions in the education field in recent years have been demanding, but today they’re a recipe for burnout—which teachers experience almost twice as much as other types of employees.

The certification, specialization and requirements to become an educator also make it extremely difficult to expand the talent pool.

According to polling, fewer folks want to even enter the field. Who needs that much stress and hassle for limited financial compensation?

As more teachers leave, and fewer come on board, class sizes will increase, leading to an overall  lower-quality educational experience.

The problems facing our schools, especially teacher retention is nothing new. The question is whether school boards and administrators are going to be agile enough to pivot and address a situation that has been festering for years, and is only going to get worse moving forward.