Why 1/2 of the nation’s new teachers can’t leave the profession fast enough

This article hits the truth like a hammer hits a nail. I have been an educator for about 10 years. For many of those years I tried to get my own class room. One major obstacle in my way is our Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. This man has been cutting education for the last four years. While I have been trying to get work, they school system has been firing teachers.—Firing them every year for the last four years or more, to save money. When Brownback got re-elected I realize I can expect four more years of the same. Election night I threw in the towel. Enough is enough.

One thing this article points out is “lack of support by leadership.” I have found this to be a problem in my job as a substitute teacher. There just isn’t any sense that the leadership of the school system is going to back us up or support us when we need it. I am familiar with almost every problem in this article. It is as if I wrote this myself, but I didn’t. This article correctly points out that BOTH George W. Bush AND Barack Obama’s reforms have hurt teachers rather than help them.

-សតិវ​អតុ

So from Conversation ED:

By Kathleen Jasper

A mass exodus is happening in k-12 education. Research shows that 50% of new teachers leave the job before year 5. That number is consistent across the country and represents a giant chunk of the workforce. According to study conducted by Alliance for Excellent Education, teacher turnover costs the US 2.2 billion dollars annually.

When asked about this costly phenomenon, Dr. Atkins, the assistant superintendent of Lee County Schools, one of the largest school districts in Florida, mentioned that his district’s strategic plan included goals to reduce teacher turnover. He also mentioned the first step to achieving these objectives is to understand why people leave – a key element that was missing in years past.

It took me all of 10 minutes to find that key element. I didn’t need a fancy strategic plan or alengthy research study. I simply asked 10 teachers, with various years in the system and at different levels, the question, “Why do you think 50% of new teachers leave teaching before their 5th year?”…….

…….Consistent across all teacher responses – lack of support by leadership.

As we ring in the New Year, how about a little self-reflection? Perhaps, the problems start at the top with the nation’s education commissioners, superintendents, directors, principals and assistant principals.

For the rest click here.