11 months ago
45
A Tennessee teacher announced her resignation at a school board meeting in a speech that highlights a crisis for teaching and for public education. Just nine of the 24 teachers in her grade at her school are definitely returning to teach at the school next year, she said, and while she identified low pay as an issue, she made clear it’s far from the only one:
Everyone seems to blame it on pay; while that is a big issue that is not the only issue. Student behavior is out of control. Teachers see admin ... backing parents over them. Teachers hear the message being sent at every one of these board meetings where we are called indoctrinators and seen as the villains, when all we want to do is teach. We have more and more added to our plate with nothing taken off. We are constantly being questioned by people who do not have degrees in education, by questioning books and curriculum—all while being paid less than surrounding counties.The end of this teacher’s testimony was particularly appropriate given her message to the school board. As she was trying to say that she was resigning, she was interrupted and told her time was up.
While that teacher identified specific local issues, like lower pay than surrounding counties, it’s not just that one school in Wilson County, Tennessee, having big problems with teacher attrition.
