Teachers and administration need to work together to help preserve the schools most valuable resources - the teachers.
According to the National Education Association, half of new teachers quit within the first five years [NEA Addresses Top Five Teaching Trends and Outlines "Portrait of American Teacher" 2003]. Two important questions to ask regarding this disturbing information are why do so many teachers leave their jobs, and how can schools help prevent this trend?
Reasons Teachers Leave Their Jobs
Some reasons teachers leave the teaching career are for things that are out of their control, such as low pay and the particular administration in charge at their school. Other reasons teachers leave their jobs include the work environment and the work load. Teachers often feel the pressure to teach to the test and to find ways to have every student in their classroom pass state standardized testing regardless of the ability of each student. Schools need to work together to resolve these issues that cause teachers to leave their jobs.
How Schools Can Increase Teacher Retention
Identifying the needs of the teachers in any given school is a vital first step towards increasing teacher retention. This can be done through surveys and individual conversations between the school administration and the individual teachers or teacher teams. Although it may seem like a lot of trivial complaints, schools should look through the answers for the key issues that the teachers are facing and find ways to provide resources and support to help prevent teacher burnout.
Teaching to the Test
John Adams once said, "There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live" [John Adams Web, accessed on January 15, 2009]. Teachers should strive to teach both educations each day, and although one is easily assessed through standardized tests, the other is not. Although there are strict guidelines that each school must meet thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act, teachers should be encouraged to not simply teach to the test, but to truly educate their students.
Lesson Planning Problems
Many teachers struggle to know what to plan, and how to write their plans. Put together a sample lesson planning booklet for each teacher, including sample lessons written in various styles. Included in this booklet should also be any school or district requirements for lesson plans. Ask for volunteers among the teachers to help those who desire additional lesson planning support, and pair them with those teachers who may need the extra help. Read more lesson planning tips.
Work Environment Issues
Administration in each school needs to take stock of the environment their teachers work in each day. A non-supportive principal or vice principal can be a huge problem for a teacher facing an issue with another teacher in the building. Take all issues seriously, and work hard to promote an atmosphere of support and encouragement. If requirements placed on teachers causes undue stress, changes should be made. when a teacher complains about something, take the complaint seriously, and look for ways to improve the situation.
Administration should beware of teachers who complain about an issue and then fall silent, returning to work despite an ongoing issue. These teachers will most likely begin to look for a way to leave their jobs, and the principal will be required fill the position. Teachers and administration should work together to find areas that need improvement and additional support in order to slow the trend of teachers who are leaving their jobs.
The copyright of the article Why Teachers Quit in Teacher Mentorship is owned by Jennifer Wagaman. Permission to republish Why Teachers Quit in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
A more aggressive view of why teachers leave their positions in my state
(NJ) is a direct result of the tenure system so highly valuable to teachers
unions. NJ teachers salaries, without experience, average $45,000. Most
NJ teachers earn $90,000 and school administrators, vice principals and
principals earn anywhere from $110,000 to $210,000. That's a guaranteed
salary, no matter what the economy trend happens to be. Most teaching jobs
are 180 days. A salary of $90,000 for 180 days of work isn't bad. That
doesn't count $30,000 health care plans. Nor, does it count pension costs
taxpayers are billed for. Everywhere in private sector, employees are
paying $25-30 per prescription. Teacher copays are $10 and they gripe
about that. Last year in NJ, the NJEA was lobbying to the tune of millions
of dollars for free taxpayer-paid health care upon their retirement. With all due respect, the real reason teachers leave their jobs is
boredom. Like any other job, it becomes rote after 5 years and teaching
doesn't have the opportunities of upward mobility as in government or
private sector. Teaching is what it is. Period. Teachers know going into
college their career is child oriented. If they weary of working with
children, they should have considered that before they started on the path
to becoming an educator. NJ's school taxes are 85% of the entire tax
bill. Teachers' salaries and benefits are 82% of that 85%. The entire
format of teacher jobs needs total revamping. In any other job,
performance bonuses and salary increases are based upon skills and
productivity, not longevity. No is there any job security. Teachers
pay for that job security they prize so highly. I cannot feel in the least
sympathetic. Many parents complain bitterly about the high cost of school
supplies. When a teacher is guaranteed an 18% contracted salary increase
over the life of a 3-year contract at 6% a year and salaries in private
industries have stagnated to that of salaries in 1971, the education sector
needs a reality check. Private sector employees are tapped out, working
longer hours than teachers ever will and pay higher health care copays.
Meanwhile, our retirement age is extended by the federal government to age
67, more than 5 years after a teacher has the option to retire. Fair? I
think not. No private sector employee wants to work till they drop just to
pay taxes that pay teachers salaries, health benefits and retirement.
Feb 10, 2009 6:57 PM
Guest :
I am a teacher and seriously thinking about leaving after 10 years. I am
not leaving because I am bored, but rather I am sick of dealing with the
public's opinions of teachers. I work MUCH more than the 180 days of my
contract, not to mention the continual traning I attend (at my expense).
Benifits is no longer in addition to my pay. After 10 years I make about
$65,000 in CA, and then I pay for benifits. For me, it isn't about the pay
though. I make a decent living and can afford to be a single parent.
Another reason I am giving serious thought to leaving is because of
NCLB. I am working my tail off trying to get students to pass these tests
and I care more than them or their parents. I have continual road blocks
with parents (including those that are "A" students"). I am
always trying to come up with more engaging activities to be looked at as
if I have lost my mind. I won't even get into all 9th grade students being
in Algebra or better when some of them can't even add 3, 4-digit
numbers.
Teaching is not what it was even when it started 10
years ago. I am no longer fostering students but trying to train robots.
It is hard to find motivation to try and find something new everyday. The
hardest part is watching kids that have failed over and over and knowing
that the 50 minutes I have them in a day will never undo the thoughts that
they have been telling themselves: I am a loser that cannot learn; I know I
am going to fail, so I am going to fail on my own terms. How can a teacher
fight that????
Feb 16, 2009 2:41 PM
Guest :
I have been teaching for five years and I am considering getting out of the
profession. I think I make a decent wage. My base salary is $39,000,
but I've taken on multiple advisory/leadership roles to boost it to
$48,000. I work too many hours which leaves me little time for my family. I
try to put my classwork behind me, but I can't. There is always something
else to do. I want a job I can leave at 5 p.m. with little or no
thought. The main reason I am leaving is because of the low public
opinion of teachers. Just because a person went to school doesn't mean that
person knows how to teach. It seems as if people think that they own the
teachers. I'm sick of the "I pay your salary" or "my tax
dollars pay your salary" comment. I'm also tired of the enabling
parent. The parent who emails or calls me to explain why "Jimmy"
is falling asleep in my class or who can't make it to school on time and to
request that I email her every day with an update on her child. I see 150
students every day; I'm tired. With that said, I really do love my
students. Most are funny, interesting, and intelligent. There are a few who
are apathetic and lazy and those make the days long and difficult. However,
it is the students who come to class ready to learn (not always the
brightest either) that I work for.
Feb 25, 2009 9:14 AM
Guest :
To say that teachers are leaving their jobs because they are bored is
absurd. As a 5 year teacher who has considered leaving several times
throughout the years, I can say boredom never entered my mind as a reason
to quit. Many teachers are not in the field for the pay. If that were the
case, the teacher shortage would be far greater than the current situation.
People leave teaching because they are burnt out. Imagine having 22-25
clients to manange simultaneously, every day. That's what teaching is
like...taking care of 22-25 (or in the case of middle school and high
school, 150-170) individual clients who all need the same thing, but need
it in a different way. I love my job and think it is the most rewarding
profession out there, but to say that you don't feel sympathetic for
teachers just shows how little people know. Go spend 30 minutes with an
elementary school teacher at the end of the day on a Friday, and tell me
that we don't earn our salaries. I'm sorry that your state has offended
you by paying teachers what they deserve, but if they got paid for
everything they do, I have a feeling you would be far more upset
considering our hours last far longer than the time we put on the clock
(and our salaries don't include overtime!). People always think the
summers "must be so nice" but what they don't realize is that we
are working during those times, too. The constant burden of paperwork,
testing, planning, grading, and teaching is very taxing on people and I
completely understand those who want to leave. People leave to find jobs
where they can be bored and not think, not because our job is boring.
Mar 10, 2009 2:36 PM
Guest :
I completely disagree with Eleanore. #1 Teachers in my state make
36,000 WITH A MASTERS DEGREE and a few years experience. Their insurance
is equally disappointing. #2 Discipline is failing and kids who have
"behavior disorders" are allowed to act any way they want and do
not receive punishment #3 Teachers are constantly "graded"
based on their students performance on the NCLB test. #4 Teachers are
losing the freedom to teach "their way" because of NCLB. Their
creativity and passion is drained. #5. Teachers in many districts have
little or no support from parents. #6. Teachers are given
insufficient time to plan and end up working hours at home to keep up. #7. Even if all of the above was not enough, teacher's never receive the
"thank you's" that they deserve.
Jul 26, 2009 9:13 PM
Guest :
I have been a teacher for eight years and I can honestly say that every
year is different and my students are different every year as well. There
is no boredom in my job. The real issue is that, after 8 years of service,
I am only making 37,000 and that includes my master's degree. The bottom
line is that I cannot support my family on this low wage. There are other
businesses that I can go into where my salary will double and that's why I
am choosing to leave.
Issues with school safety and teacher
respect are no help either.
Jul 26, 2009 9:33 PM
Guest :
"No private sector employee wants to work till they drop just to pay
taxes that pay teachers salaries, health benefits and retirement."
This quote pretty much sums up why so many teachers are leaving the
profession. After all of teachers hard work to make this statement is just
another slap in their face in the midst of all the negativity that teachers
encounter on a daily basis. My comment to this person would be simple -
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
By the way, no one is "working
till they drop" to support a teacher's "whopping" salary,
which accounts for a small fraction of taxes. Do a little research on
exactly how much money gets put into teachers' salaries - you'd be
surprised what you find out.
Nov 6, 2009 3:01 AM
Guest :
Not sure where Eleanore W. is getting her information about what the
average NJ teacher makes, but I can tell you from personal experience that
after working as a classroom teacher in the same affluent school district
for the past 32 years, I have yet to reach the "average" $90K she
states. And an 18% increase over a three year contract? Try 4%. Teachers
in my NJ school district have contributed to their health care costs for
over two decades. Another laughable contention is that teachers work 180
days. This is a job where the "home work" often exceeds 20
hours/week resulting in a 60 hour workweek. Several years ago I computed
what I am actually paid to work with a child in my classroom...
$2.50/hour! Less than half of what a teenage babysitter would be paid. If
public school teachers could freelance and charge parents by the hour to
instruct their children our salaries would triple. What job could be more
important than educating the minds of our future, yet the base salary of a
NJ teacher lags behind that of an event planner at Johnson & Johnson
or a toll collector on the NJ Turnpike. Those who seek to minimize teacher
compensation clearly fail to grasp the importance of offering salaries
commensurate with responsibilities. Good teachers leave this profession
because of low morale and misinformed people like Eleanore who continue to
drive the nails into the coffin of public education. Sherrie D.
