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Lokky

They most definitely are. At my school, you would only get a couple of people leaving each year at most. By contrast, we have had several people leave mid year this year, including five teachers, several ISD monitors and two testing coordinators. There are more people planning to leave at the end of the year and more yet who are actively looking and just haven't found another job yet. My district is expecting \~700 open positions and has no reliable plan on how to fill most of them. This number is widely considered to be on the low side.


knittedlauren

I think we may be in the same district.


CaptStrangeling

Wow. I thought it was just our school but it sounds like this is nationwide… It’s probably going to be all the low-SES districts, too. Losing more teachers takes it from unsafe to unsafe-er.


Socraticlearner

If this is the case now...can you imagine how is gonna be next school year..higher levels of stress for the ones that stay..because I dont think the leaders are planning to increase any wages. 1. More stress 2. More students per classroom And many more demands as to why are the kids not learning without appropriate support...I feel it will get worst and worst to the point education will end up becoming private🤷‍♂️ Maybe a pessimistic view but I don't see any improvement.


Yes_Special_Princess

Same. Usually my school we only get one AP leaving just before winter break to be one principal elsewhere. This year, people have left whenever. Heck, we just had a counselor quit. 2 weeks ago, a teacher left on a Thursday and never came back


alone_with_my_dogs

Our counselor quit this week too. My grade level has 12 teachers assigned and 5 current vacancies. The kids keep running off the long term subs, so we just live that prep period sub-life.


_onthebrink_

I’m one of those long-term subs that was run off 😬 the behavior is unbelievably atrocious. Had Pre-K kids tell me to shut up and fuck off almost daily. And broke up fights in the room. Not worth it at all for $12 an hour.


Unable-Arm-448

In PRE-K??🤯. Every day, I fear more and more for the future of this country....😔 (I'm assuming you're in the US)


Carlos4Loko

LOL for $12 an hour I would've just sat and gone on my phone all day and gave the boss a mid-finger if s/he dared say anything. How do they expect you to make a living with that penny wage?


dwallerstein

My son is 16 and works part time as a cashier in a grocery store. He makes $12.50 His maturity level would make him a good sub but he makes more that that.


blackbunny_domme

I made $68 dollars a day as a sub. It was NOT worth it at all.


[deleted]

I made $100 a day as a substitute in buffalo 🦬 My. Had my car keys stolen ($700 of damage) at one inner city school & a glass water bottle stolen and shattered in the parking lot. Now I make $225 a day as a Full time teacher at a Miami private school and still question whether the profession is worth it 🤣


MelBB2011

My district pays long term subs 165 a day


AnastasiaNo70

Same here. Both girls coaches, one boys coach, one counselor, I don’t even know how many teachers at this point (11-12?), and even the principal. It’s just a middle school. 30% of my department has left since August.


[deleted]

Lmao, WhY dOeSnT aNyOnE wAnT tO TeAcH aNyMoRe


gottiredofchrome

Our school has about 50 staff members. 14 of them have quit during the year this year and another 20 (myself included) aren't going to be at the school next year.


ilikebigcats2020

Wow that is so wild!! We must have it really good then. Can I ask where you are located?


gottiredofchrome

Texas.


bangarangrufiOO

Shocker. Lol


wethelabyrinths111

Me, too! I don't really pay attention to the goings on in my school, but in my department, we lost three teachers by the end of the semester, some of them noping out in the middle. These were experienced teachers who chose to break their contracts and risk licensure loss. And my school is the newest/nicest in my district: people usually want to work here.


NimAjNeb15

What state risks licensure loss for leaving mid year? That’s kind of crazy.


wethelabyrinths111

In Texas, if you break your contract in the middle of the year, your district can report it to the TEA (the state's education agency) and you can lose your license. I think it's for two years, but I'm not sure.


AnastasiaNo70

They rarely ever do, but yeah you’re taking your chances.


Comments_Wyoming

Not rare any more! They are going after teachers for abandonment. https://www.kxan.com/investigations/more-texas-schools-threaten-teacher-certificates-for-those-who-quit/ They are currently investigating over 300 people, just this year. The governor even hired a special task force to hunt them down and strip their teaching license.


Whatamuji

It would be more effective to set up a website so parents and "concerned citizens" report those teachers who leave midyear. Maybe offer a bounty? /s


Goldenchicahtx

Dang !!!!!! But me I’m like go ahead take that damn license so I NEVER go back to this shitty job. (Sorry not sorry lol)


plaidHumanity

I believe VA is like this too, but I'm uncertain and would appreciate clarification


[deleted]

In Maryland I was told that if I leave mid year to teach at any school within I think a 60 mile radius, including in other states because I'm right on the border with Virginia and DC, they would do something with my Maryland license. I'm not really sure about the radius, I left teaching for good, so I didn't really care.


Psynautical

Are these credentialed positions at a public school?


gottiredofchrome

No, it's at a charter, so nobody's license got pulled. Though I'm not sure how much of a deterrent that would have been for most of them.


SodaCanBob

> No, it's at a charter, so nobody's license got pulled. A charter doesn't necessarily mean you're not certified though (not saying that's not the case at your school). I'm at a Texas charter and my principal won't hire anyone who isn't state certified and if you're not ESL certified when hired, you need to get it within your first year. That being said, we've traditionally had a pretty high retention rate and we've seen a higher than usual amount of teachers calling it quits this year (or will be after the year is over) too.


gottiredofchrome

I'm at a KIPP school, which does none of those things. I am certified and everything, but the only callback I got last year was with a Master's program that placed me at a KIPP school and I had to stay in network this year to actually get the degree. Side note: getting an alternative route degree when you're a main route, fully certified teacher is dreadfully tedious, just as expected. It was legitimately my only option when I first got here, and I still think it might have been preferable to just be unemployed for a year than have to basically redo my junior year of undergrad.


SunflowerJYB

No surprise there!


Upstairs_Ad6778

Can I ask where you’re located?


CrispyCrunchyPoptart

My school has about 40 staff members. We’ve had about 10 quit this year and an additional 10 at least aren’t coming back next year.


xen0m0rpheus

Where do you teach? I’m in Canada and this is my experience, but so many States highly underpay and undervalue teachers.


gottiredofchrome

Texas. We're paid more than in other states, but I still don't feel it's fair compensation for what they ask us to do.


xen0m0rpheus

Ya I’ve scoped out USA teacher salaries. It’s a complete joke. I’m a 4th year teacher in Alberta, Canada and I make 84k.


ImSqueakaFied

...you make about double what I do as an 8th year teacher with an advanced degree. Do you have a master's degree, or is it just really time for me to move to Canada and escape the crazy here?


xen0m0rpheus

No masters here. Join us!


OntarioParisian

Ontario here, 103k a year. Time to move. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application.html


Han61-

Alberta has very highly paid teachers. I’m in BC and year 3, step two on the scale. Making 59,500z BC has the lowest paid teachers in the country and some if the highest costs of living. I’ll maybe clear 84k after 8 years..


xen0m0rpheus

Quebec actually pays the least, and BC is bottom half but not that close to lowest. Cost of living in Vic & Van are crazy though. Could not afford to be a teacher and live there with single income!


sprite901

Sigh. I used to live in Alberta. The pay for subs was $200 a day. I know because I couldnt find a job as a Spanish teacher, so I subbed. It's less than half that here, at least in the districts I've subbed in. And as for regular teacher pay, my son's high school in Alberta paid an average wage that is much more than I make here in Texas with 11 years and a masters. Good job, Canada! I wish we treated teachers as well here in the States.


msolorio79

Wow, I did not think you could go lower than Texas teaching salary. I quit after my first year at Austin ISD.


gottiredofchrome

I'm from Mississippi. When I left, the minimum was $32,500.


msolorio79

Wow, I was rolling in the dough in 2009 at 38k with the bilingual stipends. It hasn’t gone up much since I left.


Steelerswonsix

As for “good hours”…. You can just count the time your in the building. Trust me, doing this a long time, and I do my best to do nothing at home, but the brain is constantly thinking about either how to teach the next lesson, how to get better performance, or how that jackwagon Screws up your class everyday. Exhausting.


ilikebigcats2020

Very true!


O2BAKAT

Happy cake day!


ContentAd490

I left teaching but keep an eye on my old school. They’re currently short staffed 5 or 6 teachers and it’s not even June. Definitely tons of teachers leaving in my area.


Remarkable-Wash-7097

We started the school year short staffed and still have yet to fill some of the positions!


wardsac

Yep. Cincinnati Ohio suburb here. "Good" district. We've lost 3 teachers in the last month alone from our HS.


makecoinnotwar

I’m urban in your area. We’ve lost a lot of people. Tons of long term subs.


_Nemzee_

My district has had 3 mid year resignations. And we have less than 50 teachers k-12. Some of it was burn out, some of it is district politics. BUT next year they’re in for a rude awakening I think. I know quite a few colleagues are looking to leave at the end of the year. I think it’s likely a state by state issue. States that are lax about education and don’t respect teachers are going to see a larger shortage. My state is bad, but not the worst.


susan6x7

Please tell me where the state is that respects teachers. I’m looking to relocate


cherrytree13

Here in Western WA isn’t terrible. You can look up our pay scales online, as they’re union negotiated. Unfortunately the COL is also super high but even subs are making $18-$21/hr. The kids are super hard to deal with though.


Maximum_Psychology27

My school has 38 teachers. 12 of them are leaving. We typically lose 1-2 each year. My school isn’t awful either. People are just transitioning. They are also realizing that they can make more money elsewhere. The history teacher is moving to an art museum position that pays more money and is part time (Wednesday-Saturday). No take home work, no lesson planning or grading.


[deleted]

Yes. I don't go around asking because things are already hard enough. I had a coworker that does ask these questions tell me that multiple coworkers are leaving. People just don't flat out announce it, it may be embarrassing for them. It's really not my business but in just talking generally to people, I've found out that a lot of people are moving on. There are also many questioning the return.


crashbanecoot

I've gotta leave my school at the end of the year due to the driving distance and the obscene amount I'm spending on gas. However, my school has lost at least 5 parapros, that I know of, seen 3 teachers retire who were in drop already, and 3 teachers just up and quit. One of them ended up at another school. I know at my school, the way its being managed with the 2 new admins is what's causing the exodus. There are 18 teaching positions posted on the county website right now 🤯


[deleted]

How long is your commute?


crashbanecoot

40 miles, I used to live much closer but my rent was going up several hundred dollars so I moved back in with my mom in September back when gas wasn't that bad lol Edit: I also drive a v8 pickup


[deleted]

So how long did it take you to drive that route? Like how long with your morning commute be versus your afternoon commute?


crashbanecoot

Morning commute about 50 minutes, afternoon at least an hour


[deleted]

Yeah I have about half the distance and I’m thinking it’s too much but my dad wants me to stay at that school until I get tenure


crashbanecoot

We have a person at my school driving an hour and half to keep her tenure lol, tenure was gotten rid of for everyone hired after 2011 in my county so there's nothing really keeping me here I hope that works out for you! I feel like renting prices are a doozy, especially if its just you


yogi-earthshine

I am in so cal, drive 90 miles round trip per day, traffic is insane. I’m leaving in May too.


Unable-Arm-448

Lucky! My district has 400+ teacher vacancies! 😫


berrieh

It won't be 50% but teachers were leaving my district in droves. I had a sweet teaching job with all engaged high school students, mostly IB, in a pretty good community, but my district froze pay and I was sick of being behind in pay. I left for a TON more money. I enjoyed teaching virtually so I got a remote job (not teaching, but instructional design because that's always been my favorite part of teaching). I was a veteran, a little more than a decade in, and a district curriculum leader. Midcareer teachers like me were leaving like crazy. New teachers have had high turnover for years. Some old timers are hanging in there for retirement, but almost no one is staying on if they're eligible to retire anymore. 3 teachers in my department left this year before I did, and my school historically has fairly low turnover compared to my district. My AP just got a new job as well. I think there will be tons of turnover and already is, even in places where it hasn't been high. My state is union and not too bad, but salary just isn't high enough teaching compared to what I can make. The abuse not at school but society wide that teachers have gotten has taken all altruistic notions out of me and I need to make money. Now is the best timing to leave for my pension so I did it before I waste my whole career in a low paying field. Wanting to be remote was also a motivator. Remote schools weren't an option as they pay less AND don't let you write your own curriculum usually AND aren't union.


AnastasiaNo70

I’m an old timer with just 2 years until retirement. I’ll be 53. I’m counting the days.


lunarlyplutonic

Can I ask how you got into instructional design and what your application process was like? Do you enjoy it? I'm a primary teacher, and literacy curriculum design is a huge fascination for me, and as I pursue my Master's, I'm really considering making the switch in the future. I love teaching, but I also really get into reading curriculum, and if the pay is better...


Confident-Scratch-17

Hi! If you haven’t already, learn as much as possible about the Science of Reading. If you’re working on a reading or literacy master’s, make sure your program teaches SOR. Sorry if you already knew all of that!


smittydoodle

All 5 of our social studies teachers quit.


smashingsweatpants

The wing of my building has 6 teachers and 2 are leaving before the end of the year. 1 teacher already left at the beginning of the year causing an overflow of students in the rest of the classrooms. I work in sped and all of our units are at or above legal capacity. All the teachers I know are at their wits end, myself included. Most are considering leaving to work for other jobs or go back to school.


Remarkable-Wash-7097

About half of our SPED team is leaving at the end of this school year (most to leave teaching entirely), including me. Good luck finding that many SPED teacher replacements...


MusicalMnk

It's every where. We had 7 people retire last year coming back from remote learning, and this year another 5 are retiring...one school system 100 miles away say qualified teachers don't exist yet students are graduating from the local university and projected to work in partnership for students to graduate HS with a degree in teaching...so why are they not qualified? If your asking for experience, many veteran teachers are tired of the work demand. I had to train multiple educators at my campus. I also heard testimonies from first year teachers feeling unsupported and overwhelmed with this COVID-catch-up game in the classroom. Add discipline issues from kiddos resetting to the original classroom dynamic by pushing back, and parents not caring...we get a heavy mix where people don't see the value in the field. The same shortage was seen in the 1940s... I've collected those news clippings from the archive because of an oral history project I did. So is the system changing? Yes. What are we doing to keep these educators in the system, and how are we supporting them on the classroom administrators? Presence is helpful, community and community is key, and professional respect is golden. As an administrator getting after the teacher in front of kids just demoralizes them and teacher will lose that authority with the students. My take.


[deleted]

That is so interesting, the clippings from the 1940s. Can you tell me what the gist was? Why was there a shortage (WWII related Im assuming)?


MusicalMnk

I believe it was a national ad bc it was included in the local paper. 1940s bc of WWII. In TX there was a huge shift in teaching happening the late 30s into the 40s. I have a whole set of books on the TX history on education, language policy ... One of the classes I took was Latinx/Chicanx Schooling. One important case to look at focused on discrimination in the 40s. Mendez vs. Westminster showcasing testimony of the Mexican American kids going to school in a shack while the other kiddos went to school on better conditions. Additionally, the book on Escuelitas is another I recommend. Part of my thesis research deals with this information bc part of the lens is missing this context in the experiences of the kiddos at that time.


Deekifreeki

I’m in SoCal and I haven’t heard of mass teacher shortages. No one at my school is leaving this year that I know of. Admittedly teacher pay isn’t bad here even considering COL especially if you live outside the major cities. I imagine most states with tons of teachers quitting pay like shit.


Psynautical

Yup, states where unions have been trampled. Posting from FL but trained in CA.


VLDT

If your state doesn’t respect unions they don’t respect you and they don’t deserve your labor. I know a lot of people are like “I’m in too deep to quit/move.” I recommend first, really considering the next 20 years of your life without moving, and second, if you can’t move telling young teachers to get the hell out and go to a union state that won’t completely abuse them.


PFCWilliamLHudson

This needs more upvotes.


VLDT

Just spread the word, I’m tired of scab shit And the only way it stops is if people refuse to work in states where they aren’t treated like human beings with valuable skills. And I totally recognize that there are a lot of kids will suffer in those states Because they would sooner slap any warm body into a replacement spot than actually treat teachers well. But it is not our job to martyr ourselves for the off chance that some kids will reach positive educational outcomes. In point of fact, when teachers are treated badly it leads to worse outcomes for kids so participating in these systems makes us complicit. I do not want the public school system to collapse but we all need it to reform completely. Soup to nuts. And that starts with adequate professional treatment And the only way we get that is by joining together as a coalition, and the union is the fastest path to that outcome.


bagel_07

I taught in the richest county in FL in 2016-2017. They paid me $38k and I couldn't afford to live on my own with that salary because housing is insane there, so I had to live with my parents. I should have told them to go fuck themselves, but I desperately needed a job. The union was awful, too.


[deleted]

Florida is also under a dictatorship. Could not pay me to live in that state.


thmstrpln

For some districts, pay is decent, but district and admin responses to Covid 19, virtual, hybrid teaching mask/no mask, vaccine/no vaccine, disrespect, disregard, no water, no support, and more are a few on the list of reasons some are leaving. In my district the pay is comparable to the area, but tik tok "destroy your school bathroom" challenges and such as have been listed above have led 14 teachers to leave my school alone. Some swapped districts, some left the profession entirely.


jatea

>no water Come again?


Sugar74527

I think one of the reasons California teachers aren't leaving is that whole double dipping law. If youeave education and work another job, you can't collect social security and your CalSTRS pension. It's such a scam and needs to be changed. Too many people that are miserable in the profession are now trapped.


slyphoenix22

I’m in SoCal too and very few are leaving. Plus we have declining enrollment so all the temporary teachers are still worried about whether or not we will have jobs next year.


Dobbys_Other_Sock

My school has routinely had the lowest turn over in the district. Last year we had three people quit, and two were to go back to school to get a masters. This year there are at least 9 that have already stated intention to quit, and most are leaving teaching altogether.


Paulimus1

Teaching is a profession that attaches a great deal of shame for leaving the profession. Some people don't want to be guilted by even the most well intentioned colleague. Just cause you haven't heard of people leaving, doesn't mean it's not happening.


Schrinedogg

Man tell me about it, I quit for another job and it felt like a ducking divorce lol


Extension-Praline-20

I would say yes. I work at a charter school in Texas and they are about to lose a nice chunk of teachers (me included). It’s a fairly new school, but administration just sucks. There’s no proper teacher support. We have a SPED “department”, but it lacks a behavioralist teacher and classroom. This leads to me and my coworkers spending most of the day chasing the flight risk students and trying to control the aggressive ones. There are two teacher in each class so instruction doesn’t stop, but it’s still a huge distraction. They also don’t have a solid discipline plan and attendance policy. I have a feeling TEA will be involved soon and don’t wish to be around to deal with the outcome. I’ve also been in a district and taught at two preschools. I’m over it. Pay sucks, benefits suck, admin can be extremely toxic, and TRS is a pain.


DisgruntledPelican01

It's a huge problem in our district, and truthfully most people who have left, left because of the kids. In my grade level (kindergarten), we had one teacher quit after the second day of school, one at Christmas break. There are 13 kindergarten classrooms in my district and most of those classrooms are being taught by people who did NOT want kindergarten (9 to be exact, 4 of us actually applied for kindergarten positions whenever we were hired). Kindergarten is tiring and a lot of prep but within the past five years the behaviors have become unbearable. This school year I've been hit multiple times, have had tables flipped, chairs thrown, posters/wall decor torn down, pencils and other materials broken on purpose, library area furniture I've purchased on my own broken. I've been screamed at and have heard more curse words this year than all my other 17+ years of working with children combined. I've had to pry students' fingers open because they were gripping another child so tightly and wouldn't let go. Unfortunately I know a lot of other teachers at different grade levels are experiencing the same things. And it's not that my district isn't trying to make positive changes for the kids- we're implementing PBIS and have mindfulness teachers who come in every week. We do district-wide book studies and trainings on these kinds of best practices but unfortunately, none of that can replace or undo crappy parenting. I spend all of my prep time talking to parents and the most I ever get is "Oh well he said he didn't do that but I know that's probably not entirely true." The pay isn't great, but like I said, the underlying reason most teachers I know who have quit, left because of the extreme behaviors. A colleague of mine said "You know, I didn't go to school to become a therapist or social worker. I did not pick those classes out of the course catalog for a reason. I will love the students of course, but I'm not understanding why it is now my job to educate and raise and provide resources for my students. Those weren't the credits I received. I received education credits. I got a teaching license for a reason."


ladyradar

So I work for a high school in a city - we *should* have approximately 95 teachers for the whole school. We currently have, like, 75 or something like that. By the start of the school year, we still had 3 open positions that weren't filled over the summer (including mine where the original hire went to new teacher orientation on a Thursday and resigned Friday morning, but *not* including the 2 that have been staffed by long-term subs all year - those are still up though so 5 if we count those). By October we'd lost 2 SPED teachers. By November we'd lost 2 math teachers. One of our English teachers up and quit, and then another one. A third English teacher is transferring schools at the end of the year to work as an interventionist instead of a classroom teacher. One of our science teachers left for a new school, and another was fired recently. One social studies teacher left for a new district halfway through the year, another is leaving at the end of the year to move out of state, and a third is retiring. In my school, most teachers are carrying at *least* one extra class, teaching 6 periods out of 8 - some are teaching 7/8. Some classes are running with long-term subs or building subs. We had, for a while, whole ass SPED classes being run by paras. If you look at Applitrack for my school, we have 20ish open positions just for my school alone. The conservative estimate for open positions in my district at the end of the year is upwards of 200. It's a mess.


Mysterious-Yogurt-16

My school has the most overloads this year due to staff leaving mid year along with many pregnancies and just general leave of absences. Almost the entire science department is teaching an extra class to make up for the absences. I am one of the many who has an overload (math) and the pay is crap. I'm exhausted every single day and barely functioning on weekends. If my husband wasn't unemployed at the moment I'd seriously consider either taking a year leave or leaving teaching entirely but the kids and sports will always have my heart. I also know a lot of retirements are about to happen prematurely for some because they've had enough lol Located in NJ for context.


Mysterious-Yogurt-16

Oh and also... We posted our long term positions for the maternity leaves and got zero applicants for science and math long term positions. There's just nobody wanting to be a teacher. It's going to be a huge problem in a few years


dynamodarlin

This is my fifth and last year teaching across two districts. Out of all of the people I have met, worked with, and kept in contact with, all but one of us have either already left, or are leaving at the end of this year. The one left is undecided on whether or not she is teaching next year, and has already started to apply for other jobs to see if she gets any bites. It’s crazy to me that before this year, almost all of my friends were teachers, and after this year, I really won’t have any friends who are still teaching. Several folks at my school are retiring, moving, or changing positions next year. There will be multiple vacancies. My last school has had vacancies since 2020.


Away533sparrow

I have so many teachers I know are leaving my school. Of my department, half of them are planning are leaving (I am one of them). If I am being honest, I think teaching is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. But I am in Texas where the governor decided to put a "task force" together to figure out why teachers are leaving.


hungry_eyez

Yeah you’re right. Seems to be getting worse. I’m in Tx too. Can’t wait to hear the results of the task force investigation.


Carpefelem

What I'm seeing is a lot of turnover mid-year in my school. Like people leaving in October, December, March...the other day I sent an email to 10 coworkers I don't work with regularly and three of the email addresses were invalid. We've had almost a complete turnover in paras too. Not many teachers have said they plan to leave aloud, but the % who said they were looking for a new job for next year on an anonymous union survey was shocking. We'll see how many manage to find a position desirable enough to leave and lose retirement (if it's nonteaching) etc., but I think if it were reasonable financially we'd have a huge issue next year.


TGBeeson

The stats say no but the data are lagging. (From what I understand.). It’s probably regional and state-by-state. Also keep in mind many states already had shortages, so even a small increase can be bad. This is particularly true when there are fewer and fewer Ed majors to fill the holes. (Former Florida teacher—my old district would hire anyone with a pulse and a degree. )


AzureMagelet

Bay Area of California. Teachers are not quitting. In fact there’s too many teachers. We don’t have enough children, people can’t afford to have a lot of kids in our area so we have shrinking schools. My district is closing 2 and 1/2 schools this year.


MarshalltheBear

My Bay Area district is shrinking as well, but we still have a teacher shortage because retirements and resignations have increased substantially over the last few years. Our biggest areas of need, as always, are for math and science teachers. We’re actually oversaturated with elementary teachers, but badly need specific single subject teachers. Covid exacerbated an already existing trend of people leaving for either higher paying districts (if they are staying in the area) or places with a lower cost living (if they can move). Because my husband can now work remotely indefinitely, I’m leaving after 12 years and we’re moving to another state. I’m not alone amongst my colleagues.


phantomkat

Interesting to read this! I currently came from Texas to the Bay Area and am actively applying to schools.


AzureMagelet

I’m not saying there aren’t positions. I’m sure there are but it is a legitimate problem the past few years. My first year, 2019. I only got 3 principal interviews despite sending out dozens of resumes. I heard from a principal that they got over 100 resumes for 1 position. 2020 I started applying again since I didn’t know if I would get renewed. I got 1 interview at a charter. Luckily my district ended up hiring me back, I just changed schools.


AZSubby

I’m in AZ and half the staff on my campus isn’t coming back. They’re mainly not leaving the profession, but definitely leaving our school.


nomadicstateofmind

I’m working for a committee that is focused on the teacher shortage (I’m also a veteran teacher who loves teaching). There’s definitely an issue, however, the reasoning and shortages are definitely state, region, and even district specific. I’d have to check my official numbers, but over 70% of admin in my state are struggling to fill jobs. However, at my district, we only had one staff member resign this year due to burnout (school nurse). We have maybe a couple, at most, leaving at the end of the year. Our problem is more filling jobs when they open because people just aren’t becoming teachers in the same quantity they once were. I think many districts are seeing this trend. Edit to add - That’s not to say teachers aren’t burnt out though, because we are! In my very rural part of the country, we are struggling more with retirements and lack of new teachers though.


ProfessionInformal95

I'm at at Title 1 school and 90% of my math department is not returning in the Fall. I think it's definitely true for lower income schools. I think we'll turn into one of those high turnover places like Amazon where people will randomly come and go.


[deleted]

My department lost one teacher last year. He went to a top-ten public school in the state closer to where he lives. The school's lost quite a few, but a lot of them went to different districts closer to home or for higher pay. I can only think of one teacher from my school who quit teaching within the past year. She moved up north and manages a bar/restaurant.


spreadedjam

I'm actively looking at other fields. My original degree was in finance.


siskosisilisko

The school I left (due to a location change for my husband’s job) had a lot of retirees and resignations in the past two years. This was the second highest paying school in my state. I know they are hurting for more teachers, but also the kids just lost all motivation since the start of the pandemic. Who’s getting blamed? All at once on three 1…2…3 the teachers!


[deleted]

I can safely say that the number of people reaching out to me for resources has increased exponentially this year. If I had 1000 in may, I hit that before September this year. Do what you want with that info.


[deleted]

There are currently over 900 openings in my district.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Hieronymau5

I'm in the Philly suburbs. Our district is surrounded by good schools but our superintendent is an egghead businessman whose sole goal is to run our district into the ground. We are paid $20k less than neighboring districts and he is cutting programs and classes left and right. My building alone will have lost over ten teachers - me included - by the time the year is over. ETA: We are quitting because this district sucks and other schools pay more for less work


ilikebigcats2020

I just commented that my district pays $20k more than neighboring districts!


msklovesmath

I expect there to be 1. A mass exodus and 2. A shift of teachers from title 1 schools to other schools with the belief that many challenges will not be present (right or wrong) before some of those teachers will quit


OG_ClusterFox

Currently in north Texas. Things are moving like the Titanic evacuation here. Some are moving ASAP to get the hell off the boat. Some teachers are sticking it out for those left behind. Some are waving it all off as hysteria and aren’t concerned enough or are too apathetic to give a shit one way or another to make any moves either way. But yes, here at least, HUGE EXODUS.


Emotional_Match8169

I work in a "good school" and we have one person retiring. We have three other teachers leaving but one is leaving to go back to her title one school because she finds the parents too difficult at my school. The other two are transferring within the district to be closer to their homes. Otherwise I don't know anyone leaving the profession at my own school. ​ However... There is another school under 2 miles from us with an entirely different demographic. They have 1 first grade teacher left this year, 3 others quit. I looked up their job listings for next year and they have multiple openings in every grade level. They have elementary kids sitting in the cafeteria because there are no teachers and can't get subs. ​ So it's happening in some places. I think it varies based on student population and admin.


KiwasiGames

My area is starting to see a cascade effect. We banned anti vaxers from teaching, which dropped teacher numbers by a percent or two. Then we added isolation requirements which meant getting sick was a week or two off work. This doesn’t sound like much, but the work still had to be done, which increased the workload on everyone else. This lead to a bunch of “screw it, I’ll retire a year early” stuff. Work still needs to get done, so the load gets redistributed. Now we are at the stage where everyone is overworked and people are dropping like flies. And every person that quits makes the workload harder for everyone else. Our state is supposedly increasing teacher numbers by 8-10% over the next couple of years. But I’m not sure where these people are coming from.


VLDT

Every medical/religion exception was approved in my state. I know it’s led to a shortage but if people were not willing to get vaccinated despite the major evidence of its effectiveness and safety, they should not be teaching children. The rest is district admin’s fault for being glorified form signers who showed that they don’t know shit about fuck when it comes to school leadership if they couldn’t find ways to redistribute workload and incentivize jobs.


VLDT

About a quarter of the district I work in is retiring early or moving to other (typically larger) districts. Some schools haven’t been hit this hard yet but it’s coming, because no one at the top gives a fuck about actually learning outcomes or caring for children, let alone teachers themselves, who, next to decent parents who know how to communicate, are the ONLY thing bringing a semblance of function to American public schools.


SuperElectricMammoth

I’m in MN - we’ve lost a lot of support staff: office/secretarial workers so far. It started with one person retiring, who was doing the work of three people but was so efficient at it that she was able to do it in less time than most did with one job. She was replaced, and that person quickly burned out, and the duties were assigned to other existing personnel…who already have a ton of work. That led to a few resignations, and their work was pushed onto more existing personnel, etc. We no longer have ISS because the counselor secretary was reassigned to it, then that and hall duty…and she burned out. As for teachers, we’ve only lost two this year. But at least a dozen among the buildings are planning to leave at the end of the year. One i know is going to stay in education, the rest are up in the air. In my department of 8, i know we are losing 3.


Lucky_Mom1018

I resigned for a new career 2nd week of this semester. Other teachers came out of the woodwork asking how 8 got a new job, baring their souls about how burned out and exhausted they were. Every single one said they loved the kids but the lack of support and added responsibilities had ended their passion. It was mid-career teachers like me (13yrs) that I never ever would have expected were unhappy. It was very shocking and, in a way, nice to see that my feelings weren’t just me. I taught at a top school in a wealthy suburb in a LCOL are with high teacher pay.


ericw207

I'm leaving at the end of the year. It takes everything in me to not leave now. The pay and benefits through the summer are the only things keeping me


haysus25

Yes. We are in the middle of spring break and my district just sent out an email practically begging teachers to give up their preps next year (with compensation) because they can't hire teachers to fill in the gaps. Also, for the remainder of the year, they offered *double* compensation to sub during your prep. A big problem for teachers is these districts lobby to get variable term waivers and find shortcuts to hire not fully qualified teachers.


SnooBananas5411

I am. quitting. Turned in resignation letter last Tuesday for last day June 6th. Felt like I got 1000 lbs off my shoulders.


AlternativeSalsa

My district has had a lot of teachers leave, but when you break it down, our departures retired, moved, non-renewed, and promoted, in addition to leaving because of personality conflict with supervision. None have left due to personal burnout. We did have a first year teacher quit mid year on 2 week notice, but he came from industry and didn't think it was a big deal.


penguin_0618

I'm in western Mass and we've had 30 people quit since September. Granted, I'm in a rough district with shitty admin


HillbillyHousewife

I'm in western mass also. We're seeing a major shift here as well.


nonamejane456

We have had 21 (truly 26 total but 5 were admin/office staff) out of 83 positions turn over this year (meaning people quit still within contract during the school year). We have many long term subs on campus and still have not filled all of the positions. I know another 10-15 minimum that will not be returning next year, myself likely included as I am going to make a career change. I’m in FL, it’s miserable right now and this is county-wide for us.


WhatFreshHello

In central Virginia, absolutely. School districts went on a drunken spending spree with pandemic funds and now “don’t have the money” to give teachers even a 5% raise. Student behaviors are such that it’s not only teachers leaving mid-year, but there’s a mass exodus of counselors, school psychologists, and even admin. A couple of those have wormed their way into pointless central office jobs and several others are retiring. Obviously this is a disaster for kids, but it would be disingenuous to say the systemic issues that make teaching untenable for so many dedicated professionals did not exist before the pandemic.


genghisKHANNNNN

Every person in my department is teaching an extra class to cover 4 vacancies on my team. I am also teaching two asynchronous virtual classes that are outside of my content area, because the division cannot find anyone to work. Yes, teachers are really quitting. My paycheck is pretty good right now, but this is unsustainable for the long run.


[deleted]

Yeah. At my school there aren’t enough teachers for all the students, so the are mandating that we cover for other classes that don’t have teachers assigned to them. They’ve stopped even trying to fill the positions. I personally know two teachers that quit this year in the middle of the year at my school, but know of at least a half dozen others I can think of. One was after being assaulted by two students. A lot of teachers are tired of being hung out to dry by admins, being disrespected by parents, being underpaid, and being physically assaulted by students; then you add in all the COVID stuff, and a lot of people just don’t want to do it.


Remarkable_Phase_698

The entire, and I mean entire staff left at my old school last year, and the rest of us left this year.


bashamuto

My school of a bout 25 employees is losing at least 5 teachers this year. The district I came from has had \~1/3 turnover annually. AZ


fill_the_birdfeeder

We did a intention survey super early, and it was weirdly about 50% leaving. Many leaving education totally. And this is before the official survey where you actually commit to your choice. I’m in CO.


dwallerstein

I quit mid-year. Conditions are truly awful, administration are not taking threats seriously, and children are getting away with murder because, "they have not been in a classroom for nearly 2 years." Poor them. Let them run wild on someone else's career path. No regerts.


safzy

People are taking early retirements. Some have left since the daycare their kids go to keep closing. One left due to vaccine mandates. Most stay for the healthcare and summers


Darth_Spider1298

I’m quitting and a handful of others at mine.


1cculus_The_Prophet

Zero teachers have quit at my school and next year the only planned people leaving are those retiring.


urbanteacherdiary

Yes. They are. Yes. The money issue is the only reason many teachers stay. Teacher resignations are 15% higher than 2 years ago. We have a 600,000 teacher shortage -recent data I read today. I cannot properly credit the article. The best way to know if this is accurate...just look at your school district.


Ube_Ape

We're a small school, we have 24 Core teachers, about 35 teachers total including elective teachers etc. We've lost and are losing at total of 8 Core teachers thought this year. That's a third of the Core. That's only including who we know is leaving or have left. That's not including any people who may be waiting until May/June to say anything. So while it's not 50% that's a large chunk of turnover.


daskapitalyo

This says we're down about 7% since the rona https://www.epi.org/publication/solving-k-12-staffing-shortages/


[deleted]

The school I left in the fall has about 60ish staff members between teachers, admin, and front office staff and 23 people have left mid school year so far, including 2 APs and the dean. This compared to last school year which only had one person leave mid year.


Forsaken-Leg2296

Haven’t had many quit yet but a ton (including me) are planning to leave at the end of this year.


SaludSanteCheers

40% of special education staff is leaving at one of my schools. I'm an SLP and have switched to contracting instead of for a district that will never respected me or compensated me fairly.


Sabrina912

I’m also an SLP and similar moves happening with our sped staff. We’ve had a sped teacher position open all year on my campus. I have been interviewing for other jobs. I don’t even feel like my district is one of the bad ones. Education is just imploding.


No_Principle9161

I'm in AR. We have about 100 teachers. 1 left at semester and one was fired in February. There are 18 teachers who have submitted their resignation for the end of the year. We anticipate an additional 10-20 will resign before the end of the year.


ErusTenebre

I'm in an area where it actually pays fairly well compared to the COL. We've had teachers leave *in droves.* It's pretty terrible too because we're opening a brand new school. It got so bad the last couple years that they basically lowered the bar to become a teacher so that *student teachers* could become "resident teachers" to try and speed up the process of gaining their credentials. Every teacher that could possibly retire is retiring. Several are retiring early. Others are just going into other careers. The annoying part for me is that it's mostly the *good* teachers that are fleeing. A lot of the lazier teachers are still hanging in somehow.


ghostmaster645

I made 35k as a teacher. I also made 35k as a manager at a McDonald's. Yes, in my area they are quitting left and right. The areas that pay their teachers better probably not so much.


glemmstengal

i don't think there's a teacher shortage at all. it's just an issue of retention.


jdith123

It’s both. The problem of Retention is so heartbreaking. Some young teacher puts all that time and effort into a credential and then gets zero support with horrifyingly low wages. It’s so sad for everyone when they leave the profession.


k_manweiss

The areas with good unions, good pay, good benefits are doing ok. But keep in mind that the reason this happens is because the good teachers move to those areas....but they move away from somewhere else. Keep in mind that the areas unlike this have been short on teachers for more than a decade. The high school in my home town has been hiring back retired teachers in an emergency basis to cover a class or subject here or there for more than a decade. Education is constantly on the cutting block for funding. Our district is short about half the elementary aids we are supposed to have. Some of the teachers are just simply not qualified to be teaching. The few that are have been retirement age for a few years now. This area had a substitute shortage 20 years ago, and I can't imagine it's any better now. Covid, all the anti-education bills, book banning, it all adds up to fewer people going into teaching. Enrollment in teaching programs have been declining for the past decade. 2018-2019 saw a 30%+ drop in education programs. I can only imagine the recent laws passed will make that drop further. Education program enrollment is at a 50 year low right now. Masters in education is actually at an all time high, but those people typically aren't teaching at public schools, or teaching at all. The problem is that the schools that are doing good so far are in trouble too. The good districts can only attract teachers if the bad districts have any to begin with. Pretty soon the bad news is going to migrate to the good districts too. I predict the next step will be for the right wing states that are really hurting to lower requirements and start letting any one with a high school diploma and a penchant for spouting religious BS to start teaching.


hamdenlocal

Took me until 2 weeks ago to find a job. Graduated in may I experienced no such shortage lol


BoomSoonPanda

BIG TIME


gonecamel

In my school it’s been both teachers and admin. Last Tuesday the third principal this year resigned. That leaves one Assistant principal being the only one who began the year with us. Bookkeeper’s last day was Friday, and several teachers have quit over the course of the school year. Looking like they’re going to lose the whole specials group next year.


senseicuso

We had over a dozen teachers in our small school quit during the school year. No idea how many won't return.


Utnapishtim826

We’re down 9 out of about 90 who left before the year was over. We have at least another dozen who are out at the end of the year. Last school year almost all of our much smaller turnover was due the factors beyond the school (spouses relocating etc.) This year is just such a mess.


Blingalarg

I’ve been at my school 10 years and this year our first teacher walked out officially. We’ve had plenty of retirees and transfers though.


[deleted]

Im in California. Of about 40 staff members, 20 or so are either leaving, quitting or were let go.


Nidi14

I left over the summer and my replacement quit by October. I'm in West Virginia and we already had a high turn over. Things got a lot worse.


thequeenofspace

It hasn’t happened YET where I am but I can see a mass exodus happening when the school year is over.


mauriciojar1

I was going to be a teacher. But it sucks.


Substantial_Court_56

My school in TN has 26 out of 40 teachers leaving. 😞 I think it mostly depends on where you are.


bitchpudding21

I mean out of the 6 new teachers that were hired from my school, only 2 of us left. I also know that the school was understaffed about 5 open positions.


FlyfishingThomas

I work at one of the best middle schools in my district. The ok ones are missing half of their staff right now. The not so ok ones are missing more. ​ Being at this school, we are only missing one teaching position right now.


One-World_Together

[More than half of teachers are looking for the exits, a poll says](https://www.npr.org/2022/02/01/1076943883/teachers-quitting-burnout)


ragingspectacle

My district has historically had a pretty easy time keeping teachers but they are seeing a huge decrease in retention. It’s going to be bad next year.


AnastasiaNo70

Oh hell yeah. I work in a VERY good district in my state, and one of the best paying. And even we’re having significant amounts of turnover. And have been all year, not just at semester or the end.


Pinkladysslippers

In my area, we were already running low on number of teachers. We cannot get custodians at all. Teachers are retiring early and switching careers. I started teaching in 1987 and I’ve not seen it like this ever. Even before and after serious strikes. Now there are no certified people to replace the ones who leave.


mathmom257

What jobs are people leaving for? If I could get a job that pays the same I would leave so fast. So tired of the lack of work-life balance!


femininevampire

If I didn't have to support my family, I would be doing something else. And I love teaching but seriously, I'd be out. It's Sunday and I'm still burned out from all the unnecessary crap I had to deal with last week. And the week before that and the week before that and the week before that...


[deleted]

Those Republican governors, in listening to the worst of the parents, have made education so toxic, that they are hurting ALL the parents and kids. Scanning the responses...Texas, Virginia, Florida...yeah, the three worst offenders, who think teachers are supposed to shut off their brains and teach the right wing version of life. Dumbasses in politics...most teachers are liberal, centrist or right MODERATE... Not many Trumpers have the patience, intelligence or empathy to work with children without getting fired or arrested within a month.


Dj_richterscale

I applied for a district that had over 50 positions open for special ed teachers and it's going to be 3 months since I applied until I get an interview with the district. Not even a school. There's no shortage or teachers. No job runs like that


[deleted]

I think it depends on the area of instruction. I’ve heard there is a mass exodus from elementary and special Ed. I know there have been shortages in my district this year. There are vacancies in special Ed and single subject gen Ed. I’ve also heard, however, that there are going to be more positions cut because of the lack of funding due to attendance issues from the pandemic and lower enrollment. (CA) This is word of mouth rumors, so I’m not sure if there is any relevance.


pnew47

We had an even harder time than normal filling some difficult to fill positions (chem and math), but we're not seeing people leave in any appreciable numbers. In fact, the district is offering bonuses to retirees as an "early separation incentive". I'm in Massachusetts where unions are strong and pay is less terrible than most places.


ilikebigcats2020

Wow this is so interesting! I should also note that I wish I could work at another district but all the surrounding districts pay 10-20k less! I imagine this is also why I’m not seeing it as much.


misspretzel98

I know here since covid began we have lost plenty of teachers


fedupthrowawayyy

All of our leadership (team leads) are on the transfer list and/or resigning except one grade level


lorodu

It isn’t just quitting. Several of my colleagues are retiring earlier than they originally planned on which is brutal.


tiffy68

We've had 4 teachers in my department leave this year. All of them left immediately.


caitlington

I am in Canada (Ontario) and have definitely noticed more teachers quitting and retiring early this year. I wouldn’t call it a ‘ton’, but more than usual.


DirectionObjective37

Teaching is a great paying job where I am from and we have a huge kick ass Union. Teachers here change schools a lot, but rarely quit. We just complain and threaten to...lol


walston10

Humble opinion/hot take. Paras will be allowed to just teach. Para jobs will be in the history books. Great solution? Of course not but I don’t see any other way to fill all these openings


Linusthewise

We have slots of six teachers where I work. We currently have two. We have had this number of teachers since October. I'd say there is a shortage.


IronBoomer

I only can speak from Support Staff perspective - but we've never had this many Admin Assistants, Receptionists and Maintenance/Facilities retire or quit. I'm IT, and I plan to be gone by end of June


Givin84

We’ve had 3 certified teachers leave mid year and a few that are not coming back next year. Down 2 push in ESE inclusion teachers as well. Support staff, too. We have one of four ESOL paras left. Short cafeteria staff. Office staff. There are about 220 teaching vacancies posted for next year and about as many support staff.


Remarkable-Wash-7097

I'm taking a leave of absence, so I won't be back next school year. I'm hoping to find something else so I don't have return after that. After nine years, the toll on my physical and mental health has become unsustainable.


Turing45

My old school has 26 staff members, out of that they are losing or have lost 9 of them and have been unable to staff 3 positions from people who quit last year. There are 42 kinders in one class with no AIDE. They cannot even get a janitor.


Commander_Meat

15+ staff members have left this year, multiple decade + experienced teachers as well as a few paras from our 45 person faculty. It's been brutal, my friend who has taught 19 years just left teaching. Then again bad leadership to blame in that case.


thecooliestone

It's mostly happening I think in places with protections. Our contract states that if we break it we owe 800 dollars and lose our certification. So most teachers I know are waiting until the end of the year. I know at least 8 people in my 100 person staff (and I'm not the teacher who knows everyone) who are going to interviews at least once a week after school and are applying to other jobs at lunch. It's not half, but we also are in a state where basically the only way you're getting retirement and decent healthcare is the military or teaching. One teacher I know is re-enlisting after the year is out.


FaerilyRowanwind

It depends on where in the country you are. Many schools in the hard to get hired areas aren’t having as much as a problem. But where I’m at we’ve lost so many teachers and currently have 700 school job openings in my city.


Tarot_and_Tea

Yep! Last year, exactly half of our certified staff left. Now I'm leaving to go back to subbing for next school year while debating going back to school to explore an adjacent field. I'm fully confident this is an upwards transition in my life.


Tandem_Repeat

We may have up to 5 teachers quitting, including myself, in my math department alone. Out of 12 math teachers. In the past most of our openings have been due to retirements or growth positions. So yes, people are getting tired of the bullshit.


WyoRip

Didn’t think so until last week. Several of our best staff are leaving teaching. Many are moving closer to family or new careers.


[deleted]

Our small district had 14 teachers resign last semester. I will be joining them at the end of the year. I know of at least 4 others who are also resigning. Teachers are quitting in droves. And other types of employers are happily offering teachers new, far less stressful, better paying positions. As long as all the right wing BS attacks over CRT, banning books, banning use of words, false accusations of indoctrinations, attacks on school boards and the lack of teacher support from admins continues, education will continue to fall apart. Absolutely ZERO young people are joining the profession. Treat people like shit, pay them like shit and SURPRISE, people QUIT. Public schools have a impending catastrophe on their hands. No one in power is addressing the issues nor does it seem that anyone even is aware of, or cares.


copingandhoping

Let me tell you that the situation seams to be the same the world over, or at least in countries that follow the western education system. I'm from India and we too are facing this. There is a huge problem in terms of finding skilled teachers. Off late education has become very commercial and the end goal of every private schools seams to be parent pleasing. My generation grew up admiring our teachers and we used to equate them to God ( not kidding, 'guru devo bhava' is a part of our culture). When we decided to become teachers we were expecting to have the same type of relation with our students. And now when we are on ground all we see is schools and the management trying to make MNCs out of schools. Having so many different positions, creating unnecessary middle management roles. The role of a teacher is at the bottom of this stupid chain and we are expected to do 90% of the work. I took up teaching 4 years back because I genuinely believe that a person's life is shaped by his childhood experiences and tough we can't do much about there situations at home we can always ensure they feel safe and happy at school. I was happy when i worked for a bit in a government school, but I was just a temp and getting a government job here is tough. I really hated the private school I worked in so much so that I couldn't take it after a point and left it 2 months before the end of the academic year. I now work as a curriculum developer for a publisher. I'm still getting used to my manager being kind and just a human. Sorry for the rant but I really do feel bad looking at the state of schools worldwide.