Community members out there, if you get to know many teachers at your local elementary, middle, and high school, you'll quickly find that we're pretty much what you've always heard we are. We don't do it for the money, we don't do it for the summer vacations, and we don't do it because we're not good enough to do anything else.
We do it for your local kids.
We do it for their future.
And we do it for your community.
In the end, all we need to keep going is to feel like we're making a difference in the life and future of your city or town.
Of the seven reasons most commonly cited for teachers wanting to quit, you as community members have the ability to have a big, positive impact on three of them: recognition, support, and unrealistic expectations. If you want your local elementary, middle, and high schools to be the envy of the nation and to draw in the best and brightest families moving to your area, a little time and effort can not only help tremendously, but it will bring you unending personal satisfaction, too.
Here are five ways you can recognize us, support us, and help us deal with unrealistic expectations so that today's teachers stick around and the next generation is willing to join us in this incredibly important profession.
1. Mentor
Every elementary and middle school I’ve worked for has had a mentoring program of some kind. Most teachers really want to be the kind of person who can mentor their students and work with them through personal struggles, but the reality is, the school day provides them with very few opportunities to spend time with students one-on-one. Having mentors to count on to help students we wish we could help ourselves goes a long way toward helping us feel like our students are getting what they need. And when our students are getting what they need, we can't wait to keep showing up to do our part day after day. It helps temper the expectations set for us and that we set for ourselves.
2. Tutor
Everything I said in the mentoring section regarding personal issues applies to academic issues, too. Mid-pandemic now, we have more students than ever with serious academic needs, and it is nearly impossible for us to meet all of them. Students who fall behind rarely catch back up, and the structure of the school day leaves teachers with very little time or ability to go back and fill in gaps with students while still keeping them up with new learning. The authoritative work coming out repeatedly cites a need for tutoring as the single most efficient way to close learning gaps opened by Covid. Knowing that my students had one-on-one access to someone to help them with their academic struggles would really help me feel supported and capable of meeting expectations as a teacher.
3. Share your interests, skills, and passions
One of the most frequently-recurring complaints of quitting or considering-quitting teachers is having to do a lot of “extra,” unrealistic, non-teaching duties that take a lot of time and energy away from their core work and from their limited personal time. Chief among these are extracurricular activities. I can assure you that, whatever interests, skills, or passions you have, there’s a school (of any age level) full of students who are interested in that, too, and teachers being pressured to meet that interest with their own time and energy. What better pairing than a chance for you to share your skills and passions to free up a struggling teacher to keep their main thing the main thing.
We do it for your local kids.
We do it for their future.
And we do it for your community.
In the end, all we need to keep going is to feel like we're making a difference in the life and future of your city or town.
Of the seven reasons most commonly cited for teachers wanting to quit, you as community members have the ability to have a big, positive impact on three of them: recognition, support, and unrealistic expectations. If you want your local elementary, middle, and high schools to be the envy of the nation and to draw in the best and brightest families moving to your area, a little time and effort can not only help tremendously, but it will bring you unending personal satisfaction, too.
Here are five ways you can recognize us, support us, and help us deal with unrealistic expectations so that today's teachers stick around and the next generation is willing to join us in this incredibly important profession.
1. Mentor
Every elementary and middle school I’ve worked for has had a mentoring program of some kind. Most teachers really want to be the kind of person who can mentor their students and work with them through personal struggles, but the reality is, the school day provides them with very few opportunities to spend time with students one-on-one. Having mentors to count on to help students we wish we could help ourselves goes a long way toward helping us feel like our students are getting what they need. And when our students are getting what they need, we can't wait to keep showing up to do our part day after day. It helps temper the expectations set for us and that we set for ourselves.
2. Tutor
Everything I said in the mentoring section regarding personal issues applies to academic issues, too. Mid-pandemic now, we have more students than ever with serious academic needs, and it is nearly impossible for us to meet all of them. Students who fall behind rarely catch back up, and the structure of the school day leaves teachers with very little time or ability to go back and fill in gaps with students while still keeping them up with new learning. The authoritative work coming out repeatedly cites a need for tutoring as the single most efficient way to close learning gaps opened by Covid. Knowing that my students had one-on-one access to someone to help them with their academic struggles would really help me feel supported and capable of meeting expectations as a teacher.
3. Share your interests, skills, and passions
One of the most frequently-recurring complaints of quitting or considering-quitting teachers is having to do a lot of “extra,” unrealistic, non-teaching duties that take a lot of time and energy away from their core work and from their limited personal time. Chief among these are extracurricular activities. I can assure you that, whatever interests, skills, or passions you have, there’s a school (of any age level) full of students who are interested in that, too, and teachers being pressured to meet that interest with their own time and energy. What better pairing than a chance for you to share your skills and passions to free up a struggling teacher to keep their main thing the main thing.
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4. Donate
Teachers are more likely to keep showing up when they have what they want and need to do their jobs. Unfortunately, that often means either spending their own money to meet those wants and needs, or just going without. Sometimes these are basic supply needs, and sometimes these are “big dream” project ideas that require stuff and money that just aren’t there to be had. Some schools keep wishlists, teachers make GoFundMe pages, and you can always just ask the teachers you know! However it happens, donations of money or supplies can really lift a teacher’s spirits, make him or her feel supported, and help him or her meet expectations set for or by him or her. |
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5. Show up and share
There are so many ways to show up to support schools. In addition to any of the ideas above, you can help in classrooms, organize fundraisers, or attend sports, arts, and showcase events. When you do, extend your influence sharing with your community the great things you see teachers at the school doing. Tell your friends and neighbors. Post them on Facebook. Be specific. Recognize, share and celebrate us. Don’t let bad news and problems be the only things your community and personal network hear about your local schools. Share the good. Celebrate your local teachers, and they’re sure to keep showing up and to work even harder knowing that they’re seen and valued. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you'll notice I try to do this very thing with the students in my class - I celebrate them publicly! |
"It says here you're actually allowed to share GOOD news online, too. That can't be right, can it?"
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There you have it. Five simple, remarkably easy ways for you as a community member to single-handedly have a positive impact on the teacher shortage in your neighborhood. If even 20% percent of community members in every city and town did even ONE of the five, teaching would be the most competitive program to get into at every University in the U.S.
That's it.
That's your part.
With nothing but a little recognition, support, and help meeting the unrealistic expectations set for us by society (and ourselves), you - yes YOU - can help end the teacher shortage.
- Mentor
- Tutor
- Share your interests, skills, and passions
- Donate
- Show up and share
That's it.
That's your part.
With nothing but a little recognition, support, and help meeting the unrealistic expectations set for us by society (and ourselves), you - yes YOU - can help end the teacher shortage.
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