Is There a Solution to Fixing the Teacher Shortage?

Good Day,

For most schools, we’re halfway through the semester or almost. How time flies! And why is it still so hot in the Southwest 🥵

Well, enjoy your brew this morning. I’ll still be having mine with ice.

Cheers ☕

Processing teacher certificates online

A teacher shortage has been going on for decades in the United States, and the trajectory of people choosing to become teachers in the future is not going up; at the very best, it's a flat line. For anyone in education, the issues might be obvious. The reason for this is a lack of respect by the public toward educators, the lack of support for teachers in the classroom, and the embarrassingly low pay for teachers compared to their college-educated peers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, a teacher's weekly salary has only increased by $28 per week, and relative to similar professions earns about 73.4 cents for every dollar - a 26.6% penalty.

In recent years, education has become a hyper-political space, with accusations of teachers grooming students, indoctrinating students, allowing students to express their "furry" side, having cat litter in classrooms, and a whole host of other stress-inducing situations that take away from a teacher's job. According to a recent Gallup report, more than 40% of teachers express burnout.

Therefore, many teachers are leaving, and the teacher shortage continues to grow, with many unqualified persons filling in the gaps.

In Arizona, over 52% of teachers who have filled vacancies do not meet the state's certification requirement. Currently, there is a 25.4% teacher vacancy rate in the state, and to fill those gaps, state superintendent Tom Horne is making it easier to get a teaching certificate online.

Tom Horne stated, "We have a real emergency because we're losing more teachers than are coming into the classroom. If we don't do something to turn that around, we could end up with zero teachers, which you can imagine how the public would react to that."

There is no doubt that these vacancies have to be filled to ensure that student's needs are met, but the larger issue needs to be addressed—how can the teaching profession draw in quality individuals, and how can the teaching profession keep great teachers from leaving?

It's not an easy fix, but a good start would be to address the three things mentioned at the beginning—the public's lack of respect for educators, the lack of support for teachers in the classroom, and the embarrassingly low pay for teachers compared to their college-educated peers.

Responsibly using AI in the classroom

Artificial Intelligence use in the classrooms has been a challenge for educators. The challenge is whether AI (chatbots like ChatGpt, Gemini, and Claude) should be banned from students using them or integrated into curricula. Regarding the former, can the use of AI be truly banned?

In Minnesota, where only 28% of public schools offer computer science instruction, there is a growing trend of incorporating AI into curricula. At Kennedy High School in Bloomington, digital learning specialist Rowen Elsmore is optimistic about the potential of AI in education. She sees AI as a thought partner that can either enhance or hinder learning, depending on how it's used.

Elsemore goes on to elaborate on how she wants students to understand how experiences with chatbots can differ from person to person depending on how you interact with it.

Alexandra Holter, Bloomington's computer science coordinator, stated, "These are skills that students need, and we will not be a place that doesn't provide students to be ready for the next step. We made a choice last year to really lean into AI and understand how it fits into education…and lead our students and staff through that."

When educating students on the use of chatbots, there is a lot to sort through, and one of the more important points is for students to understand that they can do more than just write essays for you.

Mischa Campos-Taylor, a junior with a couple of computer science classes under her belt, uses ChatGpt regularly, "I feel like it's a really cool tool to use in classes…to have like a little online teacher would be really cool, and a good way to have a resource to use."

As challenging as it is to tackle the issues with the current AI landscape in the classroom, educators have to acknowledge that students know that these tools exist, and the best thing educators can do — first and foremost — is educate themselves on AI and learn to understand the pros and cons of these tools. Then, lean into it and have productive conversations and lessons with students so they can learn to understand the benefits. AI is not disappearing, so educators must learn to co-exist with this emergent tool.

The Final Minute

1. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has appointed six new members to the city's school board, following the unexpected resignation of all seven previous members amid a power struggle over control of Chicago Public Schools. The move comes as Johnson attempts to oust CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, who has refused to resign, citing the need for stability in the district. Critics, including City Council members and state legislators, have expressed concern over the hasty appointments and potential instability in the school system, while Johnson defends his actions as within his authority and necessary for creating a "world class school system." The shakeup occurs against a backdrop of stalled contract negotiations with the teachers' union and an impending transition to a hybrid elected-appointed school board model in January.

2. Parents of preschool students at Northgate Crossing Elementary School in Spring, Texas, reported that teachers allegedly provided their children with "sleepy stickers," which were later identified as adult sleeping patches containing melatonin and other ingredients. The case came to light when 4-year-old Layne Luviano brought one of the stickers home, prompting her mother to investigate and alert other parents, leading to multiple children confirming the use of these patches in the classroom. Spring ISD has placed two staff members on administrative leave and initiated a police investigation, emphasizing their commitment to student safety while acknowledging the violation of district policy regarding the administration of medication or supplements to students.

3. In a disturbing case out of Newton, Massachusetts, 42-year-old school bus driver Justin Vose has been charged with three counts of kidnapping children with disabilities. Prosecutors allege that Vose, instead of dropping off semi-nonverbal children aged 3 to 5 at their designated program, took them to secluded areas where he turned off audio and video recording for up to 20 minutes and took photos with them. The incident came to light when a student arrived late to day care in late May, prompting an investigation that revealed Vose had driven to an isolated part of a parking lot near the woods, raising serious concerns among parents about the safety of their children.

4. At Forest Hills Central High in Grand Rapids, Michigan, history teacher Brad Anderson's AP World History class culminated their study of land-based empires with an immersive "Age of Empires" battle on the football field. The three-week unit, developed by Anderson around 2007, emphasizes hands-on learning, teamwork, and physical activity, with students creating empires, trading, and participating in ancient-style games before the final battle. Students praised the experience for strengthening bonds across different social groups and sparking excitement about history, while Anderson highlighted the importance of balancing interactive activities with traditional classroom learning to keep students engaged throughout the year.

Closing Bell

On this day in 2010

33 miners were trapped after a cave-in at the San Jose copper-gold mine at the Atacama Region in Chile. They were underground for a record 69 days. It took over a decade, in fact until 2023 for the men trapped to received compensation — $48,000 each. 13 of the men have received lifetime pensions that amount to $540 per month. Manny of the miners and their families believe this has not been enough because the sum of what they received was barely enough to cover all the medical bills they have accumulated of the years with many of the men suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.