I just came across this article about the 10 hardest jobs to fill. Number 8 was teaching. It mentioned a teacher shortage and that kindergarten, elementary, and high school teachers were needed. http://education.yahoo.net/articles/jobs_that_are_hard_to_fill.htm?kid=1O181
Jennifer Hwang, who is quoted, works for a staffing group...these kinds of companies usually staff BUSINESSES....she should stick with what she knows and stay out of commenting on things she knows nothing of.
That article cracked me up and made me angry at the same time. - It says most HS teachers have a degree in education. Um, I think the vast majority of ALL teachers have a degree in education. - Pressure to keep student teacher ration low? What?! Many districts are removing class caps while laying off teachers!
Where did it say that? In my experience, most high school teachers don't have degrees in education--they have degrees in their content. That's what the article seems to say: "The Department says all states require high school teachers to have a bachelor's degree, and most states want it in the subject they will teach."
Yeah, most HS teachers have degrees in their content areas. I was shocked to learn that the opposite is actually an option. We had a student teacher that was getting a secondary education degree (can't remember what the actual name was) and was testing into science. Because she found it interesting. I don't know how many hours of science courses she had to take (if any) but the vast majority of her courses were in education. As if it were an elementary school degree. FWIW, she was the worst intern we had in the department. She knew absolutely nothing and students would go to other teachers for tutoring because they knew she contradicted what the book says and what their friends were learning. She may have been just as bad even if she had a science degree, but I suspect she would have never gotten to her fourth year in a science major with that limited amount of knowledge.
Wow, what a joke. I have actually seen commercials on TV explaining that baby boomers will be retiring soon, and many teachers will be needed. I think they were telling me that 13 years ago when I began college.
Yup. Me, too. As I look at the teachers around here now, there are very few baby boomers left. It was a gradual changes, not a mass exodus.
The only thing that will cause a teacher shortage would be more stringent requirements for entrance into education programs/licensing.
Yep... We have three student teachers in my department right now. One will be a great teacher someday, but it scares me to think that two of those three will be qualified to do what I do in just a couple months.
Saying most teachers have a degree in what they're teaching isn't entirely true. If that was the case, it would make high need fields even harder to fill. I started out wanting to work in elementary so my degree reflects that. But the job market sucked so I tested into math, physics, geoscience, and I will be testing into industries and technology. Right now I'm teaching high school physics. These are all areas that I considered myself pretty strong in. Heck, outside of screwing up one test for physics, I passed all my secondary tests in one shot with little to no studying. Point being, an elementary degree doesn't necessarily reflect on whether someone can teach secondary. I think most teachers know they are biting more than can chew if they try to teach something they aren't really familiar with. They will get weeded out eventually. The current system of allowing teachers to test into subject areas allow flexibility for people to move around without being locked into what they graduated college with.
At least the related article of degrees not to get mentioned one bit of truth about education (it was making the case of getting an elementary ed degree instead of a liberal arts degree). "However, she cautions that the jobs will be regional, so potential teachers might have to be willing to relocate to where the jobs are." So yeah, if you're willing to move ANYWHERE and be paid whatever they choose to pay, and work whatever hours their day may be, and work for any type of school, yup, you can probably get a job. But really, how many elementary ed people are willing and able to do that?
I think there may be teacher shortages in certain fields/areas...for example, I know my district has trouble finding foreign language certified people for maternity leaves, etc. However, it seems to be only very specific specialties that have shortages...the ones that it may also be harder to find open positions for in the first place.
I think this is a good point. You and I teach the same subject, so I know exactly how hard it can be to find a certified long-term sub for a leave replacement or something like that. In my district, LTSes don't have to be certified, so our foreign language subs often don't know the language they're subbing in. A warm body is better than nothing, I suppose, but it's still not the best situation.
I've been hearing the "baby boomers" thing for years too. My mom just called me a couple of weeks ago and was telling me about the next "mass exodus" which is supposed to be in 2015 or something (can't remember the exact year she said) in OH because of some new retirement system. When I told her I'd been hearing stuff like that for years, she kept insisting it was really going to happen this time. Sigh.
I think in my district LTSes need a certification, but it doesn't matter what it is in. My boss does try her best - even if it means just getting someone in who studied the language in high school. HOWEVER, I have seen in other depts in my school that the district plays a numbers game as a get around - hire a sub (no cert needed) - they can work for x #of days at the daily rate, give them one day off, then they can come back. It has something to do with after a certain # of days straight they become an LTS and must be offered prorated pay/benefits. Sorry for the off-topic.
I think the economy, and how many have been hit on 401ks, retirement benefits, COLA, etc. plays a part. The baby boomers are working longer than expected because they can't afford to retire.
In my area there is a shortage. I know of five jobs off the top of my head. I was offered a job in another district last week.
Yep, we had more retirements in our district this year than anyone can remember. We are flying over 18 teaching positions this summer. Not that I think there is a teacher shortage, but we are hiring.
During our Administrators' Retreat, the head of the HR department shared that she received 700+ applications for 2 positions that she posted on EdJoin.org.
Ooh ****. I would believe that elementary in So Cal would be hard to get into. I thought the central/north side of of Cal was in a lot better shape. Didn't know it was just as bad. lol.
I know this isn't the topic of the thread, but I wanted to chime in on the topic of HS teachers and the degrees that most held. My degree is Secondary Education with an emphasis in Biology and Chemistry. Over half of my degree hours were in science courses and I had as many hours of bio/chem coursework as the actual bio/chem majors. I also ended up with approximately 24 hours in education in my degree program. I understand that each state has different licensing requirement, but most of the SEED teachers I know (as of right now) have a degree in education- specifically SEED and an emphasis in a certain area.
My experience is the opposite. I think it really does depend on the university you attend and the state where you're licensed.
Yes, I agree. In my state high school teachers are required to have a degree in the content they teach. Required courses on education lead to licensure only. Do people who write about education, who aren't even in the field, just make it up as they go along??
There are more areas with a high turnover rate (i.e. inner city/urban districts) where it does make finding a position more obtainable, but a shortage?? Not even. When I resigned from my old position and they found a replacement in 4 days.
