Comments about ‘Utah shops online for teachers’

Utah is probably looking for more illegal mexican teachers like they imported from mexico last year. In this same edition of news is says NY is looking for teachers from Utah, I assume because they are already used to cheap teachers pay. But Utah wants even cheaper and less qualified teachers in our schools so they are looking for more mexicans to put Utah at even lower on the scale of quality of education. Utah has an abundence or qualified teachers but Utah refuses to acknowlede and pay teachers what they deserve. Utah education system would rather feed the corruption and fraud in its system than pay teachers their worth. Teachers should be on the upper pay scales of society and treated with respect and valued as a natural resource. Educators would weed out the undesireable teachers if given the means and abilities to make their profession one of destinction, along with doctors and lawyers. In most countries the educators are more prized than their doctors and lawyers and businessmen and are better paid. Teachers do the real work in the formation of a society, its laws, and its people.

What shoddy journalism. What they obviously left out was the fact that many would-be teachers here in Utah are not accepted into education programs and are forced to go to school out of state in order to get certified. And just to make sure they have a monopoly, unlike many other states that actually want teachers, they do not let those who are not certified teach. I could go to many other states, and because they actually want teachers they would let me teach WHILE I worked towards certification.

Quite being sheep and look into the situation, and it becomes clear that most of our so called "teacher shortage" is really the product of the unions and higher education institutions artificially restricting the supply of teachers.

The national market's great, isn't it. If teacher's are moving to a new state to teach, where will they go? The good ones will pick Wyoming (tiny classes, lots more pay). The worst will pick Utah (enormous classes, crappy pay).
Utah would be better off convincing Utah natives (who are more likely to stay in-State) to teach than trying to attract good teachers from other states. No good teacher is going to move here for the job.

If Wyoming is 25K more to start than Utah, we simply can't compete. At least we are getting closer to catching Nevada.

Utah will never get or retain teachers with your horrific pay rates. Pay them what they are worth and you will get what you want.

Having grown up in Utah I felt that teaching there would be great. Upon graduation I realized that there was no way I would be able to support my family on $26,000 a year.

After interviewing at several different school districts in three different states I decided that the best solution would be to go where the money was.

I now teach in Wyoming and am happy with the decision. My pay is $15,000 more then Utah and the class sizes are from 12-20.

Would I every go back and teach in Utah? Only when Utah is more like Wyoming. So I guess never.

Utah can get and retain teachers becaue there are thousand of teachers out there who are LDS. They want to live where the church is big. The pay is a big concern outweighed by many other things. Utah is a failory cheap place to live.

So according to Recent College Grad, if I moved to another state to get my teaching degree, I would be an incompetent idiot. The reason many people aren't accepted into teaching programs is that there is usually not enough room. Also, would you go to a doctor who wasn't certified? Although I believe that many education classes are a complete waste of time and utterly boring, there were some that were very valuable and it is ESSENTIAL that every new teacher has a student teaching experience. We've had a couple at our school that were awful and were not allowed to get their endorsement.

My wife and I have both been teaching about 12 years each and both of us have masters' degrees. We have two daughters and wanted to get them closer to their grandparents in Utah, so we uprooteded ourselves from CA and returned to teach at Utah County Schools-- to get the grandkids home.

It cost each of us just over $30,000 per year (going from $70,000 plus per year to $40,000 plus per year.)

So, it can be done. Just get the grandparents of all the teachers to move to Utah.

Otherwise, it probably isn't going to happen.

I entered the Elementary teaching market 11 years ago, fresh out of BYU and eager to teach. I had a lot of connections in Alpine District and I'm male, helping me think I'd be sought out and wanted. After 12 interviews I ended up taking a PT job at a technology company. True, the job market was different back then. Using my usual high drive to succeed I am now earning six-figures, I've capitalized on stock option plans, and am hopefully well on my way to early retirement...so that I CAN GO TEACH. What a shame that teachers are not better compensated; these people are training our future and we choose to treat them like they're baby-sitters. And yet we expect them to outperform and overachieve usual market considerations and be underpaid while doing it. I do not mean to say that $$ alone will solve our troubles, but I truly feel that we are scaring potential teachers into other career paths...I was one of them. My drive to contribute in a school setting is still with me but is nowhere near as strong as it was upon graduation. What A Shame!

BobP--
The church is big in Eastern Idaho. Teachers also get paid more there (although not much more). Classroom sizes are smaller, and the cost of living is slightly less than in Utah.
Explain to me again how teaching in Utah is better than teaching elsewhere?

IF ONLY teachers were paid like babysitters! My daughter gets $2.50/hour. Multiply that by 30 kids in a classroom = $75/hour. Bring it on!

I am a BYU Grad that went out of state to get certified. I am enrolled in an excellent program that puts a lot of focus on fieldwork and am guaranteed a teaching position after I get certified. The starting salary would be $42,000 and I may be able to get my student loans forgiven. I would love to teach in Utah, but with what they pay right now it will never happen.

It is sad that Utah starts their recruiting in Utah universities a couple of months AFTER the other states do their recruiting in Utah. I guess they want to give the rest of the nation the opportunity to pick the best from Utah first. After all, we don't want the best of the best here.

Bob your comments are money $$$$$$$, to basd other s don't feel the same way as you. Utah refuses to take care of its' own teachers and now looking onlineto fill postions. There is a pool of teachers here in Utah to hire from. However, if you are not a member of the "good old boys/girls" network...no job for you! Teacher morale is at an all time low and pay is just one of the issues. Administrators that bully and intimidate, refuse to support teachers in time of crisis etc.. make for a miserable job. The average teaching career now lasts 3 - 5 years. People especially young people just are not willing to put up with the lack of respect from admin/students,parents and on and on. Quick thinker; NEVER,EVER TEACH! Your health will decline, relationships in your personal life will suffer due to the stress of having to work two sometimes three jobs. It simply isn't something I would wish on anyone!!

Pay is important, without a doubt, but working conditions are even more so. Most people will stay in a job with less than perfect pay if they're feeling successful and valued and have a say in the way the job gets done. However, when teachers face overcrowded classrooms where they know that they will fail at least some of the children every day, where they will be the scapegoat for all of society's ills, and where their every move is scrutinized and criticized by legislators who couldn't fill a teacher's shoes for week, teaching becomes a job many wouldn't do for ANY amount of money. It's sad, but true. And don't blame the union, please. If it weren't for the common voice of teachers through UEA, we'd be in worse shape yet. Don't buy into the myth that the unions are the problem. If you want to support the teachers in your local school, support class size reduction, more pay for all teachers, and new faces on Capitol Hill.

$42,000 per year! It would take you ten years to make that in Utah. Additionally, most say that it is cheap to live in Utah...NOT! It is all relative, very low wages for most here. Utah just does not value education as a whole. They can't even retain their current teachers. Why is that? The lack of support from our government, administrators on down just is not there. Teaching in Utah is a joke, everyone in the "job" knows it. When it comes to fixing the problems it is all lip service with no implementation. Thanks to the Union at least teachers have a small voice in the process.

We need to start at $50,000 a year in UTah

Less is more. Better late than early. Eliminate pre-school and kindergarten as a beginning to a common sense approach to teach children when they are more capable of learning around age eight. That will save the necessary money to use where it counts and pay teachers more.

After 9 years of successful teaching I can't do it anymore. My years have been extremely successful. But I can't sacrifice the needs of m family anymore. Utah ignored the problem for 30 years. LOW PAY, Utah parents who will jump on a dime for their church but won't pitch in to help the school programs for their child's education (thank you 7% who do and try), did I mention parents! Today's parents want their child coddled and cuddled and told how great they are. 75% of parents are jerks. Blame everyone else but yourself and your own kid. Well good luck when your kid goes on to college! And heaven forbid the work force- I'm sure your boss will coddle you and care for you.