Comments about ‘Study: More teachers today have far less experience’

Low pay, no hope for the future and parents that blame everything on you. Why would anyone want to teach?

If I'd have stuck it out (and found a job in 1997) I'd be nearly halfway to my 30 years... Low pay was then and still is today an issue, there's no way to afford to live on such little money especially if student loan debt exists.

huh? buyouts and early retirement packages, so we can hire 2 for the price of one. and now the big surprise. yup

Perhaps the fact that so many baby boomers have retired means every line of work has younger workers with less experience. In my agency, massive numbers have retired recently as they hit 62 and 65 meaning a lot of corporate knowledge retired with them. It leave a hollow force for a while as the newer employees gain that knowledge, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, just the way things are. As a 44-year-old I am one of the old timers around here.

My father, his mother and grandmother were all school teachers. All four of my father's brothers were teachers except for the two that were principals. My oldest brother was a teacher.

That said, teachers spend their entire lives in the four walls of a classroom. They are there from kindergarten through 12th grade, through four years of college and then they work in a classroom for the rest of their lives. Most have never experienced the real world. How could anyone hope that teachers could prepare children for a world teachers have never experienced? Conversely I know many very knowledgeable and experienced teachers. Their skills are invaluable.

Low pay is an issue. Here in Washington State the state spends about $10,000 per child on education. With an average class of 30 kids they should have a budget of $300,000 per classroom. Our state government has tied the hands of school districts to the point that they are not allowed to spend this money wisely. Politicians have turned education into a political football.

We need separation of schools and state.

Simple.....you get what you pay for.

@CHS85: Baby boomers retiring in mass is one of those things that's limited to government and related positions, where employees are given a nice retirement package as a perk of the job.

The private sector is currently plagued by baby boomers who just won't retire. People staying on far past 65 because their retirement nest egg went poof with the subprime mortgage market. My father turned 69 this year, he's one of them. The problem this creates is that when these guys, who are near the top of their perspective fields with tons of seniority and experience, stick around for a few extra years the guy below them can't move into their spot. So the guy below him can't step up and so on, which means no entry-level positions for new graduates at the bottom. That's one of the primary reasons unemployment among the 18-25 crowd is the highest it's been at any point since WWII.

The teachers I know now, and have known in the past, are there because they love the kids and are trying to make a difference and improve lives. New grads must feel this same way. They went in with knowledge of what the profession offers.
There are always people in every profession, like the teacher who "has a second job selling his stuff at his desk, on the Internet, on Ebay during school hours". Obviously, these people give a bad name to the profession, and that particular school district.
Most teachers go into the profession with their eyes open, even knowing they may have to obtain a reputable second job during the summer to make ends meet. Who would have thought that one would have to work, what now looks like, the rest of their lives? This economy is changing what we all thought was "the norm".
Anyone, anyone, know how to fix it?

i really don't know why people think teaching is so easy. It gets harder every year. No respect from kids or parents. We in Utah are lucky because most teachers work hard to get your kid a good education.There might not be a big shortage in teaching right now, because of the current job market, but when it improves there will be a shortage mark my words.

No amount of schooling can compensate for life experience. Life experiences come over a period of time and a teacher who possesses it, is a gift to young peoples learning.

In high school many of my teachers were actually coaches of sports teams but required to teach something too, so what do they have the coaches teach? Math!

Consequently of course the teachers showed a lack of enthusiasm for the class.

When I started going to college I was shocked to find out that teachers actually cared about the subject they taught and were extremely passionate about it. Because of this my low GPA in high school became a nearly perfect one in college.

Pay teachers more, and you'll find passionate, experienced ones!

I can only tell you this: I'm a thousands times better teacher than when I was hired 20 years ago. It is important that a teacher has time to grow, has good mentors, and a desire to improve. Experience can make all the difference.

The Rock:

I'm a teacher, not sure what you are talking about.

I pay bills like everyone else. In fact, I have two extra jobs to supplement my income, in the private sector.

I have two children, I must feed them, clothe them, and otherwise take care of them, sounds pretty real world.

I sometimes deal with parents that are frustrating, students that are frustrating, administrators that are frustrating, and fellow teachers that are frustrating. I actually get out of my four-wall classroom quite a bit. As a coach I deal with boosters, business people, other coaches, professional organizations, the media and a lot of people in general. A lot of teachers do other things which, guess what, would connect them to the real world just like I see a lot in coaching.

I have other interests and hobbies. I have problems like everyone else. So sorry The Rock, we'll have to agree to disagree. In fact, with 40 plus students and many others making constant demands of me, I feel all too "real world."

Our local school lost an exceptional young teacher. Simply put it was all about money. I suspected he knew the money wouldn't be good but after three years of no raises, he felt he had to leave the profession. Enter a newbie to take his place, wait two to three years repeat cycle. Maybe the new hire(s) will be as good as the former one, maybe not.

Usually constant turnover is bad. Yes, the older teachers are trying to hold on to the end, but most of the new hires leave before five years. Studies show a teacher needs nearly 10 years to reach his peak. Even new teachers that are pretty good and have lots of potential need time to develop their craft. Unfortunately because of low pay, no substantial raises in the recent past and no hope likely in the future of a substantial raise, lack of respect from students, parents and the public large, endless regulation from things like the NCLB Act, along with the unique Utah aspect of super large classes, this trend will likely continue...

Why do so many of you think that teachers have no life experience? Most have to have 2nd jobs, just to make ends meet. In our state, ongoing re-certification requirements mean that teachers are constantly being exposed to new ideas on many subjects. Working with kids, from a variety of backgrounds, means that teachers are more fully involved in economic booms and busts because they have seen what it has done to families. Who's more in the "real world," a teacher or a dentist; a teacher or someone who's locked in an office pushing paper and crunching numbers; a teacher or a lawyer with his/her head in law research; a teacher or someone making/selling the latest widgets? Teachers work with the rising generation with all of their needs, handicaps, gifts and talents; you don't get much more "real life" than that. Oh, and they do read newspapers and books, too.

Rock, part of your post was dumb as a rock. The part about teachers not knowing about the real world was mildly offensive and factually inaccurate. How would you even know what teachers are aware of? When was the last time you set foot inside a classroom?

I teach because I love to see when a kid "gets it." The look on the face of a child who has been struggling to learn something and who finally understands and can demonstrate their new-found knowledge is priceless. I have a wonderful wife, three beautiful children, a car payment, and a modest mortgage. Every month is tight, money-wise. If I had any student loans, we would be dead in the water. We get by, by the grace and will of God. I'm not complaining, I'm just telling it like it is.
I am also taking four classes right now to improve teaching skills, and prowess with technology. I hope to earn a raise. I'll soon be up to 40 credit hours past my BS degree and still making little enough to qualify for WIC and reduced lunch for 4-5 more years, even with the extra seasonal work that I can do. Please don't assume that teaching is easy, or only a nine-month gig. Nothing could be further from reality.

I am in my 19th year of experiencing the "real" world in education (as I run/operate a business and work another job on the weekends). Ever since beginning at $15,200/yr.,I have maintained a passion for the success of our youth. I know several teachers who have this same passion for the success of your children and grandchildren. Parents and Grandparents - be thankful for the teachers because our society is further down the toilet without them. By the way, because of the low pay and lack of respect, teachers are sacrificing a great deal for your children. Believe me...teachers are all too familiar with the real world and how it operates!

In many places in the country, teachers are over paid. But not in Utah...

Here, we underinvest in quality teachers, particularly those in areas such as Math and Science. Utah has below national average student outcomes, once scores are adjusted for demographics. The primary reasons for this are: 1). Too little emphasis on key subjects/skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, Math and Science, and 2) too many young, inexperienced teachers. When you combine this with the large class sizes, you have a recipe for underachievement - exactly what we are getting.

Don't feel smug Utah thinking you have a good public school system. We have experienced the top 10% schools in Utah and elsewhere and the schools here simply are not even close. It's time for Utah to invest more in it's most important resource, it's children. We need more focus on key subjects (math, science, writing, reading, critical thinking, etc), better, more experienced teachers, and reduced class sizes. Otherwise, we will continue to have mediocre schools.

And our government is looking for ways to penalize teachers that have more experience. Gives you something to think about, doesn't it?