I have asked my workforce development colleagues to invest in the educator workforce for years. They always tell me, "we don't do teacher training."
For some reason, it's hard for some people to see teachers as workers. And now we are seeing what happens after years of asking teachers to work in unsafe and unsustainable work conditions. They are overworked, underpaid, and leaving the profession.
Teacher burnout and shortages are a problem everywhere, especially in communities where most families have someone working for the schools. Or communities like where my husband works, where the public schools are the largest employer.
In my latest EdSurge piece, Investing in Teachers is Our Nation's Most Important Jobs Strategy (~5 min read), I discuss why investments in the educator workforce are paramount. Consider this:
As we enter long-COVID recovery, the educator workforce must be prioritized in discussions about the economy and jobs. Here is why: The educator workforce makes local economies work; the educator workforce makes families work; and the educator workforce prepares the future workforce.
If you are in a position of power in your community, state, or nationally -- take up this issue. More than half of surveyed teachers say they are thinking about quitting, and principals I know believe the number is even higher. It is time to intervene and invest.