A new “MetLife Survey of the American Teacher” finds that over “the past two years there has been a significant decline in teachers’ satisfaction with their profession.”
In that time, “teacher satisfaction has decreased by 15 points” and “is coupled with large increases in the number of teachers who indicate that they are likely to leave teaching for another occupation and in the number who do not feel their jobs are secure, ” the survey said.
This has produced a lot of handwringing among the education establishment, as exemplified in one veteran teacher’s blog:
“I wonder if the teaching profession as it is now being redesigned and redefined by school reformers is one that any of us would have chosen when we began teaching,” the teacher writes. “And I wonder who would choose to teach in a school with a high level of poverty.”
That makes for a dramatic blog post, but it doesn’t really match reality.
In Michigan – which has been a national leader in education reform over the past year – open teaching positions have been generating scads of applications from eager educators.
Last fall, one Michigan school district received 2,211 applications for 21 potential teaching positions, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential.
Similar scenarios are occurring all across the country. Young men and women – fresh out of college – are hungry for their first teaching job. But even if they’re lucky enough to land a position, many of them are at risk of being laid off because they lack the seniority of their older colleagues, and their older colleagues frequently refuse to accept contract concessions to save jobs.
We suspect that many teachers are a bit down because their work world as they know it is quickly changing. And even though the change is for the better, any type of change is stressful for longtime employees.
We believe most will adjust and become better instructors in the new environment, which stresses teacher accountability and student achievement. People always feel better when they improve their skills, and their improved performance is making a difference.
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One Comment
It is also my impression that Michigan is a national leader in economic distress and unemployment. Interesting but not surprising that one “Michigan school district received 2,211 applications for 21 potential teaching positions, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential.” How many of those were people laid off from other jobs or laid off as teachers in other districts?
Also interesting that “Young men and women – fresh out of college – are hungry for their first teaching job.” Headlines seem to say they are hungry for ANY job.
There is no doubt that change is stressful and teachers have faced constant change since NCLB was introduced by George Bush over a decade ago. The stress is now taking its toll, particularly when teachers are also constantly bashed as a profession.