Teachers work an average of 53 hours per week–a standard work week is 40 hours– and report an average salary of $67,000, according to a recent survey by the RAND Corp, a research consulting firm. They are more dissatisfied with their jobs, leading some to consider leaving the profession, according to a recent article in EdWeek. This comes at a time when districts are finding it tough to fill teacher vacancies with fewer college graduates pursuing a career in education.
What to do? Pay them more. Make their jobs less time consuming. Cut the time they spend on administrative tasks, such as submitting detailed lessons plans, particularly for veteran teachers who’ve taught for years, and developing, grading and analyzing Student Growth Objective (SGO), a year-long goal set by teachers in consultation with their supervisors to demonstrate student learning. Trim the number of professional development hours required and make the training relevant to what’s going on in the world. Yes, I appreciate learning about how to integrate technology in the classroom, but I’ve learned enough about classroom management and student engagement that I don’t think I need more education on this.
Let’s bring back joy for teachers. Let them focus on creating fun, interesting lessons and developing relationships with their students. Don’t require them to test them in an arbitrary assessment like the SGO. Let them be excused from completing training that they’ve done year after year. The GCN (Global Compliance Network) training on blood borne pathogens, sexual harassment, and computer use policies. The mandatory modules change little year to year, so what’s the rationale behind requiring it so often?
We must make teaching a more attractive profession. What will our country do if fewer and fewer people commit to educating the next generation?
Jennifer Nelson 
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