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In recent months, there’s been a deluge of headlines about teachers’ declining morale and the departure of many educators from the profession.
Such doomsday scenarios tell only part of the story. If we’re going to continue attracting bright minds and passionate leaders to the field—and retaining them in the classroom—we need to shift the narrative and focus on the positive aspects of the teaching profession.
Without a doubt, teaching is challenging. I have experienced the unique rigors of the profession as a former classroom teacher. Now, as a nonprofit leader who works closely with teachers, I hear regularly about their struggles and opportunities. The pandemic and the learning-recovery period that’s followed have exacerbated the pressure—and the isolation—that teachers experience. They have also placed additional demands on teachers related to students’ well-being and mental health.
But a counternarrative has emerged, based on a deeper look at the facts, that points to other realities. Teaching is rewarding, and the pay—while it should be better—is not as bad as it’s perceived to be. There’s joy to be found in purposeful work, and teachers recognize this. That’s not to mention other benefits that are less discussed, like flexible summers and earlier-than-average retirement.
By continuing to emphasize the challenges teachers face and ignoring these benefits, we risk alienating the next generation of prospective teachers at a time when having excellent educators is especially urgent. Students continue to face learning losses and have much academic ground to gain since the pandemic, and studies show that teachers are the most important in-school factor in students’ success.
A coalition of science and education organizations has been promoting affirming messages about the teaching profession in an effort to get more promising candidates to pursue teaching careers. Their campaign is rooted in positive aspects of teaching that rarely make headlines, and it’s designed to counter pervasive negative messages about teaching that have altered public perception. Consider that:
◗ The average teacher earned almost $22,000 more per year than the $42,000 that Americans believed they earned, according to research from 2021.
◗ Only 4% of elementary and middle school teachers left the profession in 2021, as did 5% of secondary school teachers and 7% of special education teachers. These numbers align with generally stable professions such as physicians/surgeons (7%), software developers (6%) and office supervisors (4%).
◗ In Indiana and Marion County, teacher retention rates are trending in the right direction. Statewide, they are up to 80% in 2023 from 77% in 2022, and in Indianapolis, they’re up to 68.5% last year, an increase from 66% in 2022.
◗ In a national survey, 77% of teachers said they are somewhat or very likely to spend their entire career as a classroom teacher. Among teachers of color, 90% say this.
◗ A survey by Rise Indy in partnership with MelanatED Leaders and Teach Indy also showed that more than two-thirds of Marion County teachers are satisfied with their jobs.
This data should not silence the important conversations about the need to continue improving the teaching profession. Because teachers play such a critical role in society, we should do everything we can to elevate their satisfaction and champion their success.
Instead, these points offer a helpful perspective that the state of teaching is not as dire as attention-grabbing headlines often project. If we’re going to continue enticing talent to join this noble profession, we are well-served to underscore its benefits. That will yield positive results for those in the classroom and the students whose lives they touch.•
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Marshall is executive director of Teach Indy, a nonprofit organization that strives to elevate the teaching profession in Marion County.
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