Teachers: How to Get Them to Stay and What Do They Really Want?

Aisha Moore-Webb

Teacher shortages! The desperate need for teachers in many school districts across the world isn’t old news. College students are not majoring in the profession. Some schools have even done away with their education programs. Many in the field are perplexed about what should be done. As I prepare to enter the world of educational administration I have pondered the question of teacher retention. I have come up with about five things that could help keep good teachers in the class, and persuade others to join the craft.

First, it pains me to see the bad rap teachers get today. I am puzzled how so much of the weight of a child’s success in placed on the school house and not the home. Regardless, there are those of us in the field who do what we must to provide young people with the best educational experience we can give. Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to be acknowledged for the work you do. I think many teachers just want to hear words of affirmation and appreciation. Most do not required expensive forms of acknowledgment, they just want to know that someone recognizes the effort.

In addition to acknowledging the efforts of educators, teachers would like to be treated as professionals. I will never forget an administrator addressed her staff at the end of the year by saying, “Well, we just got rid of our first set of kids, now I have to get y’all outta here.” It took so much for me hold my composure. That comment spoke volumes about the way the administrator felt about her faculty and staff. It was incredibly insulting.

The next thing we can do for teachers is provide relevant professional development, even individualized professional development. So many teachers feel alone when dealing with the pressures of high stakes testing. As educational administrators who are sympathetic to the task teachers’ face, it is important they look for ways to help teachers reach students. This also means focusing more on coaching and less on evaluating.

Lastly, administrators should work hard at creating a school structure that promotes academic achievement. This might be the most difficult suggestion depending on where the administrator serves. However, when teachers can primarily focus on their craft, they can better meet the needs of the students.

Granted, these suggestions are based on the things I have reflected about as a result of my experience as a classroom teacher. However, trying them would be worth it. Yes, it would be so nice to be able to pay teachers their worth, but until that happens (and I do believe it will), other things can and should be done.