By Arianna Bekas
Orange County Public Schools has been faced with a problem that is getting larger and larger as each school year goes by. Teachers are leaving the profession at an extremely high rate, with 270 positions that OCPS needed to fill for this school year. This is a problem that hits close to home for Apopka High. Last year over forty new teachers had to be found to replace those who had left. But why is this happening? Why are so many teachers deciding to hang up their coats and leave this profession? The answer may lay within the new restrictions that are placed upon teachers by the prying county board, or it could be with the new rule that does not allow new teachers to ever be able to obtain tenure (a contract that teachers are given after working at a school for ten years that allows them to not be let go for trivial matters). The answer may lay within the people who are most affected by the county and administration, which is why The Blue and White went on a hunt to find out why so many teachers are bowing out.
The teachers’ names within this article have been changed to protect their identity.
When asked why she believes so many teachers are choosing to get out of this profession, Teacher A responded by saying that she believes teachers are leaving for multiple reasons. “One, I think that the education system is focused a lot on scores, and because of that, it is instilled in students that they should have a high GPA, and not actually learn. So that is an issue in itself. It’s about graduation rates, and whether or not they know the content is two different topics. Schools just want to push kids through so they can have a high graduation rate. Parent support is also pretty divided. You have some parents who really do support teachers, and then you have other parents who are just defending their child. Which, I mean, you can kind of understand, because it is their child. Then to the extent that not everybody is an A student, and the representation of what an A student is isn’t even a true thing anymore.” When Teacher A was asked as to whether or not the county had anything to do with people leaving teaching, Teacher A replied, “The county is almost used like ‘Big Brother,’ where people just like to blame the county. Even though it’s probably not the county. It’s just the symbolism of having something to blame.” Teacher A believes that the blaming the county for the lack of teachers is because people don’t want to take responsibility. As for what Teacher A believes should be done to help keep teachers, their response was pay. “The easiest thing that can be done is pay. However, I do not think that there is a good answer to that because I think the layers of why people leave are a lot.” Regardless of the reasons that there may be for leaving, Teacher A does plan on returning to teach at AHS next year.
Teacher B believes that teachers are leaving because of a lack of passion. “I think the biggest trait teachers lose throughout their careers is passion. You have to be passionate about actually teaching. Passionate about the subject you are teaching. Showing passion for the kids you are teaching, all while being passionate about the importance of education. In this profession, I can see why it is easy to lose all of that. Between stressful students who do not want to learn, parents down your throat with making sure their kids succeed, pressure by administrators and the county to follow CRM’s (lesson plans created by the county), and getting students to pass their exams, and working 12-hour days because the plan you think you had just isn’t working; it can be very stressful. To me, there are some days when I think I’m not cut out for it anymore. But then I have an interaction with a student, a colleague, or an administrator that reminds me why I wanted to be in this profession in the first place.” As for what Apopka could be doing to keep teachers from leaving Teacher B says that there a couple of things the county and Apopka could do to make sure teachers come back. For example, when it comes to what Apopka High can do, Teacher B states, “I think Apopka needs to keep new and returning teachers feeling like they belong not only to Apopka, but also to this profession.” When it comes to what the county can do Teacher B stated, “I think the county being very strict on lesson plans is a huge reason why teachers are questioning returning. With how strict, and sometimes unrealistic, the lesson plans are, I think it makes it hard for some of the teachers to stand behind the activities and the way the district wants us to teach. They are taking away the teachers creativity, and that’s how teachers begin to lose passion. It is very easy for a teacher to go into a room, teach a district-mandated lesson, and leave the day knowing they have no lesson plans to further construct. But how much did the students actually learn when the teacher wasn’t even buying into the lesson themselves? I think student learning will be optimized when teachers can present a lesson they created on their own and be so excited about it.” As of right now, Teacher B does plan on returning, however, she states that “I don’t really like making plans that far out, we will have to see how the rest of the year goes.”
As for why so many teachers are leaving, Teacher C believes that there are multiple reasons why people are getting out. “I think teachers are choosing to leave because the cost does not always meet the reward. We all choose to be teachers because we have a love of helping students and we think we can make a difference. However, frustrating administration, apathetic students, absent parents, and a workload that far exceeds our 7.5 hours a day, sometimes makes it feel like it’s just not worth it anymore.” When asked about what we can do to stop the numbers of teachers leaving from rising, Teacher C replied, “I think it comes down to respect. With respect comes a professional trust that we are capable of creating lesson plans we feel will impact our students in both the classroom and in life. Teaching has moved from true education to test preparation.” Teacher C absolutely feels that the counties intrusions are a reason why people no longer wish to be teachers. “The common argument amongst teachers is that people at the top know nothing of what it’s like in the classroom, yet they make the rules and judge us based on their limited view of what ‘should’ happen in the classroom. The restrictions are insulting and poorly designed. Teachers are told what to do every day in every way. There are very few professions where your boss dictates your every move.” Teacher C does plan on staying. “I do plan on staying, but only for the students I care about and my colleagues I have built relations with. The administration will be challenging everywhere you go, some more than others, but it’s really the students who make a difference in my life. When I go home and talk to my spouse about my day, it’s still 90% glowing about my students and only about 10% growling about all other issues of education in America today.”
The number of teachers leaving the profession within Orange County will continue to increase as long as we don’t change the way teachers are treated by not only parents and students, but also by the county and administration. As long as the limitations, disrespect, and frustrations go up, while pay stays the same, you can most likely bet that the number of teachers leaving each year will continue to rise.