More than half of elementary school teachers don’t think young people should go into the field, according to a national survey.
Their reasoning varies. Some worry about meager paychecks. Others are frustrated by the endless grading or the effort it takes to reign in misbehaving students or the lack of opportunities for professional development.
Elementary teachers and veteran K-12 educators were the least likely to recommend people pursue teaching as a career, according to a Pew Research Center survey of public school teachers. An average of 44% of respondents in those two categories said they would recommend the job.
Another recent national survey by educator-led nonprofit Educators for Excellence found that just 16% of teachers across all grades would recommend the profession.
With these discouraging numbers in mind, USA TODAY asked a few teachers who want others to enter their ranks how their jobs could be improved. Here is a roundup of their best suggestions.
Offer ongoing feedback and professional development
Treasure Jones, a first grade teacher in Indianapolis, was surprised by the lack of oversight during her first few years of teaching.
She didn’t receive much feedback on her daily lessons and rarely got help from an instructional coach. The professional development her school offered didn’t address the issues she faced in the classroom.
Her entire experience at the local charter school where she started made Jones feel stagnant and lonely.
“It feels like, as teachers, we’re in a silo, which makes the job more difficult,” she said.
Staff support is essential – but often missing – for new teachers, she said. More instructional coaches to help with the curriculum and more robust supervision by administrators would make things easier.
This year, Jones switched schools to get the help she needed. Now, she teaches first grade at Sankofa School of Success, another charter school, where she receives daily coaching on her lessons.
Instructional coaches share feedback in real-time or after class is over. It has helped her feel more confident that she’s offering students a quality education.
“It’s night and day to go from a school where I had no one in my classroom seeing what I’m doing to where they’re in my classroom every day,” she said.
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Teaching assistants, aides can help shoulder workload
Julie Cusano, a kindergarten teacher, was hired to teach young kids how to read and write. In reality, she said, her daily interactions also require her to act as a therapist, cheerleader and coach at a public elementary in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The extra hours and labor this support requires are the most difficult part of being an educator, she told USA TODAY. Caruso often uses her unpaid time to prepare lessons, contact families and write progress reports.
“I could never imagine leaving at 3 or coming in at 8:15 if I want kids to be successful,” she said. “There’s so much to do all the time, and it’s really hard to not bring it home.”
A classroom assistant or paraprofessional would help alleviate her workload, Caruso said. More staff to provide family support would also help because when children come to school, they’re often not ready to learn and act out, she said.
More than half of U.S. teachers surveyed said the role is difficult in part because of the amount of labor they take on, the Pew study found.
In Urbana, Illinois, Brittany Archibald-Swank, a veteran fourth grade teacher at a public school spends about 12 to 15 extra hours each week on the job.
“I spend my time pretty efficiently, and even after teaching for 12 years, I still spend extra hours working,” she said.
Archibald-Swank said aid from others would cut down on her responsibilities and let her focus on teaching.
Mental health counselors, behavioral support for students
On top of the debilitating workload, Archibald-Swank said she has to pause her lessons almost daily to help or comfort a student who is off task.
Many students in her class “bring a lot of trauma with them that impacts how they learn and how they react in a school setting,” she said.
Behavioral problems and untreated mental health needs have become more pronounced since pandemic school closures.
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Last year, four of her students had at least one parent who had died. The one full-time and one part-time social worker at the school were often busy with other students, so Archibald-Swank usually stepped in to help them manage their emotions.
Additional mental health counselors and social workers on her school campus would drastically improve her role, Archibald-Swank said.
The extra counseling support would allow her to teach with fewer disruptions, she said.
“At the end of the day I could just get in bed because I’m so tired,” Archibald-Swank said. “I still wonder if this job is sustainable for me.”
Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.