Sarah Tantillo, Ed.D. is the author of “The Literacy Cookbook” and “Hit the Drum: An Insider’s Account of How the Charter School Idea Became a National Movement,” as well as several other books. She consults nationally with K-12 schools on literacy instruction, curriculum development, leadership, culture-building, mental wellness, and strategic planning.
The ongoing debate about whether or not we have a national teacher shortage or “just” a shortage of teachers in specific subjects or specific locations is certainly important from a policy standpoint. We need to know where the problems lie so that we can solve them.
As Laura Waters recently noted, for example, we must consider the numerous factors that dry up the teacher pipeline and create barriers to entry in the field, and try to address them. But from a HUMAN standpoint, this debate overlooks the daily and long-term impacts on students, parents, and educators when ANY teachers are missing from a school.
The impacts on students are both immediate and lasting. If you are a student, it doesn’t really matter if “research shows there is a shortage of STEM teachers,” for example. What matters is that you don’t have a science teacher this year. Most likely someone different is covering your class every day. The lack of consistent coverage means that no single person is responsible for planning lessons or providing feedback on your work. And no matter how well-intentioned the adults covering your classes might be, they will not be able to monitor your progress and communicate it effectively to your parents.
Even if you do have a long-term sub running your science class, by definition this person is not fully qualified to teach or else they would’ve been hired for that role.
You are not going to learn much science this year.
Also, you might feel disrespected or demoralized, like “the adults in this organization don’t care enough about us to put someone solid in front of us every day.” Science class becomes a part of your day that depresses you. You might become sullen or you might act out; the vibe in that class will carry into the rest of your day, not to mention its effects on the overall school culture.The dean might spend a lot of time talking to students who misbehave in that science class. It won’t matter how much the school leaders lose sleep over this (and trust me, I know many of them, and they do); students will not feel fully supported when the person who is supposed to teach them is not qualified to do so.
School leaders see these student impacts and face their own, as well. Understaffing undermines THEIR work because if they can’t hire subs or if the subs can’t manage classroom behavior, administrators are forced to step in and cover classes. You can’t do your job fully if you’re doing someone else’s. You won’t have time to observe teachers, give feedback on their lesson plans, or coach them if you have to teach 6 th =-grade science yourself.
When even ONE teacher is missing, we see systemic ripple effects. Administrators become increasingly stressed (often still TRYING to do all of their work while also doing someone else’s), and the quality of instruction in the school cannot reach its fullest potential. When burned out administrators leave, the school system becomes further challenged, needing to replace them and train up new leaders. And again, from year to year, students who don’t learn science in one grade don’t miraculously catch up in the next; faced with more rigorous curriculum in the next grade, they will struggle and often feel defeated.
From a policy lens, we can all agree that both our economy and our democratic republic require an educated workforce. Can we also agree that WHATEVER the extent of the teacher shortage, even one school missing one teacher is a SERIOUS problem?
