Recently, a high ranking, politically appointed education official was addressing an audience of school administrators. Here was the gist of his message to the most motivated of school leaders, the ones who were at a professional conference, out of town, during the Summer.

 

“Educators, across our state we have over 1,000 Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters on our campuses. We only have around 200 chapters of Future Teachers of America (FTA) on our campuses.

 

You, public school administrators, are not doing a good enough job of attracting young people to the field of public education.”

 

The only polite thing I can write about this address is that it is tone deaf. And it is utterly misguided and wrong.

 

It is our elected representatives and their political appointees with no public education experience that are pushing people away from the profession. Stagnant salaries, reduced benefits, inadequate pensions, a lack of resources, and demeaning public attacks on public schools are why young people aren’t considering teaching as a career choice.

 

All I can add is at what point do we, the public educators, quit voting for the people who see us as the problem and start voting for people who recognize that we are the solution.

 

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…

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