“My mental health has suffered tremendously and I am looking for alternatives to being a teacher” Nova Scotia Teacher via NSTU Facebook page
Back on November 9th, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) released the results of a survey it had administered in October to get a clearer picture of the current teacher shortages being experienced in our schools. The results, perhaps somewhat predictably, were not encouraging. According to the NSTU, 70 percent of teachers had been asked to give up their contractual marking and preparation time to fill in for an absent colleague when a substitute could not be found, and one in three teachers had been required to supervise multiple classrooms at once for the same reason.
I’m not sure that the average non-educator can quite wrap their head around the massive amount of energy that teaching all day without a meaningful break requires, let alone monitoring two classes at once. Teachers, however, are keenly aware of what that entails, and the burden that it places on the profession, and their colleagues. That would be why, in the same survey, over 80% of teachers indicated they had come to work when feeling ill, or had postponed medical appointments, in order to avoid being absent from school.
The current staffing dilemma facing Nova Scotia schools is certainly not unique. Right across Canada, the shortage of qualified licensed teachers available for full-time positions, let alone to provide substitute relief, has been making headlines. As of the end of August, education authorities in Nunavut were looking to fill 90 full time positions. In Quebec, that number was closer to 1900. In BC, the government has tried to rectify what is is calling a “widespread teacher shortage” by opening 250 new teacher training spots. From coast to coast to coast, the story is the same. Schools are simply having a hard time finding teachers.
The reasons for this shortage are myriad, and many are invisible to the general public. For example, increased immigration is excellent for our country as a whole, but does come with considerable short term pain for school teachers. Tales of students arriving at the classroom door unable to read and write in their home language, let alone in English, are becoming more and more common, as are teacher concerns about lack of resources for these students. This is particularly true when these students are accompanied by a level of trauma that is hard to fathom, let alone support. The term “complex classroom” doesn’t even come close.
Then there are the more visible complications, such as the increasing polarization between those who support 2SLGBTQIA+ education in classrooms and those who do not. The feelings on both sides of that particular debate run very, very deep, and classroom teachers are often caught directly in the middle. This is particularly true of teachers who are part of that community, or whose own children may be exploring their individual identity.
Let’s also not forget the post-COVID factor, which has seen the normal socio-emotional development of an entire generation interrupted. This interruption has undoubtedly been a contributing factor to the increase in violence in schools, an increase that has caused Nova Scotia’s Minister of Education to recently issue a letter to teachers promising a review of the Code of Conduct for students.
It might be tempting to conclude that these relatively new developments are at the heart of the matter; that this staffing crisis is really just a sign of the times. However, the shortage of people willing to enter the profession, and alarming attrition rates, pre-date the current political climate. For example, a 2021 report issued by Ontario College of Teachers concluded that the number of people entering into teacher training programs had steadily declined over the previous decade. According to their data, the number of new teachers graduating from Ontario’s faculties of education are at about half of what they were ten years ago.
There is also a considerable historical context here. Since the late 1980’s, public education has been under a constant attack from those who believe that schools should be run on a business model, as opposed to a more altruistic one. Organizations like The Fraser Institute and the now (thankfully) defunct Atlantic Institute for Market Studies have called for such measures as more accountability for teachers, more standardized data collection, and reductions in salary and benefits. After almost fifty years of these groups constantly chipping away at its foundation, the system does indeed, seem to be teetering.
Oddly enough, it was not that long ago that governments were singing a very different tune. As recently as 2007, the Nova Scotia Government released its “Teacher Supply and Demand” report which did not exactly paint a rosy picture of potential job prospects for educators. Although stopping short of declaring that university students should not be considering teaching as a viable option, then Minister of Education Karen Casey cautioned young Nova Scotians to carefully consider their choices. The report also made a point of mentioning that “one-fifth of substitute teachers now leave the province or the profession because they cannot find enough hours or secure full-time employment.”
Fast forward to today, and substitute teachers are still leaving the province, and indeed the profession. However, it is certainly not due to a lack of work opportunities.
That brings me rather nicely around to the point. Teaching at one time was obviously an attractive enough profession that we had a glut of young people lining up around the proverbial block to secure employment. Now, schools are using unlicensed university graduates and B.Ed students to fill the gaps. This would have been inconceivable a decade ago.
I firmly believe that what is needed is a deep dive into the reality of today’s schools. What are the stressors acting on teachers at the front of the room? What would they like to remove from their professional plates? How could governments, regardless of political stripe, enact policy that would lighten the load?
I also believe we need to look at our universities and ask this next generation of young people what they would like to see change in the profession. If the oft lauded (and somewhat inaccurate) promise of “summers off” is no longer enough to entice them into the career, what would? Would a change in the school day make the profession more attractive? Smaller class size? Flexible scheduling? Free tuition?
If the current trend of increased immigration continues in Nova Scotia, our population will continue to grow. That growth will require more teachers.
It will take some decidedly “outside the box” thinking to make sure we have enough trained professionals to meet that demand.
frostededucation
Outside the box thinking required to fix teacher shortage
“My mental health has suffered tremendously and I am looking for alternatives to being a teacher” Nova Scotia Teacher via NSTU Facebook page
Back on November 9th, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) released the results of a survey it had administered in October to get a clearer picture of the current teacher shortages being experienced in our schools. The results, perhaps somewhat predictably, were not encouraging. According to the NSTU, 70 percent of teachers had been asked to give up their contractual marking and preparation time to fill in for an absent colleague when a substitute could not be found, and one in three teachers had been required to supervise multiple classrooms at once for the same reason.
I’m not sure that the average non-educator can quite wrap their head around the massive amount of energy that teaching all day without a meaningful break requires, let alone monitoring two classes at once. Teachers, however, are keenly aware of what that entails, and the burden that it places on the profession, and their colleagues. That would be why, in the same survey, over 80% of teachers indicated they had come to work when feeling ill, or had postponed medical appointments, in order to avoid being absent from school.
The current staffing dilemma facing Nova Scotia schools is certainly not unique. Right across Canada, the shortage of qualified licensed teachers available for full-time positions, let alone to provide substitute relief, has been making headlines. As of the end of August, education authorities in Nunavut were looking to fill 90 full time positions. In Quebec, that number was closer to 1900. In BC, the government has tried to rectify what is is calling a “widespread teacher shortage” by opening 250 new teacher training spots. From coast to coast to coast, the story is the same. Schools are simply having a hard time finding teachers.
The reasons for this shortage are myriad, and many are invisible to the general public. For example, increased immigration is excellent for our country as a whole, but does come with considerable short term pain for school teachers. Tales of students arriving at the classroom door unable to read and write in their home language, let alone in English, are becoming more and more common, as are teacher concerns about lack of resources for these students. This is particularly true when these students are accompanied by a level of trauma that is hard to fathom, let alone support. The term “complex classroom” doesn’t even come close.
Then there are the more visible complications, such as the increasing polarization between those who support 2SLGBTQIA+ education in classrooms and those who do not. The feelings on both sides of that particular debate run very, very deep, and classroom teachers are often caught directly in the middle. This is particularly true of teachers who are part of that community, or whose own children may be exploring their individual identity.
Let’s also not forget the post-COVID factor, which has seen the normal socio-emotional development of an entire generation interrupted. This interruption has undoubtedly been a contributing factor to the increase in violence in schools, an increase that has caused Nova Scotia’s Minister of Education to recently issue a letter to teachers promising a review of the Code of Conduct for students.
It might be tempting to conclude that these relatively new developments are at the heart of the matter; that this staffing crisis is really just a sign of the times. However, the shortage of people willing to enter the profession, and alarming attrition rates, pre-date the current political climate. For example, a 2021 report issued by Ontario College of Teachers concluded that the number of people entering into teacher training programs had steadily declined over the previous decade. According to their data, the number of new teachers graduating from Ontario’s faculties of education are at about half of what they were ten years ago.
There is also a considerable historical context here. Since the late 1980’s, public education has been under a constant attack from those who believe that schools should be run on a business model, as opposed to a more altruistic one. Organizations like The Fraser Institute and the now (thankfully) defunct Atlantic Institute for Market Studies have called for such measures as more accountability for teachers, more standardized data collection, and reductions in salary and benefits. After almost fifty years of these groups constantly chipping away at its foundation, the system does indeed, seem to be teetering.
Oddly enough, it was not that long ago that governments were singing a very different tune. As recently as 2007, the Nova Scotia Government released its “Teacher Supply and Demand” report which did not exactly paint a rosy picture of potential job prospects for educators. Although stopping short of declaring that university students should not be considering teaching as a viable option, then Minister of Education Karen Casey cautioned young Nova Scotians to carefully consider their choices. The report also made a point of mentioning that “one-fifth of substitute teachers now leave the province or the profession because they cannot find enough hours or secure full-time employment.”
Fast forward to today, and substitute teachers are still leaving the province, and indeed the profession. However, it is certainly not due to a lack of work opportunities.
That brings me rather nicely around to the point. Teaching at one time was obviously an attractive enough profession that we had a glut of young people lining up around the proverbial block to secure employment. Now, schools are using unlicensed university graduates and B.Ed students to fill the gaps. This would have been inconceivable a decade ago.
I firmly believe that what is needed is a deep dive into the reality of today’s schools. What are the stressors acting on teachers at the front of the room? What would they like to remove from their professional plates? How could governments, regardless of political stripe, enact policy that would lighten the load?
I also believe we need to look at our universities and ask this next generation of young people what they would like to see change in the profession. If the oft lauded (and somewhat inaccurate) promise of “summers off” is no longer enough to entice them into the career, what would? Would a change in the school day make the profession more attractive? Smaller class size? Flexible scheduling? Free tuition?
If the current trend of increased immigration continues in Nova Scotia, our population will continue to grow. That growth will require more teachers.
It will take some decidedly “outside the box” thinking to make sure we have enough trained professionals to meet that demand.
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Filed under Educational Change, Educational commentary, Nova Scotia Education Policy, Public education, Teacher shortage
Tagged as Nova Scotia Education Policy, public education, Teacher shortage