atpe.org
|
17 winter 2014
E
mily* decided that she wanted to be a teacher
when she was in the third grade. Her teacher that
year showed a love for her students and a passion
for educating young minds that inspired Emily to pursue
teaching herself.
Now in her frst year as a third-grade teacher, Emily
displays the same passion for educating students that her
long-ago teacher instilled in her. She loves watching her
students' faces as they fnally come to grasp something
they've been struggling to understand. And she fnds
comfort in knowing that she's dedicated her life to helping
others, particularly her students, who she says, "don't get a
lot of attention at home."
Emily sounds like the ideal frst-year teacher, right? She
has some struggles, but she loves her job and will persevere
through the typical challenges that new teachers face.
Right?
Not exactly.
Soon, Emily will ofcially become part of the 9.5 percent
of teachers in the United States who leave their jobs during
the frst year. The high rate of teacher turnover is one of
education's most striking concerns. Forty to ffty percent of
teachers leave their jobs within the frst fve years, and over
the past two decades, the number of new teachers who
have decided to leave the classroom has increased by 40
percent.
Education has changed dramatically over the past 20
years, and we are letting impassioned and talented new
teachers like Emily slip away.
©
TEACHER
IN
CLASSROOM/CREATAS/THINKSTOCK