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Ashley Shaw
Ms. Parrish
English 1010
13 November 2016
The Growing Problem of Teacher Shortage
Teacher shortage - does it need a question mark? Weve all heard the stories that the
STEM programs in schools are struggling for teachers in any grade. Its something that Ive
heard throughout my high school experience over and over. Teacher shortage isnt new, but it is
extremely important. Its not just in the STEM programs anymore. All areas of teaching are
being affected; even elementary schools are struggling to find teachers. Lack of money is only
one of the causes for this shortage. Its become a major problem in Utah more than in New
York, but that doesnt mean that it doesnt exist.
Firstly, there is a teacher shortage, no question. The western states are struggling the
most, but that doesnt mean the shortage doesnt exist in the east. According to the article
Americas Teacher Shortage from The Atlantic, states with similar demographics to Indiana,
has struggled to fill positions in both isolated, rural communities and urban areas (McKenna 4).
The western states fall into the category of being rural communities and urban areas, but not
always isolated. Most people want to live and work in some place like Massachusetts or New
York. This makes it so there are more teachers than there are jobs. Of those teachers on the
East Coast, many of them are elementary school teachers. That means that there arent enough
high school teachers, even in places like New York, where it could be considered that there are
too many teachers. The problem here is that no one wants to work in rural areas because they
are considered almost undeveloped. Many crucial supplies that most people have and would
seem easy to come by, like computers, are not as available. These communities are usually
where minorities live. It might be really hard to teach when students either dont care about what
theyre being taught or dont speak English, or even both. This means more work for the same

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amount of pay that teachers would be getting if they didnt have these struggles in the first
place. Another problem in these areas is that there tend to be larger class sizes, and larger
class sizes means more supplies are needed. Those supplies, like books and computers, are
not being provided. An article from NPR interviewed Linda Darling-Hammond, who says that:
...the needs that teachers have to be responsive to on behalf of the children are also very, very
taxing (Darling-Hammond 5). Not only do teachers have to deal with the larger class sizes, but
more and more children are either in poverty or homeless. Students in poverty cant afford
things that they would usually have, like something as simple as paper. In families, the money
needs to go towards food or clothing. Teachers have to deal with a variety of problems while still
not being paid very much.
There are a variety of different solutions that can be implemented for teachers. A major
problem that could be easily solved is the issue of salaries. Salaries have been decreasing
since the 1990s, and its been stated that teachers are earning about 20 percent less than
other college graduates who are similarly educated (Darling-Hammond 5). This doesnt add up.
Teachers have to deal with more and more work each year, while their salaries are being
decreased. These people are essential for our society. Doctors are paid nearly $200,000 for
their salary, if not more than that. We need doctors, so this is understandable. Teachers get paid
more than half that amount, and without teachers, we wouldnt have doctors. Money isnt the
only solution; teachers can also be better prepared for what theyre getting into. It doesnt take a
lot to prepare teachers who are going into high-minority and high-poverty schools areas, which
more and more seem to be appearing. The preparations would include letting teachers know
what goes on in these kinds of areas and how it might be more work than they were originally
expecting. It would help both teacher and student if those who are working in high-minority and
high-poverty areas knew what was going on in the school.
This is a problem that can be solved, contrary to what some may think. Not all people
believe that there is a teacher shortage. According to the article Is There Really A Teacher

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Shortage? from Forbes, applicants in Connecticut has risen in recent years, and dramatically
so (Biggs 2). While this may be the case, this is only in one area of the country, and only in one
state. Not every state is the same, but there is more data saying that teachers are in fact
struggling to find jobs. One state having more applicants than jobs doesnt change the fact that
there is still a nationwide teacher shortage. Utah is one of those states that is struggling more
than others for teachers. For the amount of work teachers have to do, the pay is $20,000 less in
Utah compared to Wyoming. With Wyoming being right next to Utah, its easier for teachers to
go to the state over to earn more money. $20,000 is a significant difference of money, especially
if a family is involved. If one state is paying more than another, the solution is easy to see: raise
the other states salary to match the difference. Its not hard to implement these changes for
teachers.
Its easy to see that teacher shortage is a real problem. Because of growing rural areas
and higher poverty rates, teachers are unprepared. Lack of money for salaries and even funding
for supplies makes this much harder. Not only this, but some people believe that there isnt a
problem because of situations like Connecticut. But this is something that can be fixed if
everyone starts to make a change. Its important to ask if we, as a society, value teachers and
the education that can be earned from these teachers. Education is supposed to be important in
our society, so the ones who give us that education should be deemed as important. Action is
the only thing thats needed before this problem gets worse.

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Works Cited
McKenna, Laura. "America's Teacher Shortage." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 10
Sept. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
Westervelt, Eric. "Frustration. Burnout. Attrition. It's Time To Address The National Teacher
Shortage." NPR. NPR, 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
Biggs, Andrew. "Is There Really A Teacher Shortage?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 13 Aug.
2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.