Nearly Three-Quarters Of Texas Teachers Say They Are Ready To Quit
In a new poll, nearly two three quarters of Texas teachers conveyed that they were considering leaving the profession behind.
Talks of nationwide teacher shortages are nearly unavoidable. As many school districts start the new school year, reports of massive vacancies riddle news headlines. There are plenty of reasons for this, but overall, the general consensus is that few Americans today are interested in becoming educators, and those left are more stressed than ever before. Because of this, plenty of current teachers are leaving the profession. In Texas, teachers are so fed up with the current state of education, that nearly three-quarters of them are ready to resign.
The new report comes from a survey conducted by the Texas State Teacher’s Association (TSTA). According to results from the poll, 70% conveyed that they were considering quitting their current jobs. This finding highlights a problem mirrored in school districts all across the nation, where teacher shortages are leaving districts struggling, as more and more educators report stress and burnout from the job.
While this newfound information may seem alarming, it should be noted that the survey polled 688 teachers who were currently members of the TSTA during the second quarter of 2022. Altogether, the state had roughly 370,431 Texas teachers during the 2020-2021 school year. Still, this information should not be taken lightly, as many educators resonate with the same sentiments that are causing many teachers to feel close to the brink of quitting.
To showcase how important this information may be, the Texas teachers’ union noted that this was the highest percent the association has ever documented for educators surveying that they are considering leaving their posts. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shattered the world of public education, only half of those surveyed reported feeling this way. The reason for this drastic increase is no surprise to many, as the pandemic exacerbated the many issues that are now well-known to litter public schools.
There is a plethora of reports and evidence citing how burned out teachers today are from the profession. With growing contention between social initiatives, it is commonplace nowadays to find teachers being ridiculed if they are found to be supporting liberal initiatives whatsoever. For Kentucky’s teacher of the year recipient, LGBTQ+ criticism from conservatives pushing back on students and staff is what drove the passionate teacher to leave the profession. Given Texas’ conservative stance on school proceedings, this could be adding increased stress leading some Texas teachers to feel similarly.
Pay has also been another major factor leading to the mass exodus from the profession. In Texas, teachers are reported to drastically lag behind other states in comparison to educator salaries. In the Lone Star state, teachers’ average pay is $7,500 less than the national average, according to information available from the National Education Association.
Given the severity of this poll, and similar information being conveyed by educators all across the nation, this information should be closely paid attention to. However, just because Texas teachers report that they are considering quitting, doesn’t necessarily mean they will leave. But given the gloomful state of public education all across the United States, it’s now more clear than ever that if drastic changes are not soon implemented, the teacher crisis in America will likely only get worse.
