How many teachers were valedictorians of their graduating class? Salutatorians? Top ten in their class? Being number one through ten in a graduating class is not a prerequisite for being a “top ten” teacher, but being an excellent student is a perfect segue into consideration of a career in education.
Our state faces a dramatic and pivotal shortage of teachers. Dramatic in the quantitative sense; pivotal in the qualitative sense. Without the number of teachers to staff classrooms, legislators are diminishing the academic pathways for being a licensed teacher. On a parallel course, political and cultural actions dissuade many students from considering a career in education. The increasing lack of teacher candidates, diminished teacher prep requirements, and the aversion of the best and brightest students to a career in education is a dire crisis in the making. Without high quality teachers, some children will learn on their own and most children will not learn all that they could and should.
Historically, the teaching profession has not been self-promoting. We listen neutrally to students’ talk about their life and career goals. We smile and wish them well. Instead, we should be unabashed promoters of education as a professional choice to fulfill life and career goals. Teacher, counselor, principal, psychologist, school nurse, social worker, nutritionist, school law, school architect, school business manager, college professor, educational writer, pedagogical theorist – there is a myriad of professional opportunities in the field of education. And, an academically successful high school student will find appropriate academic challenges and rewards in a career and life in education.
Start today. Send a text or have a conversation with high achieving students in your classes or school about education as a career choice. Persist. Send or talk about an article you have read or a story you can share about the personal and professional satisfaction that rises from work in education. Allow a future educator to use you as their reason for choosing education as their career.
Educators must recruit future educators. No one can be as effective.