We’re losing quality teachers because the numbers just don’t add up

I

‘ve always had butterflies on the first day of school. First, as a student. Then, as a teacher. As a mother, the butterflies are most intense.

I was chatting with a friend on the first day of school. “I can’t stop thinking about my girls,” I said.“I hope they have good teachers. I hope they’re happy.”

“You must be even more nervous because your daughter is the teacher!” I added. Her daughter Mindy was a sixth-grade teacher.

“Nothing to be nervous about this year,” she replied, “Mindy isn’t teaching anymore.”

I was shocked. “Mindy left her teaching job? It’s so sad that we lost another quality teacher.”

My friend explained the backstory. Her daughter Mindy was the kind of teacher that every parent wished their child could have. Parents requested her all the time. She was creative, positive, innovative, and smart. But more importantly, she had a maturity and depth of character. She was the one who looked out for the struggling children and connected with them. She really cared.

Mindy did a fabulous job for four years, but the salary always bothered her. Her teaching job was her life. It took everything out of her. The hours in the classroom — not to mention the preparation and phone calls with parents — chopped up her day, leaving her with insufficient time to find a lucrative side job.

The school valued her work and gave her small raises over the years. Still, her salary was pitiful compared to the salary of a fresh graduate working in a medical billing office.