I remember being a junior in high school, over three decades ago. I was at a classmate’s house, who was also my friend, studying for an AP European History exam that we were going to have to take a few days later. I looked at a wall in her parents’ house, and it had a little placard that said, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” Incidentally, both of her parents were teachers.
I was thinking recently about what that placard said, and wondered if teaching is still a respected profession in America, as it used to be, especially pre-pandemic. I have read a lot of social media posts, which say that teachers in many American states are leaving the profession in droves, mainly because parents and students no longer respect them, and they ‘don’t get paid enough for all of the crap from the administration and families that they have to deal with.’
However, I have learned to take whatever’s posted on social media with a grain of salt. That said, I did get the general feeling that teachers no longer get respect that they deserve and need to do their jobs well, especially post-pandemic. I surmised that it was this lack of respect that’s pushing college students from becoming teachers. I will provide substantial evidence to back my feelings.
There is a Real Teacher Shortage Now
I will use a statement from the US Department of Education as evidence for that. “All 50 states reported teacher shortages for at least one subject area” for the 2023-2034 school year, according to an article published in Teachersoftomorrow. Fields like math, science, bilingual education, and special eduation are especially lacking.
Some states are so desperate for teachers that they are doing something that was unthinkable even a decade ago. They are (in some cases literally) allowing untrained and uncertified people to teach in the classroom. The Learning Policy Institute recently analyzed fresh data about teachers and found something stunning. About 48 states and the District of Columbia had about 365,967 teachers who lacked full certification who were teaching in K-12 classrooms!
What’s more is that 31 states and the District of Columbia had 45,582 vacant teacher jobs as of June 2025. There is something even scarier–about 411,549 jobs were either vacant or being filled by teachers who were only partially certified in their fields. That means that up to 1 out of every 8 teachers is only partially trained and certified for his or her job.
Teaching Has Lost its Luster
There was a time when teaching was genuinely respected and teachers were adored by students, admin, and parents. Those times have long since gone now, and that’s reflected in the acute teacher shortage that America currently faces. For starters, fewer college students want to go into teaching. The Learning Policy Institute itself even reflected that interest in teaching among high school and college students is at an all-time low.
Far fewer students enrolled in teacher prep programs nationally after the bad economic downturn of 2008. About 100,000 fewer people were in these programs from 2012 and 2015. That decline worsened by about 5% from 2016-2017 and 2020-2021 in 27 states. Enrollment flatlined in 7 states, and surprisingly enough, it actually rose by at least 5% in 17 states and the District of Columbia.
Dissatisfied Teachers Are Quitting in the Droves
A lot of teachers are quitting because they are simply fed up with admin and parents who expect them to do everything. They cite burnout, frustration, and a lack of respect regarding boundaries as key reasons for leaving. Ironically enough, they aren’t leaving because of the kids–they love teaching and being around their students.
It’s teachers leaving the profession early that accounts for the bulk (90%) of the demand for new teachers. It turns out that not even 20% of teachers who leave do so because they are retiring after many years on the job.
Some Scary Realities About Teaching in America
Did you know that about 86% of schools in America struggle to find teachers, much less qualified teachers? Added to that is the fact that not even 20% of teachers like their work. About 51,000 teachers quit permanently in 2023–they either retired or switched careers. Ironically, those who took up retail jobs say that they get paid more per hour, work far fewer hours, and are treated better working as a cashier at Kohl’s than they ever did in teaching.
Almost ⅔ of teachers (62%) would strongly discourage their kids from following in their footsteps. There is a teaching shortage of 36,500 positions. Sadly enough, according to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers’ salaries have only increased by a shameful $29 in 28 years. Additionally, teachers earn about 23.5% less than college graduates with similar years of experience in other professions.
Many teachers say that they feel that students are coming into the classroom every year less and less prepared for education and learning. They say that they are expected to do more with less. That discourages many teachers, and it acts as a real disincentive for people who would otherwise enter the profession.
America is Finally Taking Notice
The American education system may finally be noticing that punishing teachers is not a good thing. Teachers make, on average, about $42,844 in 2022 as an entry-level salary. Where I live, starting teachers can make about $63,000 a year. So, the glaring teacher shortage is leading to better salaries for teachers, finally!
Teachers with extra certifications or those who want to teach in challenging fields can earn much more. Teaching is also relatively immune to AI, because for all of AI’s advancements, the tools will never be able to teach challenging–behaviorally, emotionally challenged, or those who are on the spectrum or have other learning disorders–children.
Teachers who work in the public school system often get handsome benefits. That includes PTO, state pensions, and comprehensive health insurance. Many teachers can also have their student loans forgiven through student loan forgiveness programs. One such program is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which has forgiven over $45 billion in teachers’ student loans since 2023.
Many teachers can climb the career ladder as well, and they get substantial vacation time. But they often don’t get paid during the summer months unless they teach summer school. They work fewer hours than those in demanding corporate roles as well. The teachers who stay find that the profession is slowly improving.
Things May Be Looking Up for Teachers, but…
And, this is a big but. Teachers just don’t command the respect that they used to. That’s probably why teaching has lost much of its shine. Sure, the pandemic accelerated this trend, but the seeds for this change were sown decades earlier–in the 1960s and 1970s.
