In response to my recent post about fewer people interested in entering the teaching profession, a colleague sent me this message.

"Sad story - but true. One of my friends is a truly brilliant teacher leader who has been teaching over 25 years. Her daughter, equally brilliant, has wanted to be a teacher her entire life. She is a junior at a state university. A month ago she called her mom and told her she has changed her major because she is so upset with what is happening in the state."

I cannot remember a time in the last forty years when it was more difficult to be a teacher or a principal. Teachers and principals are literally under attack from the press, the feds, the state, and even their own district leaders resulting in schools becoming hostile work environments. As a result, fewer are going into teaching and fewer teachers are training to be principals just at a time when we need them the most.

The core of what we do happens in the classroom and teachers are the lifeblood of a school. According to recent report in the Los Angeles Times, one surefire way to undermine public schools is to cut off the supply of teachers:

1. Make Teaching Less Attractive

"It's kind of difficult to encourage people to become teachers when every time this time of year they hear about 20,000 pink slips going out."

"I think people are seeing it (teaching) as a less attractive career and a more stressful one."

"Potential teachers are discouraged by increasingly crowded classrooms and more emphasis than before on testing and scripted lessons."

2. Reduce Staffing = Fewer Teaching Positions

"Teacher layoffs and other education spending cuts are thinning more than the current ranks of California's classroom instructors. The number of people training to be teachers also is plummeting, and that trend is likely to continue." Fewer teaching positions mean fewer openings and larger class sizes. From experience I have learned that these larger class sizes will never be reduced.

3. Manufacture a teacher shortage

Education experts are warning of a shortage of new teachers in a few years as large numbers of baby boomers start to retire from teaching jobs and larger numbers of youngsters enter elementary school."

For example, according to a report by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, the number of first- and second-year teachers in California dropped in half between the 2007-08 and 2009-10 academic years.

4. Train fewer teachers

In California, the number of teaching credentials issued annually fell 29% during the last five years. The Cal State University system has seen a 50% decline in enrollment in teacher preparation programs over an eight-year period.

An Essential Question

I will conclude by asking an important question. Given the current climate in public education, would you encourage your child to become a teacher? First, you know that layoffs and budget cuts mean that there are fewer openings. For many new graduates that means incurring sizable debt to pay for an education that will most likely not lead to gainful employment. Second, class sizes will continue to grow. Third, resources will continue to diminish. Fourth, expectations will continue to rise and accountability will continue to increase. Fifth, the blaming will get worse because of unrealistically high expectations and fewer resources. Finally, even if they do find a job, new teachers will most likely receive a pink slip every year for the first three to five years they are teaching. That means every March or April, you, as a parent, will get a depressing call that your son or daughter may not have a job next year. Even though I believe that teaching is among the highest callings, I must admit that I would not advise either of my children to become teachers, not unless there were big changes, and I don't see any on the horizon. Unfortunately, I see that I see things getting worse before they get better.