CBS won't interview teachers about teacher shortage
Don't trust teacher reports without teachers.
I started The Paste Eaters Blog because the only opinions that matter in education do not belong to teachers*. CBS News proves my point when interviewing anyone but teachers about teacher shortages.
Researchers Say. A recent video from CBS News called “More teachers are quitting, and those who remain aren't happy, researchers say” appeared in my YouTube feed. John Dickerson interviews Bo Erickson about the topic. Here’s the TL;DR:
1. Why are teachers leaving? Expert researchers can’t pin down the data. (Researchers created the website Teacher Shortages.) But the problem isn't that bad.
2. The most vacancies are in STEM, foreign languages, and special education.
3. Erickson interviews Dr. Matthew Craft from Brown University (a former teacher) about his paper “The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession: ....”
4. Craft explains at 2:52, “When you simply ask teachers in large scale surveys why they might consider leaving the profession, they are consistently pointing to new state legislation or laws that have even been put in place, uh, restricting the type of content that can be taught around race and racism and sex and sexuality…”
5. Other factors include gun violence and Baby Boomer retirements.
Note: Commenting on this report alone could fill a page or two. Anyone at the ground level could describe the difficulty in filling positions these days, I’m sure.
Teachers Say. So why do teachers quit? We don't know. Must be sexuality. That's why, you guys. Story over. But why not ask teachers? They certainly responded in the comment section:
“Too many parents are completely disengaged and view teacher as nothing more than babysitters. They disparage and disrespect teachers and the profession.”
“I quit teaching high school a year ago. It is the worst job in America that requires a college degree. Student behavior, abusive administrators, crazy parents, terrible pay, unreasonable expectations...the list goes on and on. There is absolutely no question why there's a teacher shortage and why it will continue to get worse. The entire system is deeply damaged and beyond repair.”
“Not one mention of student behavior and lack of parenting. These people are so disconnected.”
"The expert on the show is an expert of ignorance. Teachers are leaving the profession because of LOW salary and horrible working conditions with high levels of stress and workload.”
“Ask the teachers who have been spat upon, beaten, stabbed, shot, or psychologically broken why they left. Much easier and better paying to be a police officer.”
“As always, ignoring the elephant in the room. Teachers are sick of getting assaulted and nothing happening to the perpetrators. We are then told we have to “build a relationship” with the assaulter when they return the next day. The last time I got hit, was my last time. I quit.”
When presumable eyewitnesses disagree with so-called experts, who do we believe?
Similar Reports. Let's give Dickerson and Erickson the benefit of the doubt. What if this report were unique? If we search "teachers" in CBS News, maybe similar reports interview teachers?
From April 24, 2024: "Schools across U.S. announce teacher layoffs. Same duo. More "experts." A teacher speaks in passing mention, but is not directly interviewed.
From April 23, 2024: “Tennessee bill would allow teachers to carry guns in classrooms.” Different reporters. Student and parent interviewed. No teachers.
From March 4, 2024: “Could higher salaries solve the U.S. teacher shortage?” Just Dickerson. Best-selling writer interviewed. No teachers.
From May 9, 2023: “Addressing the national teacher shortage.” Just Dickerson. “Expert” interviewed. No teachers. Note: They did address common issues.
From August 30, 2022: “Is there really a teacher shortage in the U.S.?” Different reporters. No teachers interviewed. (Is this guy kidding? This could be its own post. If only they'd talk to teachers…)
Side Notes: As I watched these videos, I looked for similar titles at similar lengths. I wasn’t being exhaustive and I wasn’t trying to cherrypick either.
Ignore the videos themselves and read the comments. With such overwhelming negative feedback, does CBS News care?
Curiously enough, when I expand my search, local CBS affiliates interview teachers.
The best report came from CBS Texas with a teacher panel in "Why are Texas teachers quitting in record numbers? This is what they said."
Former Teachers Say. These videos represent a fraction of teacher related news reports. Some news reports are not all news reports. Let's return to a comment from the first video. Edited for length:
This is coming from a former teacher. You are already on YouTube. If you really want to know why teachers are quitting there are thousands of videos from former teachers on why they quit. Thousands. Many of them quit under doctor’s orders because the emotional stress and physical abuse had caused lifelong debilitating conditions, and I’m talking about the 20somethings with only a few years experience...
So teachers just post videos explaining why they quit? Does CBS know? Search “teachers quitting."
The Bored Teachers video, “Why So Many Teachers Are Leaving This Year - A Teacher's Rant," accomplishes more in a few minutes than the CBS News team.
Let's not forget John Taylor Gatto's poetic resignation, "I Quit. I Think." In it, the author of Dumbing Us Down explains why the school system isn't broken, but works just fine.
PBS Says. How could CBS News handle the topic? PBS NewsHour posted a video called “A Brief But Spectacular take on teacher burnout.” Three things stood out:
1. There were no experts or academics, parents or students. Just a teacher.
2. The production value matched her emotion.
3. The anchors approached the topic respectfully rather than dismissively.
Take notes, CBS News. Now back to grading...
*Of course I started this blog because of my lifelong dream to just write. But my “why” isn’t relevant here.
Recommendations. If you enjoyed this post, check out some of my other favorites:
Teachers Are Like Markers. This initial roundup summarizes my posts so far.
Ten Things in my Desk (Folgers, Sponsor Me!) This post describes ten things in my desk… and begs for Folgers generous corporate sponsorship.
Fast Food Workers of the Mind. Public schools push standards for quality control, but in the end tests limit learning and render everyone interchangeable.
Schools Should Teach Letter Writing. This two-parter argues schools should teach more than academic writing. I also explore how mental models for writing differ whether you started with letters… or text messages.
Stop Grading Essays with Amnesia. Many teachers burn out and waste time giving student feedback. Check out other perspectives and time saving tips!
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Good post. I noticed the same thing happening whenever I would see a news report on the state of American education. While I did appreciate the piece where they interviewed a panel of teachers in Texas, I've always found that most reports on education reflect my experience as a former high school English teacher; the people who "know the most" are the administrators, the parents, and the politicians -- not the teachers who actually have their boots on the carpet.
Personally, I left teaching secondary ed because of many of the complaints that teachers mention when they are interviewed. But also, working in a private high school, I was constantly being told what was going on in my classroom by people who were never in it. Seriously. I would come out of what I felt was a great day and then be told I need to be more this, that, and the other. It just got frustrating. After 5 years, I moved on to teaching college. It's not as gratifying, in that there are way more students and you can't work as closely with them. But I like that it's teaching distilled down to it's purest form. You plan, you teach, you grade.
Yay for PBS :)