歪歪漫画

It鈥檚 often uncomfortable to make changes.

Most of us found solutions to the COVID crisis troublesome and inconvenient. We hated them but we had to make some changes. As a result, we are better off now than we were before. Because of COVID, I think I鈥檝e washed my hands more times in the last four years than in the previous ten.

When the Minnesota Vikings coach realized his offense against the Las Vegas Raiders was going nowhere this past Sunday, he realized he had to make a change.

He replaced quarterback Dobbs with his second-string quarterback. The Vikings won, and his change ended a dull and uninteresting game.

Before the teacher shortage worsens, we need to change our offense. It鈥檚 no secret the shortage is becoming increasingly a crisis for American schools, including schools in northern Minnesota.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, all 50 states reported a teacher shortage in more than one area for the 2022-2023 school year.

With approximately 36,504 educator vacancies nationwide, more than 100,000 classrooms are staffed by educators who lack full qualifications. The primary reasons for teacher vacancies are resignations (51%) and retirement (21%).

The Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Licensing Standards found that in its 2023 report, between 80-90% of Minnesota districts were impacted by teacher and substitute shortages.

What do you do when you can鈥檛 find teachers to teach a particular class or grade? Well, you have several options. You eliminate the class or grade. You can increase class size and give teachers more of a workload.

You can eliminate a grade level, meaning students must go elsewhere. You could also hire someone who is not certified in that area and ask for a variance until the teacher becomes certified. Are there better options?

One solution is that school districts could partner with teacher training institutions to experiment with different certification strategies.

歪歪漫画 districts, for example, can alleviate the teacher shortage by permitting four-year teacher candidates to teach full-time under the guidance of a teacher mentor and a college professor. This would be similar to an extended student teaching experience.

The teacher training classes could be taught simultaneously while the intern is teaching full-time in a classroom. The intern teacher could even be given a stipend for the service rendered.

This would be a less expensive way of finding teachers, plus it would be an attraction for teacher education majors, knowing they will earn some money while becoming a teacher.

This solution would do several things: First, it would help reduce the teacher shortage by freeing thousands of teacher education majors to find jobs before graduation.

Second, it would provide these intern teachers with valuable experience. Most student teachers agree that the student teaching experience is the most valuable part of their teacher training program.

Third, the mentor teacher would also be given a stipend, and their teacher expertise would be increased by having the opportunity to serve as a mentor.

Fourth, the district would be better able to fill their classroom needs and save the cost of a certified teacher, which they could not find.

This past summer, a program titled 鈥淭each Minnesota鈥� trained 50 teachers who are now in the classroom. Program leaders say this model can help prepare the diverse teachers that Minnesota needs.

An article in the Sahan Journal on July 28 discussed Parul Goyat鈥檚 participation in Minnesota鈥檚 Project Teach. This project is specially designed for individuals without a teaching license and is an accelerated path into teaching. Goyat obtained her bachelor鈥檚 degree in India.

Her training started in June. In the mornings, she taught first graders, observed by coaches who helped her improve in the Mounds View 歪歪漫画 system.

In the afternoons, she attended training sessions. Less than three months after starting her training in September, she taught at Wayzata Pike Lake Kindergarten Center. She'll be fully licensed in elementary education after a year of teaching and online coursework.

Hiring college graduates who are not licensed to teach but are willing to work on their license while teaching full-time or part-time in a classroom has been discussed for years. Many professionals may not be satisfied with their current job and would be interested in teaching but would instead not wish to return to college for a teaching degree.

Why not look at ways to allow these people to teach full-time while simultaneously working on getting certified?

I taught in a school many years ago that used a similar model. Student teachers taught a full year in a laboratory school, without pay. They worked closely with certified teachers.

The student teachers or interns found this a valuable experience and the experience also looked better on their resumes. Graduate assistants at the university level are used in the same way. For a small stipend and free tuition, they provide a service for the university at a fraction of the cost.

The American Federation of Teachers supports the National Teacher Corps, which was begun in 1965. It allowed college graduates to earn a master鈥檚 degree while teaching in a low-income community.

Kathy and I were accepted into the Teacher Corps in 1968 but because we had already assumed a position to teach in the inner city of New Jersey, we did not accept the position. The Teacher Corps was a viable way to provide teachers in the inner city where shortages existed.

There was a time when only classroom teachers were used to coach athletics in our schools. Now, individuals who were not certified teachers but wanted to be head coaches in Minnesota can obtain a coaching license by getting specific hours of training. This practice helps to reduce the demand for finding coaches.

The teacher shortage is real. Trends indicate it will only get worse. The deficiency stresses school administrators to find teachers to fill the classrooms.

The solution is to find creative, non-traditional ways to solve the problem. We have the ability to do this. Let鈥檚 get it done.

Riddle: Why did the student eat the homework? (Answer: Because the teacher said it was a piece of cake.) We need to look at solving the teacher shortage issue as if it is a piece of cake.

鈥淭hink high school鈥� bookmarks were handed out to all Red Lake Middle 歪歪漫画 and High 歪歪漫画 students this past week.

John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and area principal. He also is a writer and public speaker.