I have been torturing myself for almost two weeks now thinking about the inquiry project. I keep waiting for inspiration to strike in the form of the "big question", but it hasn't, so here I sit with my big question being what my question should be.
Okay enough procrastination already. Sometimes we can't afford to wait for inspiration and just have to plunge ahead without it, so here goes.
I keep coming back to the first reading we did, "The Education Primer" and I recall how surprised I was at the statistic about how many new teachers drop out in the first three to five years. I just rechecked the article and it was 33% (first three years), 46% (first five years).
At the time of reading, I remember being disappointed that the statistics did not go on to cite any reasons for this. I remember wondering if teaching was truly that bad. Were the teachers leaving because the kids were so awful that they went screaming and running from the classroom? Was it because they were frustrated with school administration? Parents? Lousy pay? It didn't say, but I remember feeling afraid when I read this and questioning my career choice.
Therefore, I think I would like to pursue this issue, making my inquiry question "why are so many new teachers leaving the field?" or "what's goes wrong in the first three years?" or something of this nature.
To collect data, I plan to look for articles and statistics as well as inquire from those in the profession as to the challenges facing new teachers Perhaps some of these answers will be observable in field work as well.
I have a feeling that a discussion of all the possible reasons should provide enough fodder for a project of this scope.
Let me know what you think. Thanks, people.
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3 comments:
I would also like to know why teachers leave the teaching field. Is being a public school teacher really that bad?
Being a fellow art education major this conversation has a huge impact on my thoughts. Going into the teaching field i am inspired by my mother who for the last 15 years has taught in different school districts around the country. Her passion and care for her job is something that brought me to follow somewhat in her footsteps. While her story is inspiring there is also one of my good friends with a masters in education who is my manager at the bar i work at, and at thirty one has no intention of ever going back. Because of the way the district affected her she could no longer bring herself to be inspired by the classroom she loved coming into every morning. My point is there is a good and bad to every story and experience. If you know as I do right now that art education is the place for you go with it. What is the worst that happens, you absolutely hate it and step into something new. While I may sound calm and collective about the situation it continues to give me anxiety about future solutions. I hope you stick with it because there is always need for art teachers who want to be where they are.
I think this is an awesome topic to explore for the project and I am really interested in what you find. Someone asked Dr. Brown at Arts HS this question today, and she didn't have a clear explanation except that a lot of people go into teaching for the wrong reasons... like summers off or the supposed 7-3 schedule (which any teacher I've ever talked to say this is a joke). She went on to say that if your not in it for the right reasons, and you don't truly love your students they will see right through you and make life really difficult. As the daughter of a teacher, I have seen my moms teaching career be physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting (because she is constantly giving so much of herself) yet at the same time extremely rewarding. Maybe this is part of the reason so few last in the teaching field? Can't wait to hear what you find!
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