What is one idea you can offer to significantly improve public education? This is a question many Americans easily ask. But for teachers, this question stumps, frustrates, and angers. Teachers are not stumped because they lack an answer; teachers are frustrated because they can easily name dozens. In a profession already overburdened, underappreciated, and short-changed, teachers are disheartened that even their hypothetical magic lamp comes with only one wish instead of three. Regardless, we need to stop searching for that one silver bullet unless it simultaneously saves the profession of educators and reverses the learning loss that has occurred over the last two and half years.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. There has never been a more desperate need for a silver bullet to drastically improve public education, release the growing pressure on teachers, and improve morale so more do not head for the exit. Every state and school district currently experiencing a teacher shortage should quickly implement a four-day school week. Keep in mind, teachers would still be required to work five days a week, but students would only attend four days a week. In addition, at least half of those non-instructional days must be conserved for teachers so that they will have time alone to work on lesson planning, grades, parent contacts, and the other infinite tasks that must be completed but cannot when students are present. The remaining half of non-instructional days can be utilized for small group instruction and tutoring for students falling behind, teacher collaboration, and rarely, only the best professional development opportunities.
More than anything, the challenges during Covid-19 have forever proven that students cannot succeed without quality educators in the classroom. Learning loss can never be reversed if teacher loss continues. Yet, how do we stop the exodus of teachers from their classrooms? Learning loss occurred due to unpredictable and inconsistent access to quality educators and cannot be reversed without retaining those most experienced, tested, and most adept to today’s new challenges. As the nationwide teacher shortage worsens, efforts must not only recruit new teachers; efforts must be prioritized to retain and if possible, bring back those that have already left the profession. In addition to drastically increased salaries, what other limited commodity must be allotted, reappropriated, and reinvested in teachers before more burn out, leave, and never return?
Next to pay, time could very well be the most important aspect of the teaching profession which is too often overlooked and rarely considered. Teachers need time. Teachers need time to plan before each lesson. Teachers need time to reflect after each lesson. Teachers need time to prepare each assessment. Teachers need time to analyze and evaluate after each assessment, not to mention grade, input grades, and adapt future lessons based on the outcomes of each assessment. Teachers need time to address individual student challenges and concerns as well as contact parents and collaborate with co-teachers, counselors, and administrators. Teachers also need time to learn about new material, new strategies, and new pedagogy. Plus, the more innovative the lesson or unit, the more time teachers need to prepare, reflect, and adapt. Despite all the advancements in technology and civilization, there still remains only 24 hours in a day. Collective expectations and responsibilities placed on teachers must come back to reality or otherwise we should be less surprised when so many teachers burn out and leave the profession for good.
According to President Josiah Bartlett of The West Wing, “Education is the silver bullet, for crime, unemployment, [and] poverty.” Yet, far too often in American politics, public schools have been overridden, overregulated, and overburdened with countless reforms implementing one silver bullet after another promising to fix all ills facing public education and society at large. Instead, each silver bullet has piled on additional responsibilities with little or no noticeable improvement except giving teachers more reason to leave the profession. In order to reverse the growing shortage, time in the form of a four-day instructional week must be implemented to ease the burden placed solely on teachers, greatly improve their morale, and give them the time they need to better serve their students.
The Conservative-Liberal Independent 