can -- weeknights on pbs.
Jeff: As many students held back
to the classroom, many are
urning to to understaffed
schools.
The national center for
education statistics says 44% of
public schools will report
teaching advantagecyings at the
start of this year and more than
half from resignations.
The nation appears to be
reckoning with annex does of
educators.
Joining us are two standout
teachers.
Lee Allen taught math, coached
wrestling and was teacher of the
year in Georgia's largest school
district and corcia was the fist
small Albany to be named
Minnesota teacher of the year.
Great to talk with you.
You have said you did not leave
the profession entirely
willingly.
What was the breaking point is
this
>> Continually being devalued
and not feeling like I could
teach the truth and it was also
just the idea that we, as a
profession, didn't land here by
any choice.
We didn't mysteriously come
about this teacher shortage.
There has been a continuous
Deval weighs of typers and
defunding of education for
decades.
Jeff: Lee, does any of that
resonate with you?
What specific ways did covid,
remote learning, the isolation
change your ability to team?
>> Yeah, I think you
definitionly -- deferent LI saw
the isolation in those formative
teenage years form a lot of
negative mental health on
students.
And afterwards, schools wanted
to keep up appearances and make
it look like things were just as
good as 2019.
But they're not.
We don't reflect reality and
you're seeing teachers throwing
up their hands and saying I'm
done.
Jeff: There are people who say
it's a pay and respect shortage.
What do you make of that?
>> I agree with that.
I think about how there's a
salary shortage, there are
incompetent wages for the work
that we do and I also feel
there's this expectation that we
do free labor without any
foresight or thought about the
families we have and the other
roles we carry besides teaching.
There's also a lot of blaming
students for them not showing up
the way they should and I think
the idea that covid has really
illuminated a lot of the
systemic failure we've been
facing as brought me more and
more to conclude that we need to
do better by our students, in
flash our students of color.
Jeff: Would you have left the
profession if you had the
resources you say you need?
>> Absolutely.
If I had the resources to meet
the needs of my students and not
feel the burden that all of
their needs fell on my
shoulders, including food and
housing and other resources, I
would still be teaching.
It's something I've done for a
third of my life and I don't
take it lightly.
Jeff: You spoke about this in
our conversation, that there was
an emotional toll to the work
that was required of you.
As a somali woman, as a Muslim
woman, that was emotional labor
there that wasn't required of
your colleagues.
How did that manifest for you?
>> We call that the invisible
tax.
It's the tax that I pay for
showing up as myself
unapologetically, teaching black
history, teaching the truths
about our American history and
also uplifting all of my
scholars, particularly bill
black and brown and indigenous
scholars to see their full
potential.
A lot of that work and
revolutionary.
Rare, not common in the school
house and to do that work
requires you to give a large
part of yourself.
Jeff: It sounds like being a
teacher was the work you were
called to do.
Did you experience any guilt in
stepping away?
>> Significant guilt.
I was the only somali teacher
rat my school.
We have a large somali population
in many of the schools I've
served.
So I knew that taking away that
ability for me to be a role
model or a connector or Leeson
to not just by students but my
community would be a huge loss
but I have found joy in
protecting myself and valuing
who I am and choosing myself at
the end of the day.
Jeff: Lee, a lot of people focus
on the pay part of this and
that's certainly important but
it sounds like in talking to
both of you that it's more than
just the salary.
>> Definitely.
I think people should know the
rep caution of what's happening.
-- Repercussions of what's
happening.
We have a shrinking pipeline of
students finishing and going to
college.
And a lot of the people that are
staying, if they're in a bad
situation are just trying to
hang on until they can get to
retirement and they're not going
to be as effective as teachers.
So you're losing the highest
part of your talent pool.
Unfortunately children are the
ones who pay the price but as
teachers we have to take care of
ourselves and we still have
individual lives and feelings
and we have mental health to
worry about as well so if things
don't get better, I really do
worry about the future.
Jeff: It's really valuable to
have the perspectives of two
former teachers of the year.
Thanks so much to you both.
>> Thank you, Jeff.
>> Thank you.