THEY
THEY FEEL
THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CAN'T SUPPORT THESE KIDS.
THE LACK OF SUPPORT, THE
TRAINING AND THEY SAY THEY
SIMPLY ARE NOT ABLE TO TEACH.
>> I HAVEN'T SEEN THESE IN A
WHILE.
WHILE.
WHILE. WHEN IT SNOWED, WE GO OUT TO
SNOWBALL FIGHTS.
SNOWBALL FIGHTS. DRESS-UP DAYS AND --
>> Reporter: FRED OCHOA LOOKS
BACK THROUGH 20 YEARS OF
TEACHING COME THE LAST 21 IN
SALEM.
SALEM.
SALEM. >>
SALEM. >> IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY, I
WONDER, DID I DO A GOOD JOB?
>> Reporter: HE SAID THAT
ANSWER STARTED TO BECOME "NO,"
MORE OFTEN .
>> WHEN THE YEARS WENT BY AND I
LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS AT THE
LAST PART OF MY CAREER, IT IS
MORE LIKE, HOW DO I EVER GET
THROUGH THAT CLASS.
>> Reporter: HE SAID CLASSROOM
DISRUPTIONS HAVE BEEN GETTING
WORSE.
WORSE.
WORSE. IT
WORSE. IT IS AN ISSUE WE HAVE BEEN
COVERING FOR MONTHS.
TEACHERS SENT US PICTURES OF THE
AFTERMATH.
AFTERMATH. HE SAYS HIS STUDENTS WERE
HURTING OTHERS.
HURTING OTHERS. >> THIS ONE STUDENT WAS DAILY
ALMOST BY THE HOUR GETTING UP,
BULLYING KIDS, DISRUPTING PEOPLE
, PUTTING HIS HANDS ON KIDS.
4 OR RUNNING AWAY.
>> SHE WOULD GET UP, HIT OTHER
STUDENTS, THROW HER CHAIR, HEAD
OUT THE DOOR, HEAD OUT THE
SCHOOL, AND BECOME WHAT WE CALL
A RUNNER.
A RUNNER.
A RUNNER. >> Reporter: IT WASN'T THE KIDS
THAT MADE HIM RETIRE EARLY .
>> IT WAS ALWAYS BAD.
WHAT GOT WORSE WAS THE LACK OF
SUPPORT.
SUPPORT.
SUPPORT. THAT LAST YEAR, I WAS CLOSE TO
A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.
>> THE WORST THING IS SEEING
THOSE KIDS IN CRISIS AND NOT
BEING HELPED.
BEING HELPED. IT IS AN AWFUL, HELPLESS
FEELING.
FEELING.
FEELING. >> Reporter: EMILY RESIGNED
FROM HER TEACHING JOB AT
PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS AFTER 7
YEARS .
YEARS .
YEARS . >> ISO STUDENTS IN CRISIS THAT
WE WERE NOT MEETING THEIR NEEDS
AND WHEN THEIR NEEDS WERE NOT
MET, WITH THE RESOURCES WE HAD,
THEY WERE BEING VIOLENT, BEING
DEFIANT, RUNNING OUT OF
CLASSROOMS, THREATENING TEACHERS
, THROWING SCISSORS.
>> Reporter: SHE SAYS THE
DISTRICT DOES NOT HAVE THE
PEOPLE, TRAINING OR RESOURCES
TO OFFER THE MENTAL HEALTH
SUPPORTS PEAK THAT KIDS
DESPERATELY NEED .
>> WE NEED MORE PEOPLE IN THE
CLASSROOMS, LESS PEOPLE TAKING
DATA FOR 20 MINUTES AND TELLING
THE CLASSROOM TEACHER MORE
THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO BE
DOING AND INSTEAD, WE NEED
BEHAVIORAL PARIS, MENTAL HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS.
PROFESSIONALS. >>
>>
>> >>
>> >> Reporter: SHE SAID THE
CLASSROOM BECAME SO INSANE FOR
HER AND HER STUDENTS, SHE HAD
TO LEAVE.
TO LEAVE.
TO LEAVE. >> IT IS REALLY BAD AND I FEEL
REALLY GUILTY ABOUT LEAVING MY
STUDENTS BEHIND.
STUDENTS BEHIND. AND MY COMMUNITY BEHIND.
I'M AT PEACE WITH MY DECISION
BUT I'M STILL GRIEVING THE LOSS
OF THAT PROFESSION THAT I LOVED
SO MUCH.
SO MUCH.
SO MUCH. >> Reporter: NUMBERS WE OBTAIN
FROM THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION SHOW A SLIGHT
INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF
TEACHERS NOT RETURNING TO THE
CLASSROOM COMPARED TO 5 YEARS
AGO BUT THE STATE DOES NOT KEEP
TRACK OF REASONS WHY THE
TEACHERS LEFT.
TEACHERS LEFT. KGW SENT OUR OWN SURVEY TO THE
MORE THAN 300 TEACHERS WHO
CONTACTED US AFTER OUR FIRST
CLASSROOMS IN CRISIS
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. MORE THAN 60% WHO ANSWERED SAID
CLASSROOM DISRUPTIONS HAVE
CAUSED THEM TO CONSIDER
QUITTING.
QUITTING.
QUITTING. 17% THEY QUIT BECAUSE OF IT.
THESE TWO TEACHERS WORRY THAT
OTHER TEACHERS WILL LEAVE, TOO
IF EXTRACTS DISTRICTS DON'T
MAKE CHANGES SOON .
>> AS A GENERAL RULE, IN
MEDICINE, WHAT IS THE POINT OF
TREATING THE SYMPTOMS AND NOT
TRYING TO CURE THE PROBLEM?
>> THEY MAKE SUCH GREAT POINTS.
WE HAVE BEEN TALKING SO MUCH
ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.
NOW WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT
POSSIBLE SOLUTION SO WE
GATHERED TEACHERS, PARENTS,
ADMINISTRATORS AND LAWMAKERS
TOGETHER FOR A SPECIAL HOUR-
LONG CONVERSATION AND FOCUSED
ALL ON SOLUTIONS. IT WAS A
PASSIONATE CONVERSATION.
PASSIONATE CONVERSATION. IT WAS INTERESTING.
IT IS THE FIRST EVENT OF ITS
KIND AND IT AIRS NEXT WEDNESDAY
AT 7:00 P.M.
IT IS AN HOUR LONG AND I CANNOT
WAIT TO SHARE SOME OF THE
SOLUTIONS THAT THIS GROUP CAME
UP WITH.
UP WITH.
UP WITH. >> WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. >>
THAT. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> WHAT WAS CLEAR FROM YOUR
STORY IS HOW MUCH THEY CARE
ABOUT STUDENTS EVEN THOUGH THEY
LEFT THE PROFESSION, HOW MUCH
THEY CARE ABOUT THE KIDS.
>> EXACTLY, IT IS NOT THE KIDS,
NOT THE OUTBURST BUT