Nationwide Teacher Shortage Causes Concerns for HUHS

The need for substitute teachers has become a priority this school year as the coronavirus forces retirements and leave of absences among teachers; adapting to this issue is no walk in the park for school administrators.

In the months approaching the 2020-21 school year there were no doubt concerns about what school would be like for students across the nation. The concerns by public health officials about students being in the same classroom again made the decision difficult for school districts.

Principal Dan Dobner said, “The challenge we face if we have a large number of staff out is how to cover for those absences as we have a shortage of substitute teachers, as many schools do right now.”

In addition to finding teachers to continue to educate students in the classroom, ensuring that students are still receiving the quality education they deserve is another factor to consider. “Schools across the country are now scrambling to fill substitute teacher roles, who have also been in shortage, which questions the quality of education,” said FoxBusiness reporter Angelica Stabile. Schools are responsible for providing education to students, meaning schools cannot simply put anyone in front of the students and expect them to learn.

According to NBC15, nearly 750 teachers retired this past spring in Wisconsin alone. Factors such as age and underlying health conditions forced teachers to retire to prevent getting seriously ill.

“I could probably sub every single day if I were available,” former Spanish teacher and current substitute teacher Sue Algiers said. “There's rarely been a day that I haven’t had a call from frontline.” Without substitute teachers, maintaining students in school would be more difficult.

The Kaiser Family Foundation, or KFF, a non-profit organization that focuses on public health, estimates that almost one in every four adult workers are vulnerable to a severe illness from COVID-19. Teachers are no exception because of the number of people they encounter each day.

More of a concern, substitute teachers may be teaching a different group of students every day, forcing them to be in contact with a wide variety of students.

Algiers said, “The minute I felt unsafe that the students weren’t wearing their masks or I felt the school was not as safe as it could be, under the circumstances, I would simply stop subbing.”

Algiers takes extra precautions to stay healthy when in the building such as staying out of the halls when there are groups of students passing.

Given that students have the choice to learn virtually or in the classroom, teachers are tasked with the responsibility of teaching two different groups of students.

“Teachers have been working extremely hard to accommodate all learners this year. While it has been challenging, our teachers have stepped up and are doing a tremendous job,” Dobner said.

This school year has been experimental thus far, having students learning from home and being forced to quarantine due to possible exposure to COVID-19. Teachers that are present in school are still trying to figure out the easiest way to teach all their students while keeping everyone safe.

Although school administrators have had trouble finding substitutes this year, the substitutes that are available are crucial to the continued success of in person learning this school year.