The Teacher Shortage Crisis
Even before the pandemic lock-downs, American teachers from sea to shining sea reported a critical shortage of teachers within their ranks, and have watched in horror at the crippling levels of greed, arrogance, apathy, and ignorance at every level of K-12 educational governance.While embattled teachers have continued to try in vain to draw attention to the issues, our leaders have failed to acknowledge the problems at all. But since covid, the nation’s teachers have borne witness to a break neck hastening pace of this downward spiral–and a total avoidance of a conversation from our leaders.
This a-political podcast, created and produced exclusively by teachers, gets into the nitty gritty details of why teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and uncovers huge contributing structural problems baked into the teaching profession which are not discussed or understood even within the K-12 educational world, which also explain why so much of what is done in K-12 is ineffective. These desperate, passionate, highly qualified teachers use this podcast series to insert teachers forcefully into the national conversation about the critical issues plaguing K-12 education, because no one else was letting them in–a fact which belies a central thesis about the roots of the problems discussed throughout the episodes. Listeners will be gripped by the reality that without substantial reforms which empower teachers to lead the work, the inevitable result is a collapse of our very ability to effectively self-govern–a process which they argue is already well underway.
Listen as they describe the problems in teacher pay, teacher preparation requirements, special education, climate and culture, reading instruction, the false promise of existing DEI based frameworks in K-12, and the problems inherent in outsourced canned curriculums. Become a part of the solution as they outline a framework to authentically fix these problems, which require all hands on deck from both inside and outside of K-12 education.
The Teacher Shortage Crisis
9. The High Cost of Fighting Back--The Brave Story of an ESL Teacher Who Fought Hard Against Harmful Canned Content
In this episode, hosts Trina and Amanda delve into the teacher shortage crisis through the lens of canned curriculum and its oppressive impact on teachers and students. They interview two anonymous teachers who share harrowing personal experiences of being forced to use rigid, formulaic, and dense teaching materials. The episode provides a comprehensive breakdown of key educational acronyms and frameworks such as ELPAC, EL, ELD, and SDIAE, and discusses the systemic issues exacerbated by canned curricula. Additionally, it highlights how these practices affect new teachers and marginalized student groups, proposing a shift towards trusting teachers' expertise and forming meaningful student relationships.
00:00 Introduction to the Teacher Shortage Crisis
01:09 Background on Canned Curriculum
02:51 Understanding ELPAC and Teaching Terms
07:48 Introduction to the Podcast and Guests
10:05 Teacher A's Journey and Challenges
28:20 Teacher B's Perspective and Training
29:23 Struggles with ELD Canned Curriculum
30:30 Observing Other Teachers
31:18 Lack of Support and Feedback
32:19 Political and Systemic Issues
33:18 Questioning the Curriculum's Effectiveness
36:38 The Reality of Long-Term English Learners
43:24 Personal Experiences and Final Thoughts
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