With the current issues surrounding education in the U.S., the trending hashtag #TeacherQuitTok on TikTok and a suspected mass exodus from older generations leaving education, it’s surprising to still see so many inequities in teacher preparation programs.
I’ve heard the speculation many times before about how things need to get worse before they can get better. While I don’t wish this to hold true for much longer, policymakers, voters and teacher preparation programs need to see education for what it is before we have any hope of making positive changes to the field.
Now I could talk for hours and hours about country-wide education practices, disparities and ways that the U.S. could improve education. But for now, since I am student teaching and not quite to the finish line yet, I want to start with teacher preparation programs.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the school I’m in and I am so thankful to be learning and improving constantly, but there are some things about student teaching that should not be ignored.
I am only speaking from my experience, and I’m sure that not every program is the same as the one I was in, but there are so many issues that are not talked about as much as they should be.
In my program, you are expected to come every day for about 11 weeks and gradually take over different subject areas – unpaid. During this time, our university tells us that we are not “allowed” to have a job during our student teaching experience. I understand to a certain extent that it is extremely unprofessional to schedule yourself during school hours when you made a commitment to student teach, but the majority of people who are dedicated to this are not the kind of people to be flakey or unprofessional. For a program to outright state that we are not allowed to have a job while forcing us to complete an unpaid program in order to graduate; without receiving any sort of compensation or tuition reimbursement is outright inequitable.
While some people are fortunate to have savings, financial aid or the help of friends and family, this is not the case for everyone. How would a university expect someone to be able to pay tuition, rent or even buy groceries during student teaching? What about non-traditional students who may have families to support and need a consistent income to stay afloat? Or students from different backgrounds that won’t have the same opportunities as their peers?
Expecting future educators to scratch to stay alive during their final stretch is so inequitable, and can turn away so many people from the world of education because it is simply not practical. The people that could be turned away could be exactly the kind of educators we need in schools. There are so few other professions that have similar expectations as teacher preparation programs do.
There are some university programs that require more time in the classroom than mine does, some that have close relationships with local schools, and some programs that are paid positions. However, these programs are few and far between. The reality for a lot of students is that most teacher preparation programs reflect my experience and nothing is being done to bridge the gap in making the process better for future educators.
In order for education to bridge the gaps between where it is and where it needs to be is very far, and my only hope is that these gaps are filled soon so more and more qualified educators enter the profession. These teacher preparation programs need to improve policies and programs, as well as educators across the country before future teachers get so fed up with the system that no one wants to work.
I love working with students and inspiring a new generation, but something desperately needs to change before it’s not worth it to endure what is being given anymore.