TEXAS TEACHERS SURVEY- A large portion of Texas teachers say they are seriously considering quitting their jobs. This is according to the “moonlighting and morale” survey conducted by the Texas State Teacher’s Association during the second quarter of 2022. The sample included 688 teachers who are members of the TSTA. The response of those teachers who say they are thinking about leaving the teaching profession was 70% which is the highest percentage of those thinking about quitting the survey has ever recorded.
Low-pay is one reason as many teachers say they have second jobs to make ends meet. Other factors include rising insurance premiums, pandemic stress, and more responsibilities. Another factor is the political climate. TSTA President Ovidia Molina says teachers were regarded as heroes during the pandemic for making sure students had what they needed to learn at home. But because they are wanting better pay and improved working conditions, they have become political targets.
“It’s sort of disheartening for educators to know just how much we were touted as superheroes and we’re still those same people, we’re still fighting for that same thing but now we’re being attacked for doing the same thing, for wanting to insure that our students our safe, for wanting our students to get everything possible ” Molina said. “Because when we’re asking for our working conditions to get better, that’s our children’s learning conditions.”
And while the survey reveals that more teachers are thinking of quitting, school districts are already dealing with teacher shortages.
“For example in Tyler, (Texas) I spoke to someone asking if there were vacancies and they said yes there are vacancies. And they’re already having long-term subs and this is just the beginning of the school year,” Molina explained.
Molina said that it’s only a matter of time before more teachers quit due to the added stresses to their jobs.
