Teachers are leaving classrooms in big numbers. Here's why

WASHINGTON — It's Teacher Appreciation Week and some teachers are telling us what they really need to feel appreciated. WUSA9 spoke with the head of the National Education Association about why so many teachers are leaving the profession, and how this is impacting teachers of color differently.

The theme of Teacher Appreciation Week this year is "More." Some states are seeing a clear jump in the number of teachers leaving the classroom, including Maryland, which saw more educators depart last school year than any time in the last decade, according to data from the State Department of Education. 

"Teachers need to have access to mental health wellness opportunities within our schoolhouse. We need to have opportunities for flexible scheduling," said Gabrielle Dubose, a teacher at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. "All of these things that will ease the stress and pressure that teachers are experiencing in the classroom."

Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association, said they surveyed teachers from all over the country and found 55% of them said they were considering leaving the profession. Pringle said this is impacting teachers of color at a disproportionate rate, mainly due to lack of resources.

"Teachers of color tend to go back to their communities to teach, they tend to choose to teach in those schools in communities that do not have equitable founding, that have generations of poverty," Pringle said.

The average public school teacher salary in the 2020-21 school year was about $61,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pringle is calling on lawmakers to act.

"We have to make sure that we not only have resources to raise teacher salaries, but we have to sustain those salaries. Teachers are making 6.4% less than they did 10 years ago when you adjust for inflation, and that is not OK," Pringle said.

But Collin Radix-Carter, a teacher at Horace Mann Elementary, said pay is only part of the equation.

"Pay is important, but that's not the thing that's going to make teachers stay. There are a lot of issues as far as autonomy in the classroom and making sure infrastructure is better in all schools," he said.