South Carolina’s teachers deserve more money — but also more respect and support

The vast majority of people in our state probably think the main issue with teacher recruitment and retention is money — and it is a fact that our teachers are significantly underpaid for the crucial work they do. But as a longtime educator, I would submit that while money is important, it is only a small part of the real problem with teacher recruitment and retention.

Each new school year superintendents and principals across South Carolina promise that teachers will have ample time to devote to curriculum and planning. Yet each school year that time shrinks and disappears as the South Carolina Department of Education and school districts and individual schools across the state seek to implement or revise programs. The promised planning time is eaten up by mandates that require workshops, professional development sessions and other meetings that teachers must attend during their planning time.

In addition, teachers must take required classes to meet state-mandated initiatives and recertification — and they must pay for these classes out of their own pockets. While improvements in our school system are critical, the fact is that teachers are the people who must be the driving force in deciding what resources and training are truly needed to make an impact.

Meanwhile, the problems related to student discipline and unsupportive parents have gotten out of control.

While the vast majority of students and parents are supportive and cooperative, an inordinate amount of time is spent with students who feel that the rules don’t apply to them; too often, resource officers must get involved to restore order and discipline students who repeatedly disrupt instruction while placing others in harm’s way. And parents often exacerbate the problem by refusing to allow their children to take responsibility for their actions; instead these parents too often seek to blame the teachers, resource officers and schools.

Fortunately, all is not lost; we can take steps to change things.

To recruit young people to enter the teaching profession, our secondary schools should seek to identify interested students who demonstrate genuine talent in instructing and helping others.

Our colleges and universities should aggressively recruit these students by offering a debt forgiveness program for them once they graduate with an education degree — and are gainfully employed in the teaching profession for a designated number of years.

Our state and local governments need to revive and revise the defined minimum program to include a Teacher Bill of Rights that limits class size to no more than 25 students, provides a minimum amount of guaranteed planning time that cannot be violated and compensates teachers for duties, meetings and after-school activities that are not part of the standard school day. In addition to this Teacher Bill of Rights, our state and local governments must continue to improve the salaries and compensation plans for teachers.

Teachers around the state have begun to make their voices heard, and we must heed the call.

All South Carolinians can make a huge impact by:

▪ Showing support for SC for ED by attending rallies and wearing red.

▪ Making sure that our voices are heard by state lawmakers, school board members, school administrators and Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman.

What better lesson can we teach our children than standing up for something we all believe in — and for something that means so much to the future of South Carolina?

Nancy Elliott Ellis taught in the state’s public school system in 40 years.