Teaching Conditions: Hiring Inexperienced Teachers

As school districts move forward with hiring educators without prior experience, veteran educators are concerned that unqualified classroom teachers may not be prepared for the realities of teaching.

  • “My friend (not a trained teacher) was hired as a teacher and quit after 3 days. Here’s what he had to say: ‘New teachers should get training or be prepared for classroom management/discipline etc instead of 9 hours about sentence fragments…just a thought.’” —Middle School Teacher in Louisiana 
    • “As states continue to adjust the requirements for teachers, this will happen more and more frequently. People in admin positions need to be preparing their teachers, especially new ones, for what the job entails.” —Middle School Teacher in Louisiana 
    • “I know someone who got hired as a reading teacher & quit in a month. She was an English major in college but not for education. I think she thought all she had to do was read books w/the kids all day & was not prepared for all the actual WORK people don’t seem to know we do.” —ELA Teacher
    • “Florida teacher here. That’s my concern with  [DeSantis’] idea to hire vets/spouses. When they quit in a month, who cleans up the mess? Teachers.” —Science Teacher in Florida
    • “Your friend reminds me of a colleague of mine. She was a long term sub for years and finally got her break teaching. She lasted a little bit longer (two weeks) but basically quit on the spot. She was not a trained T but had subbing experience over the course of several years.” —STEM Educator in Florida
  • “Students need educators who are valued, respected, supported, and provided with the resources they need. Until our lawmakers prioritize educators and education funding, we cannot provide our students with the education that they deserve.” —Middle School Science Teacher in Pennsylvania 
    • “And putting unqualified people in classrooms and calling them teachers is not the answer.” —School Leader in California
    • “How do we recruit the teachers we need? Men and Women are not choosing our profession and now non certificated and non-licensed people are being hired.” —Assistant Superintendent in Virginia