With countless new challenges in recent years compounding the already demanding nature of teaching, it has become increasingly difficult for many teachers to continue in the profession. According to Associate Principal Skyler Draeger, amid a shortage of teachers, MHS has had to fill vacancies with individuals still working on attaining their teaching credential. These shortages align with teachers’ attitudes nationwide, as a 2022 Gallup poll found that K-12 teachers have the highest national burnout rate due to comparatively low wages, tensions in school communities, and disruptions that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. Through all of these hardships, teachers at MHS have continued to remain dedicated to the success and well-being of their students.
During breaks and after school, it is not uncommon for numerous teachers to open their classrooms to students. Many provide tutoring and extra help, spending hours of their own time to ensure students are understanding class material — not to mention the time already spent preparing lessons and grading assignments. Extra support like this has become even more vital after distance learning, when students were found to have learned less in their classes, according to the National Public Radio article, “6 Things We’ve Learned About How the Pandemic Disrupted Learning.” Fortunately, there is evidence to suggest this effort has paid off, as most Advanced Placement exam scores increased between 2021 and 2022. While some teachers receive pay for after-school activities such as coaching or school-organized tutoring, teachers are not paid for time spent personally helping students after school hours. A duty to their students drives them to continue their teaching after the school day ends.
Besides tutoring, teachers also spend their time supporting students’ interests outside the classroom as club advisors. From offering their classrooms to store supplies to overseeing meetings, teachers make it possible for students to gather and pursue their passions. MHS boasts more than 80 clubs and organizations, covering topics from culture to computer science, and every single one requires a teacher to sign on as an advisor. Without teachers willing to extend their time, it would be harder for students to find their place on campus.
More broadly, teachers on campus continually seek to recognize and uplift their students as individuals. While seniors are applying to colleges, many teachers do the painstaking work of reading students’ college application essays or crafting personalized recommendation letters.
Beyond that, teachers find ways to connect personally with each student in classrooms full of dozens of people. By initiating conversations about students’ lives, sharing advice and stories about various struggles, or even personally funding snacks for their classes, these teachers display genuine care for their students. On their own time outside the classroom, some teachers also choose to watch students’ performances or sports. It is uplifting to see that so many teachers are willing to weather the stresses of teaching out of a love for their students.
It is undeniable that teaching is an essential job, but it is too often undervalued. Teachers are often not paid or appreciated enough for the many responsibilities they undertake every day. They need to be supported, now and always, because, perhaps more than any other profession, teachers hold an immense power to shape future generations and the trajectory of the world.