There is a line from George Bernard Shaw’s satirical play Man and Superman that has irked me for almost 30 years. You have probably heard it in one form or another:
“Remember: Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.”
Based on what I’ve seen from the many dedicated, highly skilled teachers I’ve worked with, the true statement would be: “Remember: Those who can truly do, do; and then they are able teach it to someone else.”
I raise this point because we are seeing – again -- what happens when public education is the whipping boy for everything that we perceive ails us. The results of this latest “whipping” are already here. According to the Teacher Shortage Survey developed by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools and conducted last school year:
- 60 percent of Illinois school districts report trouble filling teaching positions
- 75 percent of those districts are seeing fewer qualified candidates than in past years, with the numbers much higher in rural districts and in central and northwest Illinois
- 16 percent of schools have had to cancel programs or classes because of teacher shortages.
It’s even worse for high schools, as 80 percent of high school districts are seeing fewer quality candidates applying for positions -- especially for math, special education and science.
What this shortage creates for school principals is a growing sense of dread. The last thing any principal wants to do is hold his/her nose when hiring a teacher. The stakes for our kids are too high.
I’m Andrew Nelson, and that’s my perspective.
