Teacher Shortage

Is there really a teacher shortage - any more than there has been in the last ten or twenty years? There has always been and always will be a shortage of great math and science teachers. I doubt if there is a shortage of Spanish teachers.

I think the shortage of teachers is a propaganda put out by individual states. Here's my theory. Everything in economics is a matter of supply and demand - which factors in price. The higher the supply, the less the demand, the lower the price. Equally, the higher the demand, the less the supply, a higher price.

Therefore, if you have an abundance of teachers, you have a higher supply, less demand, lower price. This means states and individual counties can set the wage rates for new teachers at a relatively lower price.

I am a first year teacher. English and writing. I'm great and I know it. For Florida, I passed the FTCE and English 5-9. In doing substitute teaching, all the teachers assured me there was a shortage of English teachers and I would get a job. I didn't. I have since taken English 6-12 and am waiting for the results. I am also taking elementary education. Then I will take middle school intergrated. But I am no dummy. I am also taking the series of Praxis tests so I can work in other states.

Those new teachers who did get a job were the ones with a Bachelor's or Master's in English, passing English 6-12. There was an abundance of supply of teachers to pick from, thanks to the propaganda that there is a teacher shortage and creating programs for alternative teacher certification.

A portion of the money I got for my alternative teacher certification came from grants. It is much cheaper for a state to give money to individual students for alternative teacher certification. This creates a larger pool of the teacher population (more teachers, more supply, lower teacher wages). Otherwise, there would be less teachers, less supply, higher demand, and individual states and counties would have to pay higher wages to their teachers.

So anyone who reads this, if you're thinking about alternative teacher eduction, think wisely - what will you teach and how do you compare to others you are competing with.