Teacher Departures Leave Schools Searching for Substitutes

Many schoolteachers in the United States are choosing not to return to the classroom this year because of the coronavirus health crisis. Now, schools around the country are looking to find substitute teachers. In some places, officials are lowering requirements to help get substitutes in classrooms.

Several states have seen an increase in educators seeking retirement¹ or taking time off from work. That is putting more pressure on school workers in places that were already dealing² with a lack of teachers and substitutes.

Among those leaving is Kay Orzechowicz, an English teacher at northwest Indiana's Griffith High School. The 57-year-old had hoped to teach for a few more years. But she felt her school's leadership did not fully³ support using recommended social distancing rules. She worried the school would not provide enough safety equipment to students and teachers.

With the technology requirements and the pressure to record classes on video, Orzechowicz said it "just wasn't what I signed up for when I became a teacher."

Teachers in at least three states have died after being infected with COVID-19 since the start of the new school year. It is unclear how many teachers in the U.S. have become ill with the disease. But Mississippi alone has reported at least 604 cases among teachers and other school workers.

Some teachers could face pressure to return to the classroom after being exposed to the coronavirus. The administration of President Donald Trump⁴ has declared teachers to be "critical infrastructure⁵ workers."

Officials in Indiana report that they have received more than 600 teacher retirements⁶ since July. Studies suggest more teachers could retire this year than usual, said Trish Whitcomb. She is executive director of the Indiana Retired⁷ Teachers Association.

Whitcomb said, "I've gotten more (teachers) calling me back saying, ‘Well, I'm going to go ahead and retire.' Some still wanted to go back in the classroom, but they didn't think the risk was worth it. They looked at their grandkids and the life they have, and I think they're saying, ‘I'm just not going to do it.'"

In Salt Lake County, Utah, more than 80 teachers have either resigned or retired early because of concerns about COVID-19 in schools. More than half of those happened in one of the county's five school districts, Granite⁸ School District. All of the district's teachers who left were fined $1,000 for failing to let officials know they were leaving at least 30 days before.

Mike McDonough is president of the Granite Education Association teachers' union. He said teachers are resigning over concerns about how the schools have reopened. In Granite, most students will return to in-person classes for four days a week. There are few ways for teachers to give only online instruction.

Some teachers waited to leave until just before school started in hopes that the district would change its reopening plan. But leaving the classroom was "the only way to keep themselves safe," McDonough said.

He added, "I have heard from teachers that are just heartbroken to leave the classroom, but they didn't feel safe going back. They don't want that level of risk, and they have no other choice but to get out."

Education leaders in states including Arizona, Kansas, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Texas have said they are preparing for worsening teacher shortages.

The Missouri Board of Education has made it easier to become a substitute teacher under an emergency rule. Instead of 60 hours of college credit, new substitutes now only need to have a high school diploma, complete a 20-hour online training class and pass a background check.

The state of Iowa also eased college class requirements and lowered the working age for new substitutes.

In Connecticut, college students have been asked to step in as substitutes. Michele Femc-Bagwell is director of the teacher education program at the University of Connecticut. She said the school has been getting requests to use fifth-year graduate students as substitute teachers. But class and work responsibilities limit their availability to one day a week.

Many people who work as substitutes are retired teachers, such as 67-year-old Margaret Henderson. But the former teacher from Phoenix⁹, Arizona, says she will not return as she had planned.

Henderson said, "I don't want to get called into a classroom where a teacher has called out because of the virus or to quarantine. And we know that's going to happen more and more."

Words in This Story

exposed – adj. not protected or covered

graduate – adj. of or relating to a course of studies taken at a college or university after earning a bachelor's degree or other first degree

infrastructure – n. the basic equipment and structures such as roads and bridges that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly

quarantine – v. to keep (a person or animal) away from others to prevent a disease from spreading

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 retirements   

退休( retirement的名词复数 )； 退职； 退役； 退休的实例

参考例句：

• We've had two retirements in our office this year. 今年我们办公室已有二人退休。
• Those may take the form of sackings redundancies, temporary layoffs or retirements. 这些形式有开除，作为编余人员，暂时解雇或退休。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

9 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。