Consider This from NPR - Can't Find a Teacher? Grow Your Own

Episode Date: March 22, 2023

School districts across the country are struggling to fill vacancies among their teaching staff. In addition to stepping up their recruitment efforts, some districts are looking to turn more of their existing staff into teachers.NPR's Cory Turner reports on the Mississippi Teacher Residency program, and on the impact it is having in the state's capital, Jackson.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tommy Knowles Jr. used to teach high school science in Mississippi's capital city, Jackson. Now he's trying to convince a new generation to follow in his footsteps. They have to kind of have that certain grit, that certain fight, like we say, that dog in them, so to speak, where they are tenacious, you know, they fit us. Nalls is head of recruitment for Jackson Public Schools, and it is not an easy job. On average, the district loses one in five teachers every year. Mississippi also ranks near the bottom in teacher pay, and the pandemic has burned out many teachers. But Tommy Knowles is an optimist, and on a recent sunny March morning on the campus of Mississippi State University, he arrives early with a suitcase full of pamphlets for a job fair. I have eight interviews set up this afternoon. My first one starts at 11.30.

The competition between school systems at the fair is fierce. We are an A-rated district. There are a lot of high expectations, and we are that A-rated school. We have a beach that most places don't have. Listen, let me talk about the town a little bit. Vicksburg is very close-knit. Western Line is family, so everyone really gets to know each other. We have instructional coaches at every one of our campuses.

We pay really well. Texas probably pays better than most. Next year it should be about $60,000. Many of the other school districts boast better ratings given by the state based on data points like student test scores and absenteeism rates. Knowles' city, Jackson, is a poor city, and that poverty follows the district's overwhelmingly African-American student body to school, making it harder to learn and to teach. It also means lower pay for teachers.

At the career fair, some of the job seekers who stopped by Knowles' table say they'd rather teach in more affluent school districts nearby. Knowles works hard to sell them on Jackson schools, though. He points out that Jackson's gone from an F rating just a few years ago to a high C. We're going to promote that we're a C, but one day just understand and know that our district is going to be right there with you, and we're going to be able to promote that we did it

without all of the resources, without all of the attention, without all of the affluence. Knowles also tells candidates they can get a signing bonus. Yeah, for elementary, we do $7,500. That sounds nice, too. I should have led with that, huh? While the bonus helps, Knowles says he wants teachers who want to work in Jackson. Consider this. Schools across the country are struggling with teacher shortages, but in poorer districts with largely black and Latino student populations,

finding teachers to fill vacancies is even harder. Shortages can mean overcrowded classrooms, unqualified teachers, or long-term substitutes. In Jackson, some students are forced to learn from an online platform rather than from an actual teacher. So in the face of these challenges, the district is trying a different approach. It's putting more resources into developing the people who already work in the district but are not teachers and turning them into teachers. That story after the break. From NPR, I'm Adrian Flaudido.

It's Wednesday, March 22nd. This message comes from WISE, From NPR, I'm Adrian Flaurido. It's Wednesday, March 22nd. It's Consider This from NPR. Outside of job fairs, school districts are scrambling for ideas on how to fill teaching vacancies. And some are realizing that there are great candidates already working in their school systems. States like Illinois, Texas, and Tennessee have these so-called Grow Your Own programs. NPR's Corey Turner looks at Mississippi's program and the impact it's having in the state's capital, Jackson. All right, let's build some words.

Me, Beth, look. First-grade teacher Kimberly Pate is 52 and worked for nearly two decades in Jackson schools as a classroom assistant. As a paraprofessional, of course, the pay is peanuts. So I was working literally two full-time jobs to make ends meet. With four children of her own, Pate couldn't afford to go back to college to become a fully licensed teacher. That is, until she was offered a slot in something called the Mississippi Teacher Residency. The pitch was hard to believe. She'd

get a fully paid four master's degree and a better salary, and Pate could be a student while still working full-time. If it wasn't a full salary, I don't think I would be able to do it. But it was, and she did, and soon she'll have her master's degree plus dual certification in elementary and special education, both in critically short supply here. It's like, how could you pass that up? Like many big city districts, Jackson, Mississippi has a teacher shortage, though it's not particularly new. On average, the district loses one in five teachers every year. The pay doesn't help, with Mississippi ranking near the bottom nationally.

Jackson also struggles with poverty and a years-long water crisis. This is why the Mississippi Department of Education is focusing to keep teaching in Jackson for at least three years. Judging by the way her first graders smile and laugh and work hard at her silly phonics games, that's a win for them too. Listen to it. N. N.T. Keegan. N.T. Come here, Keegan. Come teachers have already come out of the residency program, and about as many are on their way. Jennifer Carter got her master's in December, and already

she's the educator equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. Hey, do you want me to take your knife? Do you want to take your chance? No, ma'am. Okay, we'll take it tomorrow. Carter is an in-demand special education teacher by day, and by night, or at least before and after school, she does another hard-to-fill job. Are y'all ready?

Bus driver. Hey, y'all might want to let someone go to the window, Sam. There's also elementary school teacher Jonah Thomas. He's just 22 in a crisp black shirt, the sleeves short enough to show his brother's name, Jonathan, tattooed on his right arm. Thomas studied economics in college. When he came around, I was still looking for accounting jobs and stuff like this. So if it weren't for this program, I wouldn't even be a teacher. But he is, dapping up kids in the cafeteria as they rush to greet him.

Morning, morning, morning, Kylie. LJ. See, the Mississippi teacher residency isn't just about lifting up folks who are already working in schools. It's also about reaching college grads like Thomas, who'd never considered teaching. What's the word? Duh. Districts across the U.S. know they have to expand the pool of potential teachers somehow.

While Thomas is inexperienced, he knows firsthand the power of great teaching. I watched my mom teach growing up as a little boy. She treated other kids like they were her kids. I remember being jealous sometimes. I was that type of child. Thomas says taking master's level classes while also working has been exhausting, but also kind of amazing. Everything that we learn, we can apply to our classroom. Like we have classes sometimes where we may learn Wednesday, we can come to the school and apply Thursday. This fast track training program is also meant to diversify the teacher force because students can benefit a lot from seeing themselves reflected in their teachers. Young black men like Jonah Thomas are rare in teaching, especially at the elementary school level. Now that he's in the classroom and nearly done with his master's, how does he feel? This program saved me.

One of the ideas that is central to Grow Your Own Programs, as the name suggests, is that candidates be personally invested in the communities where they teach. Ideally, they're local, not just parachuting in from the outside. 61-year-old pastor Dwayne Williams attended Jackson Public Schools as a child. Now, he's teaching second graders. He bought an ice cream cone from the shopkeeper. Hmm, he thought. Mr. D, as he's known, sports a short, graying beard and suspenders. The kids are clearly having fun as he helps them prep for

a multiple choice test. Is it B? No. A is correct. No! William says he hadn't planned on becoming a full-time teacher at his age. I just thought I was just going to substitute a couple of days a week, but I became passionate about it. William says he understands the toll that poverty can take on families that are doing everything they can to escape it. A lot of the parents are working three and four jobs, so they are not at home to raise children. Who is raising the children? Children are.

In addition to teaching some 30 second graders, Williams has also started a mentoring program. If there's a problem in the classroom with one of the students, they'll send them to me. We sit, we talk. And you may not change everybody, but you can change somebody. Jennifer Carter says one of the things she enjoys about being a special educator is supporting students who she says are acting out in class because they need help reading or understanding math, but they're too embarrassed to ask. They would rather be the problem child than the child

that has a problem they can't work through. Carter says when she was younger, she never expected to go to college, let alone earn a master's degree. And Kimberly Pate says if it weren't for the Mississippi teacher residency, she likely wouldn't be where she is now either. Can Gwendolyn come up and help you? I think so. You think so? Awesome. In her own classroom, teaching children how to read, one little win at a time. Here we go. What's the first sound, Gwendolyn?

Paint. Paint. Awesome! Y'all did good! So both of y'all get a treat. Pate's first graders smile on the edge of their chairs. It's hard work reading, but they know they have Ms. Pate, and she's not going anywhere. You ready? I need you to blow me away. Corey Turner, NPR News. That's the Mississippi.

That was NPR's Corey Turner with a little help from Miss Pate's first graders. We also had production help from NPR's Lauren McGaughy. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Adrian Flaherty.