What A Day - The Teacher Shortage Cheat Sheet with Becky Pringle

Episode Date: August 23, 2023

Students across the country head back to school this month, but tens of thousands of teacher positions remain vacant and more than 160,000 positions are filled by under-qualified teachers. We’re joined by Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, to learn more about the nationwide teacher shortage.And in headlines: Donald Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case officially started to turn themselves in, members of the Teamsters union ratified their new labor contract, and sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson is now the fastest woman in the world.Show Notes:NEA’s Guide To Fixing Educator Shortages – nea.org/solutionsWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Wednesday, August 23rd. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And I'm Juanita Tolliver, and this is What A Day, where we just might consider using Threads now that it's debuting a desktop version this week. Yeah, Juanita, you are speaking for yourself. I'm not an X-Girl, obviously, but I'm not a Threads girl. I think I just am. I'm on Substack. Oh, I have never ventured to that land. Okay. Drop a link. On today's show, Trump's co-defendants in Georgia have started to turn themselves in. Plus.

Here comes Sha'Carri Richardson. Sha'Carri's done it. Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson is now the fastest woman in the world. When I tell y'all, I was jumping and screaming so loud for so long. Watching that live, truly a moment. Truly. But first, students across the country are heading back to school right now. But school districts once again can't find enough teachers.

Tens of thousands of teacher positions across the country are vacant, according to research from Kansas State University. That same study also said more than 160,000 positions are filled by underqualified teachers. There are a lot of reasons why it's hard to hire and retain teachers. There's emotional burnout. There's also low wages. A report from Slate found that between 1996 and 2021, the inflation adjusted weekly pay of public school teachers increased just twenty nine dollars. And the COVID-19 pandemic, as we all know, made the teacher shortage way worse. Because of that, what we're seeing are schools relying on long term substitutes, last minute hires with little or no certifications, and increasing class sizes. Ultimately, this all hurts students.

They need all the support they can get as data from standardized testing shows students falling behind in key areas. Yeah, it is very grim, and these are issues that will have lasting repercussions for an entire generation to come. You know, like you said, schools have been facing this issue for some time now, the last several years. So what does this all mean for the state of American education at this time? Yeah, the same thing was on my mind. So I had a conversation with Becky Pringle, who is the president of the largest educators union, the National Education Association. And I asked her for help to put all of this in context. Pringle spent more than 30 years teaching in a classroom herself.

So I started out by asking her to explain what these staffing shortages look and feel like from the perspective of a teacher. As educators who are in classrooms and work sites across this country are faced with an educator shortage, that not only means that in some instances their class sizes are doubling, it not only means that they may not have that nurse or counselor they need to meet those extra mental health needs of their students, but it also means that in a career where we never could find enough time to do all of the things that are required of us as educators, that even more is asked of us. And we're asked to step into more and more gaps for more and more students. And so in this moment for educators all over this country, it is a moment of reckoning

for them in many ways, because they're asking themselves, can I still do this job without the supports that I always needed, but with more and more that's required of me? Right. And you talk about classroom sizes doubling. I've got to imagine that's definitely going to have an impact on the students. So in your conversations across the country with educators, what specifically do you hear is driving this kind of nationwide shortage this specific school year? I will tell you the word they use that kind of summed it up, but it's complex, more complex than one word. But the word they used was respect, that I'm not respected as a professional to make teaching and learning decisions. I'm not respected as a professional to make teaching and learning

decisions. I am not respected as a professional, that you would give me a professional pace who I don't have to work two and three jobs, that I am not respected to use my professional authority and collective autonomy to do what's best for not just the students within the confines of my classroom, but to make those leadership kind of decisions that are best for my school community and for the larger community. They summed it up in that way. And so as we point towards solutions for the crisis, it's going to have to be, again, a shared responsibility to address it. It's complex. It's not one thing. It's not a silver bullet. It's not one raise this year. No, we have to get to the fundamental reason why a profession that's dominated by women has continued to fall behind and experience what we call wage penalty

gap between similarly situated professionals based on experience and education, why we do not pay our educators in a way that reflects the important work they do in this society. The solutions have to be foundational and systemic and sustained to actually get at what I've heard educators all over this country talk about the reason why. What should we expect to see from students? Are you anticipating more setbacks when it comes to learning benchmarks or social development benchmarks? As I listen to our students, they're not only concerned about the fact that they don't have enough teachers and other staff available to them. They also talk about the impact of politics in their classrooms and their freedom to learn being impacted in this moment with the culture wars. They're watching us.

They're watching what's happening in our society. It's impacting them all the time. And for them to articulate what it means for them not to have a teacher or have a sub all the time, or not to have someone who has been certified in math that's in front of them, and they know the impact that'll have in what they learn that year, they can articulate it better than anyone else can articulate because they're feeling it. So we know that the recovery from the pandemic, the reality that so many students who have been historically marginalized already had gaps, that exacerbated those gaps. Black, brown, indigenous students in particular, students with disabilities, students living in poverty, our LGBTQ plus students, that impact on them is even greater. They see it, they feel it, they know it. And they are looking at us and saying, what are you going to do about the fact that I don't have a caring, qualified, certified teacher in my math classroom?

What other solutions are front of mind for you about what needs to be done to get more educators into the classrooms and to keep the ones that are already there? What I've witnessed and fought for, because I've seen the evidence, both anecdotal and through research, is the concept of community schools. So we watch our students eat half of their lunch and take half back to their families. We've watched that for years. But even more so, you saw this in a pandemic. When educators went to parking lots of libraries and set up with buses, right? The first part of building a community school is determining together as a community what their greatest needs are. And then from that, they determine what their solutions are and then

what resources they need. And then they do it in the collective and collaborative way. But I have the honor of listening to educators all over this country. And even when they tell me these challenges and they're crying in my arms, honestly, I have but to ask them, why did you go into teaching? What are you most hopeful for, for this coming year? The tears give way to this glimmer in their eyes. And I know it, I recognize it right away. It's their kids. And my hope comes from listening to educators and being so incredibly proud of them in this moment

as they stand in those gaps and continue to do what they must and lift up their voices and advocate and they're active in trying to get their kids what they need and what they so deserve. That's what gives me hope. That was my conversation with Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association.

And I'm just grateful for teachers, educators, administrators, school staff, and bus drivers who do this tireless work for the kids. There's so much work to be done to ensure that they have everything that they need. And the NEA has outlined solutions and policy recommendations based on their research. We'll be sure to include the link

to their solutions in our show notes. And of course, we'll continue following the issues impacting educators and students. But that's the latest for now. Let's get to some headlines. Headlines. Donald Trump's co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case officially started turning themselves in yesterday.

As a reminder, all co-defendants have until Friday at noon Georgia time to surrender. Conservative attorney John Eastman turned himself into authority on Tuesday and was booked at the Fulton County Jail. He is accused of pushing, quote, alternate electors in Georgia after the 2020 election and is charged with nine counts, including racketeering, filing false documents and conspiracy to commit forgery. Bail bondsman Scott Hall also turned himself into the Fulton County Jail yesterday. He faces charges related to his alleged involvement in a voting systems

breach in Coffey County, Georgia. Meanwhile, two other defendants are trying to transfer the case to federal court. And former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows filed an emergency motion yesterday asking a federal judge to either move his case to federal court or issue an order preventing Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis from seeking his arrest. As for Trump himself, he is expected to surrender to authorities tomorrow. So just you wait. It's coming. It's coming. It's definitely coming. And also my favorite part about the Mark Meadows filing was the email from D.A. Willis's office where she signed off with

yours in service, D.A. Willis. Like, give me that energy. I love this. I guess I don't really have an excuse to use that as a sign-off, but it's going to become my new go-to. It's my new great thanks. The passive, aggressive, professional email sign-off that we all need in our back pocket. I love it. Hearings began yesterday for the potential removal of the floating buoy barrier at Texas' Rio Grande River, which has been criticized for humanitarian and environmental concerns. To get you up to speed, the Justice Department sued Texas last month and asked a federal judge to order the state to take down the floating barrier. The suit argued that the

installation violated the Rivers and Harbors Act, a law that requires a permit from the federal government to build structures in U.S. waters that are, quote, navigable. Both sides have until Friday to submit their written closing arguments. And in other messed up Texas news, the state bused a group of 37 migrants to Los Angeles on Sunday night through Monday morning. That's right when Tropical Storm Hillary swept through Southern California. The group of migrants, including 15 children and a three-week-old infant, left Brownsville, Texas at 5 p.m. Sunday and arrived just over 24 hours later. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass responded to the decision on X, formerly known as Twitter, by writing, quote, while we were urging Angelenos to stay safe, the governor of Texas was

sending a bus with families and toddlers straight towards us, knowing they'd have to drive right into an unprecedented storm. It really just shows how Governor Abbott and the state of Texas have absolutely no regard or appreciation for the human beings they're doing this to. It's despicable. Members of the Teamsters union representing over 350,000 UPS workers nationwide ratified their new labor contract yesterday. That means that all fears of a nationwide strike were officially put to bed. This comes after the delivery company reached a tentative agreement with workers in late July after months of contentious negotiations for better pay, working conditions, and benefits. The new deal promises immediate raises across the board and higher yearly raises for full-time workers. And you'll remember that it also includes a guarantee that all new UPS vehicles will include an air conditioning unit to keep workers safe from

heat-related illnesses and warmer weather. Just as you pointed out, Juanita, a thing that is not particularly new on the scene. At all. A couple of decades late, but I'm glad they got there. Better late than never. True. Better late than never, but it's wild. 86% of union members voted in favor of the new agreement that is the highest approval rating of a contract in UPS history.

Teamsters president Sean O'Brien released a statement on Tuesday after the vote, writing, quote, This is the template for how workers should be paid and protected nationwide. And non-union companies like Amazon better pay attention. When I tell you where I come from, we will call those fighting words. And I'm sure Amazon employees are looking like, bruh, we need to get in on this because wow. I mean, that seems exactly what is intended to do. So listen, I hope that this has effects beyond just UPFs. Some good news for parents. The FDA earlier this week approved

the first vaccine for pregnant people to protect their babies against RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. RSV can be very serious, even life-threatening for young children, and it's the leading cause of hospitalizations for the very young. So this is a huge development. Pfizer's maternal vaccination will be given during the third trimester of pregnancy and will protect infants through six months of age. It'll work by allowing the parent to develop antibodies against the virus that they can then pass along to the fetus. Next, the CDC must issue recommendations for use of the vaccine during pregnancy. I love this. I love every bit of this, but I also suspect we're also going to see an anti-vaxxer campaign right alongside it. And finally, for some heartwarming

news, this time from the world of sports. American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson officially became the fastest woman in the world on Monday after winning the 100 meter race at the World Athletic Championships. Her time was a personal best of 10.65 seconds and she edged out her competition by less than a tenth of a second when she crossed the finish line. Though if you watch the video, like she has it in the bag. It doesn't seem close at all. This is a huge moment for Richardson, who has been working to make a comeback to the world of track and field for years now. You'll remember that she came very close to competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but she was disqualified just weeks before the games when she tested positive for marijuana.

Richardson's victory at the World Championships officially puts her in the running, zero pun intended there, for the upcoming Paris Olympics next year. All very excited to watch that. Take a listen to what the sprinter told reporters after her big win. It's been a lot I've been going through, but to overcome all of that and my work speaking for itself, being so silent this year because I wanted my performance to be all the words that I needed to speak myself. It feels amazing. It feels like everything I paid off. I love every bit of this.

I love that she did this 1,000% for herself. I love that she shut up all the haters. And I also love that after giving it their all, both Sharika and Shellyann immediately came to celebrate Sha'Carri. They even shared a little kiki moment on the track, which, come on, I'm here for the sisterhood. Yeah, we love it.

This was so exciting to see. I was among the so many people who were so upset when she wasn't able to compete in the Olympics. Was so looking forward to that out of the 2021 games. And it is just amazing to see her back and better than ever. Like, there is nothing. I think that could make this crew right here happier. Like this is very just happy, exciting news for all of us.

And those are the headlines. We'll be back after some ads with ideas on how to make something mediocre a little more bearable. We are talking about the show and just like that it's wednesday wild squad and for today's temp check saucy version how have i never heard this i know it's a different, I like it. But anyways, Max, formerly known as HBO Max, has renewed And Just Like That for a third season. Very lucky for those of you who are like me and cannot peel yourself away from this train wreck of a show. In a statement, showrunner Michael Patrick King said that he is excited to tell,

quote, new stories about the lives of these relatable and aspirational characters. Couldn't even get through that without a laugh. Why does this sound like he's describing Real Housewives cast members? This is literally what Bravo puts out in their casting calls. LTW is aspirational. I don't really know if I'm aspiring to be anybody else on that show. Noted. Noted. But I think the real question is

Michael can you make any of those stories good like seriously because anytime Miranda clumsily tries to be woke is just giving cringe to the nth degree I hate it I hate it yeah it really is and like more so in season one than this season I will say it's come back but like season one than this season. I will say it's come back, but like season one was just like toe curling. Like, Ooh, I felt that in my soul. And it's like, I'm watching through my hands that are covering my eyes. Anyways, there are so many bad storylines in this series. So we here at WOD want to gift you and the staff event, just like that, just a couple of ideas for this next season while you're on strike and not writing. Right. We're not on strike, so we can do this. Right. This is ideation stage. That's all.

Anyways, Juanita, what have you got for us? What do you want to see? I feel like it's an overarching theme and recommendation to stop using the black and brown characters as filler for these basic white women. I'm talking, when you have powerhouses like Sarah Ramirez and Nicole Ari Parker and Karen Pittman, Sarita Chaudhry, like do not give them abbreviated plot lines with just a little sex highlight every fifth episode. Give them full stories because they are full humans. I agree.

And I know that's not something our friend Michael has done before, but when the strike is over, please hire some black and brown writers full time to work on this for you because you need it. Honestly, I'd watch the spinoff with just them. Truly. Like, can we posit that? It's fine. It's fine. They go their separate ways. That's my sex in the city. Anyways, my story ideas. Let me think here. I cannot see what they cook up for us next. I feel like my one real suggestion, though, is like if you're going to write Che Diaz like these like comedy sets, like please have a comedian write them. Like what the fuck is going on?

Oh, my gosh. Please. What's happening? Please. That's my one. Just anybody. Anybody remotely funny. That would be lovely.

And just like that, we have checked our temps. I feel like, you know, we contributed some things to improve the show. 100%. Yes. Hopefully we did not cross a writer's picket line. All love and respect to the writers. Solidarity. One more thing before we go.

If you are looking for a no bullshit analysis on the Republican debates that are happening tonight, make sure you tune in to tomorrow's special Pod Save America episode. Host Tommy Vitor and Ben Rhodes will be joined by Republican strategist Sarah Longwell to break down what went right. We'll see about that.

And wrong for the contenders. Listen to new episodes of Pod Save America on Tuesdays and Thursdays wherever you get your podcasts. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, support your teachers, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just better written episodes

of And Just Like That Like Me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Cricut.com slash subscribe. I'm Juanita Tolliver. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And get your popcorn ready for tonight's debate. But honestly, if you skip out on it, it's fine because we will watch for you. We will do your homework.

We will be here tomorrow morning. We'll have the play-by-play for you. We will do that. Yeah, so you can eat your popcorn and watch something better. Watch And Just Like That. That'll make you cringe less than the debate, I can guarantee. I'm like, not sure. What a Day is a production of Cricket Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our show's producer is Itzy Quintanilla. Raven Yamamoto and Natalie Bettendorf are our associate producers, and our senior producer is

Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.