Teachers are still leaving, but these aspiring educators are excited to join the profession

  • by:
  • Source: EdSource
  • 10/11/2024
Amid a statewide teacher shortage, talk of teachers leaving the profession or simply not going into it in the first place is widespread. In a 2022 UCLA study, 1 in 5 California teachers said they would probably or definitely leave the profession in the next three years because of burnout, low pay and student apathy and misbehavior.

But what about the teachers who are joining the profession? What motivates Gen Z students to go into teaching today, when it’s seemingly less lucrative and less attractive than ever? 

One reason students like Katherine Osajima Pope — a recent University of California Santa Cruz graduate who is earning her master’s degree and teaching credential at Stanford University — decide to become teachers is to effect change. Osajima Pope wants to have a positive impact on her students, and, by extension, her community, “even if that’s one person at a time, or one classroom at a time.” 

Chloe Decker, a rising senior at UC Berkeley, has noticed an increase in students who approach teaching from an advocacy perspective. As a peer adviser in UC Berkeley’s CalTeach program, through which undergraduates can gain teaching experience and even get their credentials, Decker regularly meets with students considering the teaching profession.

Please help put parents in charge of their child’s education by forwarding this article to other parents, family, friends and voters.
Back to School by Kelli Tungay is licensed under Unsplash unsplash.com

Other Articles

Flat test scores leave California far behind pre-Covid levels of achievement
In the second year fully back in school after remote learning, California school districts made negligible progress overall in reversing the steep declines in test scores that have lingered since Covid struck in 2020.
Read More
EXCLUSIVE: Students trained to support BLM, other movements in California school district
California school district is requiring students to draft social media posts in support of social movements, sparking outrage with a parents' rights group.
Read More
These States Pay Kindergarten Teachers the Most
As college becomes more expensive and teaching becomes more demanding, many educators are weighing whether the costs of being a teacher are worth the outcome.
Read More
Sci-fi books are rare in school even though they help kids better understand science
Science fiction can lead people to be more cautious about the potential consequences of innovations.
Read More
Bill to bar 'willful defiance' in California public schools clears both houses
A bill to bar suspension of students for low-level behavior issues known as "willful defiance" in California’s public schools through 12th grade passed both houses in the Legislature this week.
Read More
33 California schools awarded 2023 National Blue Ribbon honor
Four schools in Hacienda La Puente Unified, with 16,000 students in Los Angeles, received a National Blue Ribbon Award, the most this year from any California school district. The U.S. Department of Education announced the 353 public and private school winners nationwide, including 33 in California, on Tuesday (see pages 2 to 5 for California recipients).
Read More
California schools could face cuts as state budget deficit soars to $68B
As California faces a ballooning deficit — now up to a staggering $68 billion — the state must act to balance its budget, including potentially reducing funding for schools and community colleges, the Legislative Analyst’s Office said in a report Thursday.
Read More
A New California Law Will Soon Block Schools From Banning LGBTQ+ Books
“All students deserve the freedom to read and learn about the truth, the world, and themselves," Gov. Newsom said in announcing the law.
Read More

Get latest news delivered daily!

We will send you breaking news right to your inbox

© 2025 educationopportunity.org, Privacy Policy | FPPC #1460602