Hollister
– When Brian Schum began his teaching career at San Benito High
School in the fall, he came with the idealistic belief that he was
going to change the lives of each of his students.
Hollister – When Brian Schum began his teaching career at San Benito High School in the fall, he came with the idealistic belief that he was going to change the lives of each of his students.
But after a few months in front of the classroom, the 26-year-old realized this ideal was out of reach.
“The expectations you go into teaching with are a lot different than the reality,” Schum said. “A lot of it is the system: You get a class of 35 to 40 kids, and you have some who just came into the country yesterday and some that are ready to go to (college) tomorrow.”
Schum is just one of many teachers in San Benito County who are starting out in the education system.
New teachers deal with the pressure of making sure students meet state standards, often paired with the feeling that they do not have administrative support.
This pressure causes many teachers to quit in their first few years, according to a recent study.
The study, released by the California State University Center for Teacher Involvement, looked at the reason new teachers leave the profession prematurely and the ways in which schools can help encourage teacher retention.
One of the struggles faced by California school districts is keeping new teachers in the classroom. According to the study, 22 percent of California teachers leave in their first four years of teaching.
The reasons the study gave for teachers leaving the profession were primarily related to the work environment, not a small paycheck. Teachers cited inadequate support, a lack of time for class planning and dealing with the bureaucracy of the system as contributing factors.
Teachers who felt supported by their principals and who frequently collaborated with the other staff were more likely to stay, the study said.
These same concerns were echoed by San Benito County teachers.
Aaron Griffin, a 26-year-old first-year teacher at Spring Grove School, said he often felt like there wasn’t enough time in the day to prepare his lesson plans, attend meetings and work on his credentials. Griffin said he does not plan to return to teaching next year.
“I basically just got burnt out,” he said.
The stress of performing well on standardized tests often weighed on him as well, he said.
“There is a lot of pressure to perform. There’s pressure to get the scores up and keep the scores up. The administration is always pushing, and ultimately it’s something you can’t control,” Griffin said.
Griffin said a lot of the stress was alleviated by a feeling of camaraderie among the teachers. He said he felt supported and encouraged by the other staff members.
Hollister School District and San Benito High School are trying to ensure that their new teachers do not feel isolated in their classrooms. Both districts have new teacher support programs in place to engage their new teachers.
“We know it’s important to really support these teachers through ongoing measures,” said Peter Gutierrez, human resources director and assistant superintendent at Hollister School District.
Gutierrez said the new teacher support program was put in place in the district to address why teachers leave prematurely.
Because the district puts a lot of money and effort into attracting quality teachers, it is important to maintain the support so they will stay.
According to the study, California spends $455 million each year on recruitment, hiring and training of replacement teachers.
Gutierrez said the district hopes to uphold these support measures so more teachers will stay in the profession.
“If a teacher feels supported, they’ll stay,” he said.
