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Nearly 700 teachers projected to leave Omaha Public Schools by July 1

Why would you want to be a teacher now? Covid, remote learning, being called a groomer, restrictions on your speech, relatively low pay …
I’m posting here before reading further. As much as I and my profession gets repeatedly blasted by Republicans, people do NOT understand this job and what we’re dealing with. I say this knowing I’m lucky. So many teachers walk into jobs each day taking physical and verbal abuse that NO OTHER PROFESSION has to take on their jobs. Cops. Nurses. That’s about it. I wish everyone could spend a couple weeks in one of my district’s middle schools to really understand what I’m saying. Things keep getting worse. By the year. At some point someone needs to draw the line that abusive behavior towards staff is done. It’s over.
 
Teacher shortage is like any other field.

over time it will work itself out with higher pay and likely more consolidation. Small rural schools are in a battle of who blinks first in many areas.

I see many districts already offering bonuses for some STEM positions.
No.
 
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Not willing to share your career, but seem to think you know how to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers. How you are evaluated is relevant. There is no way to explain the differences between evaluating outcomes of students to outcomes in your profession if you are unwilling to share your profession.
Almost nobody on here shares their careers but teachers.
 
The district my wife works in (she is on the hiring committee), along with several surrounding districts. They are smaller and draw anywhere from 10-15 applicants per position. Applicants mostly from much larger districts.

The real problem is housing at the moment.
What district?
 
Iowa passed a voucher bill for private schools and teachers lost most of their ability to negotiate contracts a few years ago. I think Iowa's current government is more hostile toward teachers than Nebraska's, but I admit I'm not up to date on the Unicameral's actions in regard to public schools.

Is your wife's district near a larger community? What is the enrollment?
Reynolds had to throw teachers in Iowa some bonuses if we committed to continue teaching next year…because she’s pissing off so many and the behaviors are getting out of control.
 
Eliminate increased salaries for doctorate degrees. That’s a pretty clear implementation method. Standardized test scores are not perfect, but to imply that they are a useless measure of the effectiveness of a teacher is ridiculous.
Your assertion that advanced degrees doesn't improve teaching has no merit. Just because you say so doesn't make it true. You seem to keep avoiding talking about that though.
 
It's so many things. I am on year 11 and questioning how much more I can take. I used to love my job. Now it is kind of just a job. Hoping to reset that mindset next year.
I was just talking to my wife and things are getting so bad we may not wait until 62 but get out at rule of 88.
 
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I was just talking to my wife and things are getting so bad we may not wait until 62 but get out at rule of 88.
This might be the best thing I have read/heard in a long time. Students will be much better off with you no longer around
 
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OPS isn’t unique in this in Omaha. The numbers are higher because it’s the largest. But they are all losing teachers. I have friends teaching in 4 of the area districts and they’ve all said it’s bad. The opening of new schools I’m sure isn’t helping matters. And most are more upset at the politicians and parents than behaviors of the kids.
 
What kind of a job do you have and how are you evaluated for effectiveness?
My guess is no job. Drinks a lot. And, evaluates his success in life at attention received on the internet. The one place he matters.
 
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Discussed this with several teachers. They said many of the kids behavior since returning from 1+ years of remote/hybrid learning is very challenging.
Which should surprise nobody. All that time away and isolated during a critical period of social and mental development is on full display.
It’s going to take a year or two for many kids to readjust to normal routines and expectations.
 
My guess is no job. Drinks a lot. And, evaluates his success in life at attention received on the internet. The one place he matters.
Lol wrong about everything. If you knew I bet tears would well up in your eyes. Well, more than usual anyway.
 
Applicants are pouring into rural communities.
Smaller class sizes, lower cost of living, etc.
Well this is incredibly inaccurate.

Applications across the board are lower than ever before.

We are going to have a huge teacher shortage in 5-10 years and it's going to be bad.
 
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Some teachers are quitting because kids…….
Most are quitting because adults...including adults who refuse to raise their kids. Had a student pull his phone out in class a few weeks ago. I told him to put it away. A few minutes later, it's out again. I told him I had to take it...school policy. He refused. I told him to stay in class after everyone was dismissed (last class of the day). He refused and walked out. A half hour later I'm calling his mom (the adult) who he has already called. She's giving ME hell telling me he should have gotten a warning. I told her he got one - I asked him to put the phone away and he pulled it back out. She still defended him and said she was going to talk to our new AP (another adult) - apparently, they've already spoken. I explained the situation to the AP and told him to expect the call. Nothing happened to the kid. Last week, nearly a carbon copy. Phone out, refused to surrender it, walked out after class. I wrote him up this time. Get an email from the AP saying he talked to the mom and THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENED there would be consequences. smh - the FNG is worthless.
 
Most are quitting because adults...including adults who refuse to raise their kids. Had a student pull his phone out in class a few weeks ago. I told him to put it away. A few minutes later, it's out again. I told him I had to take it...school policy. He refused. I told him to stay in class after everyone was dismissed (last class of the day). He refused and walked out. A half hour later I'm calling his mom (the adult) who he has already called. She's giving ME hell telling me he should have gotten a warning. I told her he got one - I asked him to put the phone away and he pulled it back out. She still defended him and said she was going to talk to our new AP (another adult) - apparently, they've already spoken. I explained the situation to the AP and told him to expect the call. Nothing happened to the kid. Last week, nearly a carbon copy. Phone out, refused to surrender it, walked out after class. I wrote him up this time. Get an email from the AP saying he talked to the mom and THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENED there would be consequences. smh - the FNG is worthless.
That sucks. We put in our handbook last year that they get one warning, then we can take it. If they give it to a teacher they get it at the end of the period. If they refuse to give it to a teacher it goes to the office until the end of the day with an automatic detention and the parents have to pick up the phone. If they refuse to give it to the principal/office it's an automatic suspension. Great policy.
 
Well this is incredibly inaccurate.

Applications across the board are lower than ever before.

We are going to have a huge teacher shortage in 5-10 years and it's going to be bad.
You don't suppose rural communities surrounding Omaha will siphon the some 700 teachers leaving? Ok.

I can tell you, it's real. We are trying to figure out housing at the moment.
 
You don't suppose rural communities surrounding Omaha will siphon the some 700 teachers leaving? Ok.

I can tell you, it's real. We are trying to figure out housing at the moment.
Rural schools outside of a city is a different story. The vast majority of rural schools are in there middle of nowhere, and they are struggling mightily to find teachers of any kind. As I said, there will be a massive teacher shortage in the coming years, and it's going to get ugly.
 
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Most are quitting because adults...including adults who refuse to raise their kids. Had a student pull his phone out in class a few weeks ago. I told him to put it away. A few minutes later, it's out again. I told him I had to take it...school policy. He refused. I told him to stay in class after everyone was dismissed (last class of the day). He refused and walked out. A half hour later I'm calling his mom (the adult) who he has already called. She's giving ME hell telling me he should have gotten a warning. I told her he got one - I asked him to put the phone away and he pulled it back out. She still defended him and said she was going to talk to our new AP (another adult) - apparently, they've already spoken. I explained the situation to the AP and told him to expect the call. Nothing happened to the kid. Last week, nearly a carbon copy. Phone out, refused to surrender it, walked out after class. I wrote him up this time. Get an email from the AP saying he talked to the mom and THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENED there would be consequences. smh - the FNG is worthless.
We have an ant problem in our building, including the boss' office. Our custodian said the other day, "Well no shit she has ants with all the candy she has in there to hand out to kids."

There are no consequences for behaviors. That situation you just posted is one of those where the kid has you and he knows it.
 
Rural schools outside of a city is a different story. The vast majority of rural schools are in there middle of nowhere, and they are struggling mightily to find teachers of any kind. As I said, there will be a massive teacher shortage in the coming years, and it's going to get ugly.
Teacher AND paraprofessionals. I keep pounding the table that we need more adults available to our students. Not less and less.
 
The teacher shortage will be felt worst/first in urban and rural districts. Not enough college students going into education + large amount of retirees in coming years + many teachers leaving profession (multitude of reasons already discussed) + “better” opportunities in the suburbs = big trouble. I’ve worked in both urban and rural districts and both have benefits/flaws. While a district like Waukee or Johnston is hardly a utopia, many of the issues that wear out teachers are less than in DMPS and pay is much better than schools a county or two away.
 
I’ll pray for you this evening. Clearly something else is happening in your life to cause all this hate in your heart 💋
It is at this point that I feel it is my duty to remind everyone that just last week this idiot was banned for going personal and otherwise being an obnoxious trolling jackass.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
 
It is at this point that I feel it is my duty to remind everyone that just last week this idiot was banned for going personal and otherwise being an obnoxious trolling jackass.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
Just responding with love to hateful comments from you guys now. I guess you’ll complain either way.
 
That sucks. We put in our handbook last year that they get one warning, then we can take it. If they give it to a teacher they get it at the end of the period. If they refuse to give it to a teacher it goes to the office until the end of the day with an automatic detention and the parents have to pick up the phone. If they refuse to give it to the principal/office it's an automatic suspension. Great policy.
The middle school my wife teaches at has a similar policy. This year she had one kid whose phone she turned into the office and a parent/guardian had to pick it up at the end of the day. She got scheduled for a meeting with the mom and principal a few days later right after school and the mom told them how inconvenient that was and ended up screaming and saying they were the two stupidest people she had ever talked to and from now on she was telling her kid he didn't have to listen to anything they said.
 
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