ATLANTA — Teachers are crucial contributors to society. They are tasked with guiding the next generation of leaders, innovators and critical thinkers. But for the past several years, schools across the country and here in Georgia have struggled to keep their schools fully staffed.
According to data from 2019-2022 - most states, including Georgia, have had more vacant positions and more underqualified teachers in the classroom than in previous years. Teacher turnover rose to a historically high 14% in the 2021-2022 school year.
Book bans are also spreading across the United States, and Georgia is one of the states leading the charge, according to literary and free expression advocacy organization PEN America. The organization created an Index of School Book Bans to track the trends. The database documents decisions to ban books in school libraries and classrooms across the country. Data shows a majority of book bans stem from 12 states, including Georgia. During the 2022–2023 school year, PEN America tracked 3,362 book bans, an increase of 33% from the 2021–2022 school year.
We rarely get to hear about the firsthand impact that these issues are having on educators. Digital Producer Makayla Richards sat down with two current teachers and a retired teacher to have an open conversation about their journey to becoming an educator, what's keeping them in the profession, and why they believe so many of their coworkers and peers are leaving the industry. Veena Black, Ian Altman and Mike Buchanan discuss the passion that keeps them going every day and what school administrators and parents can do to make educators feel more supported and seen.