Plain School Teachers Needed

[Josh]

Everywhere I go there is a shortage of schoolteachers, which is interesting as I keep hearing complaints there are too many single girls and not enough guys pursuing marriage with them.

I blame shrinking family sizes.

My children are all grown and married, but it is my understanding from various sources that the young men are asking the young ladies for dates but are being turned down because the young ladies are not ready to be "tied down" to marriage. Is anyone else seeing this? If this is the case, Why?

Perhaps this is a subject for another thread.

I am seeing this happen very very often in Fundamental/moderate settings (BMA, Keystone, Mid Atlantic etc) and somewhat often in intermediate (Pilgrim, Hope etc).

Common reasons given are:

“I want to serve in the mission field first.”

“I just never saw myself saying yes to the first guy who asked me.”

“I need a stronger man in my life than you. I just see myself marrying a very strong man.”

“I just don’t see myself marrying someone raised Mennonite. I think I’d like to do missions and meet someone over there.”

In my opinion, the plain Anabaptist world is infected with the same problem the ungodly world has: women are choosing careers for fulfilment and too many young men are busy chasing the world and have nothing spiritually to offer.

In all the above examples, I feel like both the guy and the girl were to blame. I feel the best way I can help is to do everything I can to make young men spiritually stronger.

In Holdeman circles, it used to be that girls almost never ever said no. Now it does occasionally happen and this is worrisome for our leadership. They are evaluating if all the career and mission opportunities for young women are such a good idea. They are also evaluating what is leading to less spirituality and more carnality amongst young men.

[RZehr]

I know that some girls are holding very, very high standards. For some girls, if a guy has looked at porn ever in his life, he is not acceptable. For the next girl, if a guy has not looked a porn, he must be lying and therefor not acceptable.

[Once Again]

It's true that a young woman should not expect to find the "perfect" man. It is also true that she should not put herself under the authority of a man who is not a true follower of Christ. It would indeed be better not to marry at all if that is really the case.

[Hats Off]

My teacher daughter and grand daughter are away for a teachers' meeting this weekend. We have, several times, experienced situations where the teachers do not receive sufficient support from the parents and board members. One man who has been closely involved working with teachers has made the observation that we have lots of meetings to help the teachers understand their duties; now we should have meetings for board members and prospective board members to teach them how to relate to the teachers. When it is time to elect a new board member, we ask, whose turn is it now? We don't seem to place too much emphasis on whether the person is qualified for the position. Then we wonder why teachers leave - between low pay and inexperienced of unprepared board members they may leave even though teaching is the only occupation they really care for.

[RZehr]

My teacher daughter and grand daughter are away for a teachers' meeting this weekend. We have, several times, experienced situations where the teachers do not receive sufficient support from the parents and board members. One man who has been closely involved working with teachers has made the observation that we have lots of meetings to help the teachers understand their duties; now we should have meetings for board members and prospective board members to teach them how to relate to the teachers. When it is time to elect a new board member, we ask, whose turn is it now? We don't seem to place too much emphasis on whether the person is qualified for the position. Then we wonder why teachers leave - between low pay and inexperienced of unprepared board members they may leave even though teaching is the only occupation they really care for.

What you are saying has exasperated our problems this year immeasurably. We had a school board of four, three of whom had not any school board experience, plus myself which I had one year. And we all moved to a new area just before school started and we’re all busy with getting settled.

[lesterb]

My teacher daughter and grand daughter are away for a teachers' meeting this weekend. We have, several times, experienced situations where the teachers do not receive sufficient support from the parents and board members. One man who has been closely involved working with teachers has made the observation that we have lots of meetings to help the teachers understand their duties; now we should have meetings for board members and prospective board members to teach them how to relate to the teachers. When it is time to elect a new board member, we ask, whose turn is it now? We don't seem to place too much emphasis on whether the person is qualified for the position. Then we wonder why teachers leave - between low pay and inexperienced of unprepared board members they may leave even though teaching is the only occupation they really care for.

What you are saying has exasperated our problems this year immeasurably. We had a school board of four, three of whom had not any school board experience, plus myself which I had one year. And we all moved to a new area just before school started and we’re all busy with getting settled.

One of my teacher daughters has taught 6 years, and is going into the 7th. But she's teaching back in Ontario. The next daughter has 3 years and she's quitting. My youngest is finishing her 2nd year and going back for a third. But none of the three will ever teach at our school again (the youngest one never has). First, I would not advise them to, and second, I don't think they would even if I did. There are some very good reasons that our teachers burn out or quit. If we don't get some of these things in order, we are going to end up without schools.

But there are some really weird parenting ideas floating around these days.

[Hats Off]

My daughter, who has taught many years, is back teaching in the home school after issues where she was. She is now teaching the children of the parents she taught when she left here.

[Ernie]

My teacher daughter and grand daughter are away for a teachers' meeting this weekend. We have, several times, experienced situations where the teachers do not receive sufficient support from the parents and board members. One man who has been closely involved working with teachers has made the observation that we have lots of meetings to help the teachers understand their duties; now we should have meetings for board members and prospective board members to teach them how to relate to the teachers. When it is time to elect a new board member, we ask, whose turn is it now? We don't seem to place too much emphasis on whether the person is qualified for the position. Then we wonder why teachers leave - between low pay and inexperienced of unprepared board members they may leave even though teaching is the only occupation they really care for.

This was the impetus behind starting the Conservative Anabaptist School Board Institute 12 years ago. You can help spread the word.
https://thedockforlearning.org/events/casbi-2018/

[Hats Off]

That really looks interesting - I should try to see if there would be interest for something like that in Southern Ontario. They have some really great resources.

[mike]

About the teacher shortage, think about it. The position typically requires a long-term, full-time commitment, requires a high degree of mental and some physical energy, and likely does not pay as well as many other jobs. It can of course be uniquely fulfilling and rewarding, but is also likely to be draining and tiring. Not that other jobs don't have some of these elements, but stack all of these up, and it is easy to see why many people who might make excellent teachers choose other jobs.