A poll conducted by the Illinois Education Association, the largest education organization in Illinois, indicates that 59% of teachers, higher education professors and education support staff are considering leaving the profession. 500 IEA members were surveyed, according to a news release.
This comes in the middle of a teacher shortage in both the state and nationwide. The top reasons educators gave for considering leaving their jobs are below.
- 65% say they are not earning enough money.
- 65% say there is a lack of respect for the profession.
- 62% say their workload is increasing.
IEA President Al Llorens said during a news conference that “this data should set off massive alarm bells for parents, students and community members.”
“The biggest reasons educators want to leave is a lack of respect, an increasing workload and money,” he emphasized.
“Just think about that for a second. Would you want to pour your heart and soul into a job where you’re not appreciated and constantly being asked to do more for less money? Probably not.”
IEA also found through their research that:
- 94% of IEA members work additional hours outside their contractual workday.
- 97% spend their own personal income on supplies for their students and classrooms with one in four educators spending at least $500 on things such as pencils, furniture and hygiene products.
“Imagine if doctors had to buy their own supplies for surgeries. What about police officers and firefighters? Should they be required to buy their own equipment, too? Everyone deserves to have the basic tools to do their jobs,” Llorens said.
“We know our educators got into these jobs because they wanted to work with students and help their communities, but their good will is being exploited. It’s not right.”
IEA member Brittany Archibald-Swank, who is a 4th grade teacher at Preston Williams School in Urbana admits that she does enjoy being in the classroom and teaching. However, she still has doubts as to whether she can continue down this career path.
“For the last five or six years, I’ve definitely been thinking is this a sustainable profession,” Swank explained.
“I’m in tier two of the pension system and I really can’t see myself with the time and energy it takes to be a classroom teacher continuing in this profession until I’m 67 (years old) only for a reduced pension at that.”
Another member Amber Sims is a pre-k teacher at an early childhood education center in Alton. She is a single mother of four children and is part of a summer tutoring program. In the past, Sims has taught summer school as well as after school tutoring programs to earn some extra income.
“On my teacher’s salary alone, I just don’t make enough,” she said.