Kappa Delta Pi Record

ISSN: 0022-8958 (Print) 2163-1611 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ukdr20

Why Choose Teaching?

David E. Vocke & James V. Foran

To cite this article: David E. Vocke & James V. Foran (2017) Why Choose Teaching?, Kappa

Delta Pi Record, 53:2, 80-86, DOI: 10.1080/00228958.2017.1299547

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80 KAPPA DELTA PI RECORD • APRIL–JUNE 2017

Kappa Delta Pi Record, 53: 80–86, 2017

Copyright © Kappa Delta Pi

ISSN: 0022-8958 print/2163-1611 online

DOI: 10.1080/00228958.2017.1299547

Why Choose Teaching? by David E. Vocke and James V. Foran

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KAPPA DELTA PI RECORD • APRIL–JUNE 2017 81

With the teaching profession under attack from political, social, and economic forces, what is

attracting individuals to seek out careers in education? Sort out the facts from the biases with

Key words: careers in teaching, motive for teaching

motivators for choosing a career in teaching

as a love of students, interest in subject mat-

ter, and the opportunity to perform a valuable

service to society. In general, individuals enter

the teaching profession for altruistic reasons

because they see teaching as socially worth-

while (Heinz, 2015).

Unfortunately, a growing number of

negative influences are casting a shadow over

public education. Prospective teachers should

be aware of the current climate surrounding

public schools as they make an informed deci-

sion about a career in education. They should

balance the research on public schooling with

the realities, both negative and positive.

Job Market Some question the viability of a teaching ca-

reer because of a fluctuating job market. In

2011–2012, 84% of districts eliminated teach-

ing positions (Roberts, 2011). In contrast, the

2015–2016 hiring season was one character-

ized by teacher shortages, and such shortages

are projected to be a growing phenomenon

in the years to come (Billups, 2016; Sutcher,

Darling-Hammond, & Carver-Thomas, 2016).

Hussar and Bailey (2013), writing for the Na-

tional Center for Educational Statistics (NCES),

reported that the student–teacher ratio has

been consistent over the past few years; they

attributed shortages to variances in the regional

demands for teachers. For a variety of reasons,

teachers are hesitant to seek employment

where demand is the greatest (Brenneman,

causing many districts to hire fewer teachers

even though class sizes are increasing. The

combination of these factors may sometimes

make finding full-time positions as classroom

teachers difficult for new graduates.

Roberts (2011) suggested that some teach-

ing positions have been eliminated because of

shrinking budgets; yet, others project that im-

proved economic conditions and declining en-

rollments in teacher education programs make

teaching a field that is still hiring (Brenneman,

2015). Additionally, the U.S. Department of

Labor (2015) predicted that jobs in education

would grow by 8% from 2014 to 2024, keep-

ing pace with increases across all occupations

and generating 697,600 new jobs in education.

Further, the median salary for teachers as of

May 2015 was $47,220 versus an average of

$36,200 for all occupations. These data should

encourage college students to consider major-

ing in an education-related field.

Political Climate In addition to job market considerations, the

current political and social environment also

causes prospective teachers pause as they

consider career alternatives. The perceived poor

performance of students on standardized testing

measures, particularly international assessments,

has yielded a loud call for educa- tional reform.

Some governors and legislators have introduced

legislation to limit teachers’ collective bargaining

rights and reduce tax- payer contributions to

their pensions (Dillon,

David E. Vocke is a Profes- sor in the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education at Towson University in Maryland. He teaches undergraduate teacher candidates founda- tions of education and gen- eral methods courses. Email: dvocke@towson.edu

James V. Foran is a Lecturer in the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education at Towson University in Maryland. He teaches undergraduate teacher candidates in clinical settings and general meth- ods courses. Email: jforan@towson.edu

Teaching

82 KAPPA DELTA PI RECORD • APRIL–JUNE 2017

2011). Other efforts have called for an increase

in the number of years required for teachers

to achieve tenure or elimination of tenure al-

together (Robertson, 2015). Moreover, states

across the country are adopting legislation re-

quiring teachers to be evaluated, in part, based

on the achievement gains of their students as

measured by standardized tests, regardless of

circumstances beyond the teachers’ control.

An expansion at the state level of school

choice options, such as charter schools and

vouchers, seems to undermine the status of

public school teachers because those options

are often characterized as alternatives to the

“bad” public schools and hence the “bad”

teachers. Accordingly, many state political

leaders are pushing legislation that paints

teachers as obstacles to be excluded from

decision-making that affects the education

system (Perez, 2011).

Increased federal involvement in educa-

tion during the past two decades likewise has

created a negative climate for teachers. The

federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and

Race to the Top (RTTT) program, which provided

considerable financial incentives for states,

undermined the public’s confidence in teachers

(Croft, Roberts, & Stenhouse, 2016). On a

parallel track, the Common Core State Standards

were immediately controversial in that their

prescriptive nature is perceived as inhibiting

teachers from being creative in the classroom.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education

instituted a process that essentially allowed the

Secretary of Education to waive state violations

of NCLB legislation, even for states that did not

participate in RTTT, provided those states agreed

to adopt certain policies that were the

cornerstone of RTTT—for ex- ample, standards

and teacher evaluation based on test

performance. For all practical purposes, states

could not say no without facing serious

consequences. Black (2015) suggested that the

waiver process amounted to a federalizing of

education at the expense of state autonomy,

further eroding the role of states and the per-

ceptions of the classroom teacher.

Though teachers have been labeled by

many politicians as part of the problem rather

than part of the solution for the perceived ail-

ments within the American education system,

Diane Ravitch praised teachers for their “for-

bearance to put up with the bologna that’s be-

ing shoved on them by their state capitals and

by the national government” (Jehlen, 2010, para.

4). The recently reauthorized Elementary and

Secondary Education Act, titled the Every

Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), seems to

hold great promise in eliminating many of the

disincentives for teachers to enter the profes-

sion as well as ameliorates the deleterious

effects of NCLB and what many consider the

broad overreach of the federal government in

public education. ESSA also returns much of

the decision-making authority and autonomy

to the states in such areas as accountability,

standards, and teacher evaluation—the very

areas that have negatively affected teachers the

most. It will be interesting to see where the

policies of the new administration will impact

the teaching profession.

Status of the Profession The teaching profession in the United States

no longer maintains the same high status as it

once did, nor does it compare with the status

teachers enjoy in the world’s best-performing

economies (Paine & Schleicher, 2011). Finnish

teachers are afforded a status comparable to

what doctors and military officers enjoy in the

United States, and Singapore is held in high

regard for selecting teaching candidates from

the top one third of secondary school graduates

and providing them a monthly stipend dur-

ing their college training (Paine & Schleicher,

2011).

Though teachers are feeling the backlash of

the political environment, there is high regard

of the profession among the general public,

as demonstrated in a number of polls. For

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example, in the 2014 Harris Poll that ranked

the prestige of occupations, teaching was

tied for tenth place—with 60% of the public

linking the ratings great deal of prestige (21%)

or prestige (40%) to teachers (Pollack, 2014).

Most impressive is the longitudinal trend of

the data in this poll; there has been consistent

growth in teachers’ standing on the prestige

scale since 1977, when teaching was ranked

as a prestigious profession by only 29% of

the public (Corso, 2005). Teachers remain

in the top 10 most prestigious professions in

spite of recent negative publicity (McCarthy,

2014), and 81% of parents said they would

encourage their children to become teachers

(Pollack, 2014).

Additional evidence of the public’s positive

perception of teachers is reflected in the annual

PDK/Gallup Polls. Teachers received a grade

of A or B by 69% of respondents (Bushaw &

Lopez, 2011). Additionally, 55% of respondents

indicated that high-achieving students should

be recruited to become teachers (PDK Inter-

national, 2015b), and 57% “would like their

child to take up teaching in the public schools

as a career” (Bushaw & Calderon, 2014, p. 51).

Finally, when asked whether they have trust and

confidence in the men and women who are

teaching in the public schools, 62% of public

school parents surveyed in 2015 indicated

they had such confidence (PDK International,

2015b). Moreover, parents are upset about

political mandates on public schools. For in-

stance, 55% of parent respondents opposed

using student standardized tests to evaluate

teachers (PDK International, 2015a).

Surely negative press affects the public’s

support for teachers; nonetheless, the fact that

there is still strong support should be a motiva-

tor for prospective new teachers. In short, the

public seems to have an opinion of teachers and

teaching that is quite favorable. Once again,

ESSA has the potential of positively addressing

many of the issues that continue to affect the

public’s perception of teachers and schools.

Teacher Preparation Not just teachers, but also teacher training

institutions are subject to criticism. In their re-

port, Closing the Talent Gap, Auguste, Kihn, and

Miller (2010) cited Department of Education

data that approximately 80% of teachers enter

the profession through traditional certification

paths, but then suggested that many of the

1,450 schools, colleges, and departments of

education are held in low regard. According

to Auguste and colleagues (2010), more than

half of teachers are trained in schools with low

admission standards, and many of those insti-

tutions accept nearly everyone who applies. In

this same report, the authors go on to claim

that nearly half of the nation’s teachers come

from the bottom third of their college classes

and suggest that the percentage increases

when focusing on teachers working in low-

income schools.

In contrast, other research challenges

claims of poor academic performance by

members of the teaching corps. In one study,

Ingersoll and Merrill (2010) noted the number

of teachers from top colleges and universities

has increased (by 59% for females and by 29%

for males) as the teaching force has grown. In

sheer numbers, the teaching profession is at-

tracting more of the best and brightest than it

has in past years. An Educational Testing Service

(ETS) study of Praxis II test-takers from 2002

to 2005 found that the percentages of candi-

dates earning higher than a 3.5 undergraduate

grade-point average increased from 27% to

40%, indicating a significant improvement in

the quality of the teacher pool compared to

the 1994–1997 comparison group (American

Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

[AACTE], 2012). An additional study suggested

that SAT Verbal and Math scores of those who

passed the Praxis test showed substantial

gains that were significantly above those of

the general testing population (AACTE, 2012).

Such evidence serves to refute the notion that

teachers are drawn from the lower academic

84 KAPPA DELTA PI RECORD • APRIL–JUNE 2017

Teaching

achievers and to encourage strong performers

to consider teacher education programs.

Proposed U.S. Department of Education

regulations for the evaluation of teacher prepa-

ration programs, as of this writing, have not

been finalized. Initially, the regulations included

mandates for states to evaluate these programs

based on the performance of their graduates;

but that requirement likely will be omitted

from the final regulations (Sawchuk, 2016).

Criticisms of these proposed regulations mirror

those that were raised and later ameliorated

in NCLB, namely placing blame on teachers,

being overreliant on student test-score growth

as evidence of effective programs, and under-

mining efforts in getting more low-income and

minority teachers into the field of education.

The final regulations, ideally, will take a more

commonsense approach to teacher prepara-

tion programs as has ESSA for public schools.

Of course, as with any change in administra-

tion in Washington, DC, it is likely that these

regulations will get renewed scrutiny resulting

in possible additional changes in the future.

Realities of the Classroom In addition to the social, economic, and politi-

cal forces putting pressures on public educa-

tion, the realities of the classroom—especially

in high-poverty schools—can be daunting.

Interfering with learning are many factors out-

side a teacher’s control. Hungry and improperly

clothed children, as well as those acting out

behaviorally, are difficult to motivate. In classes

that include students who are three grade levels

behind, it is challenging for teachers to focus

on grade-level standards.

Teachers often cite the lack of effective

leadership as a factor associated with the deci-

sion to leave a school (Sutcher et al., 2016).

Additionally, the system for evaluating principal

leadership is often ineffective (Stronge, 2013).

On the other hand, good principals are like

teacher magnets—they attract the best and

brightest to be on their teams. Eighty-five per-

cent of teachers give positive ratings to their

principals (MetLife, 2013), suggesting that poor

principals are in a distinct minority. Yet there is

a growing consensus suggesting that states

and local education agencies must take

seriously the development of the next genera-

tion of school leaders (Mana, 2015).

Yes, teachers experience great challenges

in their classrooms and schools. Nonetheless,

one needs only to ask veteran classroom teach-

ers what it is that makes them continue to

teach to hear the counterarguments. Following

are some sample responses to the question,

“Why do you teach?” (Education Trust, 2016;

Wagner, 2009). Career teachers appreciate the

opportunity to reach the hearts and minds of

young people, to see children grow intellectu-

ally and personally, to experience the satisfac-

tion of accomplishing something important on

any given day, and to feel the sense of helping

change the world—one child at a time. For

teachers, every day is different, and no single

day is boring. They enjoy the feedback, energy,

and enthusiasm they get from their students

and, for the most part, they love the freedom

they have once they close their doors. Teachers

are sustained by the curiosity of the students

and the ability to witness children exploring

their uniqueness. They also enjoy the laughter

and the unexpected. Finally, they are fulfilled

by giving the gift of knowledge, a return of a

precious gift that they were once given.

Job Satisfaction Considering all of the negative influences and

disincentives for entering the teaching profes-

sion, it should be no wonder that teacher job

satisfaction (in the category very satisfied) fell

23 percentage points between 2008 and 2012

(MetLife, 2013). While such information might

concern prospective teacher candidates, the

perceptions of current teachers provide a more

balanced view of the profession.

During the first decade of the 21st cen-

tury, teachers as a group indicated a growing

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satisfaction with teaching as a career. Sixty-six

percent of teachers surveyed by the National

Education Association in 2005–2006 indicated

that, given another chance to choose a career,

they again would choose teaching (Wolman,

2010). According to The MetLife Survey of the

American Teacher in 2008 (MetLife, 2008), 62%

of teachers indicated they were very satisfied

and 32% were somewhat satisfied with teach-

ing as a career.

A more recent MetLife Survey (2013),

however, reported teacher job satisfaction at

the very satisfied level at 39% in 2012—the

lowest it has been since 1986. The drop in

satisfaction, according to the survey, is mostly

due to stresses experienced among mid-career

teachers where two thirds or more of the stu-

dents are from low-income households. On the

plus side, the survey stated that principals have

confidence in their teachers, rating nearly 98%

of them as satisfactory in their performance.

Interestingly, while teacher satisfaction has

fallen recently, the same trend exists for most

occupations—suggesting that other forces,

such as the Great Recession of 2008–2010, may

be influencing the dissatisfaction of all work-

ers. Adams (2014) reported that in a survey

conducted by Forbes, 52.3% of Americans said

they were unhappy at work. If the economy

continues to improve, conditions for all workers

should take a turn for the better.

Making an Impact Richard DuFour (2015) refuted criticisms of

educators and public schools and provided a

hopeful and inspirational note for the future:

“No generation of American educators has

ever accomplished what our teachers and ad-

ministrators are achieving today” (p. 14). As

evidence, he cited two firsts in the history of the

United States: (a) The high school graduation

rate for the class of 2012 exceeded 80%; and

(b) 20% of the high school graduating class

scored 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement

exams. DuFour (2015) claimed that students

have shown steady and significant increases on

the National Assessment of Education Progress

(NAEP) since 1992.

DuFour (2015) also suggested, contrary to

popular perceptions, that American students

are doing well on international assessments. On

the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathemat-

ics and Science Study) assessment, America

is one of only 12 countries to improve scores

every year the test has been administered to

fourth graders and one of only two countries

that have improved every test cycle for eighth

graders (DuFour, 2015).

While these data are indeed impressive,

DuFour (2015) also suggested that these ac-

complishments come at a time when teachers

are educating a more diverse student popula-

tion of minority students, English language

learners, students living in poverty, and stu-

dents with disabilities—all of whom tradition-

ally have struggled to succeed in school. He

lauded educators’ sense of moral purpose,

especially in light of little positive reinforce-

ment. He concluded by stating, “Never have

America’s educators accomplished so much

for so many in the face of so many obstacles

only to be subjected to unrelenting attacks

and condemnation” (p. 21). Educators need to

be able to filter out the noise and continue to

improve their work with an increasingly chal-

lenging population while remaining proud of

what they are accomplishing.

The Verdict: Choose Teaching A balanced view of the condition of teaching

includes critics who challenge the profession

for a variety of reasons. Some are political in

nature; some are real issues public schools face.

On balance, though, teachers are extraordinarily

resilient—likely due to the nature of those who

enter the profession. No profession is without

challenges, critics, and disincentives. Public sup-

port for schools remains strong. Many teachers

remain satisfied in their careers in spite of signifi-

cant challenges. The realities of the classroom,

86 KAPPA DELTA PI RECORD • APRIL–JUNE 2017

Teaching

including behavioral and language issues, as well

as all the issues surrounding poverty, are certainly

imposing. Yet, teachers still find their chosen

career to be one that has significant influence on

society and one where they feel fulfilled. Teachers

have achieved remarkable accomplishments in

the recent decades in educating an increasingly

diverse student body.

The bottom line is this: Teaching remains

an extraordinarily noble profession with intrinsic

rewards that few other professions enjoy. And, to

be clear, no other profession would be possible

were it not for outstanding teachers. Teaching is

not for the faint of heart, and it is not easy. Teach-

ers have good days and bad days like any other

profession. They must learn not to take aberrant

student behavior personally; rather they need

to understand that those behaviors reflect the

voices of unheard and often neglected students

who need help, which is why most teachers got

into the profession in the first place. They must

continue to build the relationships with students

who so desperately need adult role models and

professionals who truly care about them. The

United States is facing many challenges as major

demographic and economic shifts take place

in schools and in society. Effective teachers are

needed more than ever before to help create

the educated, multicultural citizenry that is the

bedrock of American democracy. Choose teach-

ing; it is a noble and rewarding career.

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