(mysterious music) - Hello, welcome to this Milwaukee PBS Special, Speaking of... Teachers in Crisis.

I'm your host Portia Young.

This is National Teacher Appreciation Week started nearly 40 years ago to honor those who dedicate their time, passion, and skills to educating our children.

But now, the teaching profession is in crisis.

The Economic Policy Institute says the teacher shortage could reach 200,000 by 2025.

Up from 110,000 in 2018.

This shortage is due to a number of factors.

Among them are pay, working conditions, a lack of support and autonomy, the changing curriculum and societal issues, and of course, the pandemic has exacerbated the problem.

We are dedicating this next hour to not only honoring our teachers, but examining some of those stress factors and the possible solutions to getting the profession back on track.

We will hear from teachers about their days and the stress they face even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

We will hear from administrators and the US secretary of education about solutions.

We will look at having more teachers of color in many of our classrooms, and we'll share some very special thank yous to teachers in our communities.

Milwaukee PBS first began investigating the teacher shortage back in February on our monthly news magazine program, 10thirtysix.

We shared an Ohio High School teacher's candid blog about her typical day that went viral.

We've been receiving and sharing a huge response from teachers in our area expressing similar experiences and frustrations.

In case you missed it, here is Julie Rine Holderbaum's blog, including all 113 questions she thinks about.

By the way, she says that's about half the questions from her first draft.

(somber music) - I am a high school English teacher.

This is my 26th year in the classroom.

I'll be honest, I have thought about not teaching anymore.

Leaving the profession is pretty daunting.

I don't know what else I would do.

The energy level that it takes to do the job effectively, I don't know how long I can maintain that.

I had a day that I just had a hard time letting go of, and when I went home, I just kept thinking about all of the students that I had, the interactions I had, the decisions I made, and what I often do when I have a day =that I have a hard time letting go of, whether it's because of teaching or any other stressor, I write.

And I just kind of get it out on the page.

And that helps me kind of set it aside then so that I can move forward and not have it spinning around in my mind quite so much.

(sighs) Am I becoming the old, cranky English teacher who nitpicks and loses sight of the big picture?

Am I too tired for this job?

Am I be coming too cynical?

Are my standards too high?

Haven't I lowered them since I began teaching all those years ago though?

Should I have?

Should I work through lunch or head to the workroom?

Will I feel better if I have half an hour of adult conversation or if I get more of these papers graded?

Do I need to make any hard copies for the handout next period?

Do I remember to upload the video in the Google doc to Google Classroom for the kids who are absent?

Will I be accused of teaching divisive concepts if I lead a discussion about why we're not going to use the N-word out loud in class when we read Of Mice and Men?

Will the kids go home and tell their parents what we talked about?

Do kids still do that?

Do parents still ask?

Is this book worth the battle it might lead to?

Or should I just teach Fahrenheit 451 instead?

Wouldn't that be ironic?

And isn't that exactly what those who scream about CRT being taught want?

For teachers to fear the repercussions and give into temptation, to just teach safe material instead?

So that the status quo will keep on keeping on and generations of kids will continue to grow up in the dark about so much of the ugly side of America's history?

Is this worth a fight it might bring?

Well, obviously it's worth a fight, but am I mentally and emotionally up for this battle, this year especially?

More importantly, will my black students be uncomfortable if their white teacher leads this discussion in class?

I know enough not to ask a black student to speak on behalf of an entire race, but would it be okay to privately ask a black student how they would feel about this discussion or that book?

Should I grade these 45 quick 10-point responses first, or tackle the 25 longer essays?

Go back and forth between the two?

Am I fair to every student when I don't grade an assignment all at once?

Do I grade the first essays harder or easier than the last ones?

Why do I feel guilty when I take points off for not capitalizing I or proper pronouns?

Why don't they click on the squiggly lines and fix their typos and spelling and grammar errors when the computer's literally marking them for them?

Why are they still making these basic mistakes when we've gone over them so many times?

Do they just not care about their grades?

Do they even go back and read my comments and look at why they've lost points?

Is this an academic issue or a motivation issue or a self-worth issue?

(sighs) Do we need to do more lessons on catching these mistakes?

Or do I need to talk with them about the importance of the impression of themselves that they put out into the world?

Is it unfair for a student to earn a C for a grade when the content of their work is probably at a B or even an A level, but their spell and grammar mistakes are so ubiquitous and egregious that they lose points on every assignment?

Is it asking too much of them to click on the dang squiggly lines?

Does that kid who just smiled at me and said, "Hey, Ms.

H!"

have any idea how much I needed that friendly smile right now?

Why is the office calling down that long list of kids?

Are they getting quarantined and sent home?

Wait, they don't have to stay home anymore, but they have to wear a mask now, right?

So will we get a list of kids who are supposed to be wearing masks for two weeks?

How am I gonna keep track of that?

How many more times can I say, "Pull your mask up over your nose" before I start inserting curse words into that sentence?

Do I have time to run to the bathroom between classes?

Risk someone being in the single-stall teacher bathroom, or go to the student bathroom further away?

Is that crying in the next stall?

Hey, are you all right?

Do you need to talk?

Which class do you have right now?

Can I walk you down to the guidance office?

Will my class of freshman be okay if I get there a little late?

(sighs) Can we settle down and get started, please?

Where's your Chromebook?

Why isn't it charged?

Where's your charger?

Why haven't you borrowed one from the library then?

Is that yelling in the hallway?

What's going on?

Did one of you just call the other a bitch?

Why are the kids behaving like this this year?

Is it COVID related or just a stress of COVID plus all the other division and dissension in society that we're all contending with?

Is Michael acting off today?

Is he tired or just depressed?

Should I pull him out in the hall and ask him if he's okay, or would it be worse to draw attention to him?

Should I call home?

Have his grades been slipping?

Did you do the assignment that was due for me today?

Does Becky have her cell phone in her lap?

Why isn't it in the slot with the others?

Is it worth calling her out on it?

Right now or later, privately?

And either way, do I want to risk setting her off when she's been doing so well and we seem to be forging a tentative relationship?

Is it a big deal if she isn't actually using it?

Or has she been using it and I just haven't seen it happen?

Why isn't the Chromecast working?

Why would it work last period and not this period?

Is the internet down?

Why are we either freezing or frying?

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to regulate the heat in our own rooms?

Is this email for real?

Are they kidding with this?

Another meeting?

Another book study?

This year of all years?

Don't we have enough to do?

Can't they just give us more time to plan or collaborate with each other on the actual work that needs done?

Am I getting sick or am I just exhausted?

Is my throat sore from talking so much today, or because I'm coming down to something?

Will they be able to find a sub if I stay home tomorrow?

What am I teaching tomorrow?

Is it something I can adapt easily for a sub, or will I need to come up with something new?

How much will that impact my plans for the rest of the week?

Why can't I be more of a Type B teacher?

Isn't just easier to suck it up and go to school with a cold?

But what if it's COVID?

Is that an email from a parent?

Do I have the energy to deal with that tonight?

Why are they emailing me so late?

Where is that info about that poetry contest?

When was the deadline?

How did I not know until now what a great writer Jane is?

Oh, no.

Michael didn't do the assignment.

Is it too late to call home tonight, or should I wait and call from school tomorrow?

Do his parents work during the day?

Do they support his use of he/him pronouns?

Do I need to refer to him as Michelle when I talk to them?

Why am I watching the news?

Oh my God, another one?

How many school shootings is that make this year?

Is the legislature seriously going to try to pass that?

Do they have any clue how that will impact teaching and learning?

Why do the people with the power to address some of the problems always seem to arrive at solutions without asking educators for feedback?

Don't they realize that only leads to more issues?

(sighs) Are all teachers as overwhelmed and exhausted as I am?

Does anyone care what teachers are going through in this country?

When is someone going to do something about it?

- Julie, isn't the only teacher going through this.

Milwaukee PBS producer, Scottie Lee Meyers asked three diverse Milwaukee public school teachers to submit video diaries following Spring Break.

We hear in their own words what their school days are like, the good, the bad, and everything in between.

- My name is Angela Harris.

I am a first grade teacher at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Elementary School, the African American immersion school.

And this is my sixth year teaching.

I think that particularly this year, it's really important for teachers to be documenting their experiences in the classroom.

I think that we have seen a slight decline in the respect for the teaching profession.

And I think that it's important for folks to get a firsthand experience of what's actually happening in our classroom spaces.

- My name is Lucas Wierer.

I'm a culturally responsive teacher leader in the district.

And I teach here at Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education And this is my 14th year as a teacher.

I was really excited when I had the opportunity to participate in the video diary project and obviously a little nervous as well.

But I feel like over the course of the last six years, working at Obama and even working at north division prior, I think a lot of people don't understand what our jobs are like.

- My name's Raeven Chappelle.

I teach at Allen-Field and I've been teaching fifth grade for three years now.

I decided to join you all on this video diary journey just because even in my own family, I feel like there are so many people that don't really recognize and realize just how much teachers do beyond teaching.

- It is the first Monday after our Spring Break vacation, numbers were kind of low today.

- What is frustrating and taxing is the interruption and the distraction that these standardized tests are, they're impacting our schools in a bad way.

That is not the only way that young people can showcase their intelligence by clicking on a screen a multiple choice question.

That's not effective.

And it's hurting our students more than anything.

- So do you want the good news or the bad news first?

So the good news is today that I was able to work really closely with a handful of students, especially some of those that had missed class and needed to make up some work.

The bad news is that I saw 15 students today across three blocks.

So our school is on blocks scheduling.

We have four blocks in a day.

I have 64 students across those three blocks, and I saw 15.

In the Milwaukee public schools, we have about 30 high schools.

Not all of them are created equal.

We have what is called select criterion enrollment in the district.

So when you have those criteria, you're gonna have five to seven schools like we do an MPS that have between 90 and 96, 97% attendance.

And then you're also gonna have schools like mine that really struggle with attendance.

(somber music) - Yeah, it was a pretty typical day.

Had a few criers (laughs).

We're also learning fractions.

We're getting it, just not as quickly as we need to move.

Like our pacing, it moves so quickly and I struggle with leaving student behind.

- You know, if I'm being honest, my scholars are really struggling with music class.

They have no problem when they are in front of me, but when they are with other leaders in the building, they seem to really struggle.

- So today I'm really looking forward to going home and doing very little tonight.

I think one of the things we hear a lot about is that the job of a teacher doesn't ends with the last bell of the day.

For example, if we have 20 to 25 school days or weekdays in a month, my guess is that I'm working into the evening between like 10 and 15 of those.

- It was an exciting day today.

Yesterday, we had our mock election and the scholars voted for Cavalier Johnson, our first black mayor ever, which is so important, particularly because I teach at an African American immersion school.

But also because Cavalier Johnson comes from the same community that a lot of them presently live in.

- For the first time in 14 years, I applied and just recently had a second interview for a non-teaching position, although still in MPS.

I've kind of sensed for the last couple years that those in decision making positions feel that as long as we have a handful of quality public options to go along with the private, the choice, the charters to accommodate our middle class families.

That as long as those people are taken care of, it's okay to have dropout factories like Obama's.

- I'm actually feeling a little bit more energized than yesterday.

Math went a little bit better today too.

There are some students that have come up to me today actually, and were like, "Look, I still don't get this.

I need extra help."

So I'm gonna have to find some time somehow, tomorrow or Friday to spend a little extra time with those that need a little bit more explanation.

(Raeven sighs) - Yeah.

- So a lot of MPS high schools have students come in and the doors are actually right behind me.

And then they check their bags through an x-ray scanner to see if they have any contraband, to see if they have cell phones.

Not all NPS high schools do a scan.

And not all MPS high schools collect phones.

And what we would actually see is that high schools in MPS that serve more white students, that serve more middle class students, are the schools that don't have scans.

- Had a pretty good day over all, but it was, I don't know, this day was, it was just a little bit tough for me.

Just dealing with a lot of anxiety today.

And yeah.

I was thinking last night about how there's not a whole lot of space for teachers to deal with their own mental health issues.

- Today was a decent day.

I had two buses that were canceled today because there weren't any drivers.

If I had to think about rose's buds and thorns for today, (rings) rose's are, geez.

Sorry, the phone rang.

And this is another thing.

Like parent complaints about student behavior.

And I don't know, I'm just trying to do everything in my power to make, build a restorative community amongst my scholars.

And the parents aren't aware of what that is.

And like, if someone does something to their child, they're just like, "That child should be suspended and kicked out of the classroom."

And I'm like, "It's just not that simple."

- We got brand new SMART Boards.

The teachers in our building don't get excited by a lot of stuff, but there was like a buzz with the classrooms around me.

And I think it's because we've gotten so used to not having nice things.

- Fridays are always exciting in my class because it is Freedom Friday.

We choose a freedom fighter, or an influential black person to talk about, to learn about on Friday.

It was a low number in terms of attendance.

We had two buses that didn't come.

I had attended the Bucks' game on Thursday night.

It was a really exciting game, the Bucks won.

And so I was definitely tired when I get to school.

And I'm always how hyperaware of how I'm feeling, because I know how I'm feeling can manifest in different ways in the classroom.

So the person who covers my lunch and covers the scholars' outdoor recesses has pretty much been out all school all week.

And so I didn't have an opportunity to have lunch at all this week.

- They went by pretty well.

And one reason they went so smoothly was because I had another teacher helping me out in here.

New teachers are only given a mentor for their first year.

As if after one year of teaching with a mentor, you got it all figured out.

I'm really grateful that we had this opportunity to do some reflecting and that we had an opportunity to share with the general public what it's like to be a teacher.

If you know a teacher, definitely show them some love during Teacher Appreciation Week, cause we need it now more than ever.

- A National Education Association survey found 55% of educators plan to leave the profession sooner than planned.

Mostly because of the pandemic.

Producer Mariano Avila shares the conversation with his wife, Kate, about her decision to resign after 15 years and her uncertainty about returning to the classroom.

- My name is Kate Avila.

I was a teacher for 15 years, but for the past two years, I've been homeschooling my own kids.

For me, leading up to the pandemic, teaching was getting harder and harder.

I had had a second kid and I felt like my life was getting tighter and tighter, working all day and carrying the stress home.

But then also bringing up a folder full of things to grade on the weekends and planning for the week ahead.

So school had become me waking up at 4:30 in the morning to make all my plans and make meaningful lessons for my students, get grading updated, teaching, which sometimes after teaching, you have quite a lot to get over just because students can be kind of difficult sometimes.

And then I was coming home and I was giving the leftovers to my family.

And that just wasn't enough.

It was like my own children were on the back burner.

Well, I made it through that first Spring, and I felt like I really gave all that I could, but my school was a private school.

And so they decided to go in person in the Fall right away.

And I was definitely more on the nervous side with COVID because I have a history of asthma.

And so when I realized that my school was not only taking all this part of me, as far as what I was giving to the classroom, then I was kind of asked to like also put my own health at risk.

And it felt like too much.

Not to mention all of the things that they had in place like teaching school in person and virtually on Zoom at the same time, fielding questions from kids through your computer and making sure that everyone was seeing you, having everything recorded in the classroom.

It seemed like it would have been risky, but also a lot more work.

Teaching was something that I was gonna do forever until I retired.

I thought this is what I'm good at.

I love this, I find meaning in this, I'm making an impact on my community.

But what I realized was that it was having a negative impact on my family, and it was too hard for me.

And I think teaching is, it's a really heavy profession and it seems like it's just getting harder for people to keep it up.

I think sometimes teaching is, if you look at everything a teacher does, it's a job more than one person.

And when we ask one person to do all the things that a teacher is expected to do, it's too much.

And there's a lot of talk about teacher burnout and it's a real thing.

- Parochial schools here at home are concerned about holding onto teachers and attracting new ones.

I recently talked with the retired superintendent of Catholic schools for the Milwaukee Archdiocese about the toll the pandemic has taken on teachers and what the future may hold.

- The overall challenge that teachers and principals have felt over the past two years has been characterized by uncertainty.

Right now, I would say teachers are very tired.

They're looking back at their last several months, several years.

And I think actually asking where their successes were.

They, in some cases, saw slide off in student learning because of the fluctuation of learning instructional modes and they need the boost of not only normalcy of schedule, but being able to plan with a more secure future.

- What do you tell the teachers who may be burned out, as you say, or just aren't so sure about the path forward anymore?

- I think it's very important and this is something that we try to do, to reaffirm the dignity of this profession.

That the act of teaching is the act of changing a life.

And it's important to go back to that central mission.

And I've had teachers say to me, and I know my colleagues have as well, we needed to be reminded of that.

That in the midst of this swirling turbulence of the past two years, this uncertainty, we were in this for a reason and these children and these families needed us.

In fact, I think families probably have never needed schools more because we were their partner in that uncertainty.

And we came right into their homes through virtual learning.

- Another crisis that we were facing amongst all teachers, parochial and public, is the shortage of teachers.

- Yes.

- How is the archdiocese trying to address that, or can you address that?

- It is a huge concern.

On one level, we're looking at ways to perhaps attract people from different walks of life into teaching.

And we are exploring.

And perhaps getting validation for alternative forms of certification of teachers.

Now that's still a very preliminary stage, but for example, retired professionals who might think about teaching as the beautiful and dignified profession that it really is.

You know, as a chance to pay back in some ways.

We've had very great success with retired people moving into our schools as teachers.

So that's one way we're trying to address the shortage.

We're also engaging in more focused partnerships with our Catholic colleges and universities and with other colleges and universities to perhaps examine intern programs for our schools.

So those are a few examples.

- And how does the archdiocese compete with public school systems on salary front?

Because sometimes that seems to put Catholic schools or parochial schools at a disadvantage.

- It's a huge disadvantage.

But we do find that the people in our schools almost universally are there because they want to be there.

They see this as a calling.

They see it in our language as a vocation, as a way of life.

And I've been in this a long time, over 50 years, and I've always believed and tried to impart to the people I've been able to influence, that once a teacher, always a teacher.

One doesn't leave it at the door at 3:30 or four o'clock or five o'clock.

It's a summer vacation way of life.

It's a Christmas vacation way of life in that we're always thinking about the children under our care.

And that's a dignity that all teachers can aspire to and really own as they think about this as a way of changing the world.

- To minority teachers.

And you may think that you are not making an impact on this life, but you definitely made an impact whether if you believe it or not.

You are the face that they needed even if you don't think so.

- Research shows that our teacher shortage is especially concerning when it comes to black and Latino teachers, especially males who are already few in number in our classrooms.

Producer Everett Marshburn spoke with MPS teacher who entered the classroom as a second career because he wanted to make a difference.

(teacher talking) - We know overall there's a teacher shortage.

Nationally, schools are hurting.

Specifically with teachers of color.

And when we talk about males in the profession, it's even a greater need.

- [Narrator] Milwaukee public schools has a majority-minority pupil population.

Black students alone make up half of the enrollment.

And out of the 4,400 teachers this year, less than 20% are African American.

And black male teachers are just under 5%, but that's twice the national average.

- Currently in Milwaukee public schools, because we're an urban school district, we actually look good on paper, but we're not where we want to be.

Because we know that we serve a population of students that need folks that reflect who the are.

- [Narrator] DeVon Preyer was a professional basketball player and a coach who changed career paths.

He's currently finishing his fifth years as a teacher.

At Riverside High, he teaches special education, assist in science and coaches the basketball team.

He says he's found his calling.

- There's a sense of duty that I wasn't getting in the arena that I was in before.

And I felt like I had more to give, more to offer, but I'd always been immersed in basketball.

And I was always connected to youth in that manner.

So it just kind of seemed natural for me to go that way.

I mean, teaching isn't just teaching.

There's more to give for a student, especially in urban setting, than just teaching them one plus one is two or how to spell, how to read, how to write.

There is a whole bunch that goes into emotional development, social development.

There's a lot of things that going behind the scenes that especially in an urban setting, African American males are very important for having a person that looks like you that understands where you come from, understands what you're going through.

That can talk you through that process.

that can help you take the next step.

It's very important.

And there's just a lot more to give.

- [Interviewer] What do you think we need to do to encourage more black males to come into teaching.

- [DeVon] Make it easier?

I mean, it's very difficult to get into this.

Now, what I do understand after going through the process is that there are a lot of steps, a lot of processes that you need to learn, a lot of curriculum information, a lot of how to teach.

But there's gotta be a way that we can encourage more black males to come into teaching, into education, especially in an urban setting.

- [Narrator] One of the places Harris is looking for more black teachers is at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

- We know that we have a lot of employees that have gone to many HBCUs.

And so what we've done in the office of human resources is tapped into those employees that are currently with us, and ask them like, let's go and visit your HBCU.

Let's reconnect and see if we can pull some of those students who looking for opportunities to come to Milwaukee.

And so we've been to multiple schools this year, just really trying to do more outreach to those HBCUs to ensure that these folks understand that look, someone from your community was in your shoes once, right?

And now they're here and they've been with us for 20 plus years.

So we've been to Arkansas Pine Bluff, Tennessee State, Alcorn, Jackson State.

So we are really trying to make sure that we're tapping into our local resources, which is our human capital.

Our employees come from various places, tapping into that so that we can go out and outreach with those communities.

- Producer Patricia Gomez looks at the challenges Latino teachers face.

- Well, I have been involved with educational matters for the last 50 years.

I have been involved with the establishment of bilingual education, bilingual programs, but I don't want to be just thought of, I have been involved in pedagogy in general.

The shortage of teachers correspond to working condition's.

It's pre the pandemic.

This is not new.

The pandemic just brought forth a lot of what we knew.

Teachers are not appreciated in this society.

The salaries are not high enough.

There are some benefits that come with it, but there's still not enough.

Top it with the fact that more teachers are feeling the pain of what's going on and they're leaving the profession.

Now, all of that affects bilingual education.

Latinos in this country are very diverse.

The refugee population is very diverse.

In some districts, there're more than 300 different language groups.

The other reason we have a problem in many of our schools is that there is an incompatibility between the people that teach and the populations that are growing in those schools.

The other way for the future is getting kids that are in high school now to become involved, engaged in the idea that they can become good teachers.

But why would kids want to be good teachers when they're seeing their teachers struggling?

- What I enjoy most about teaching is being able to empower individuals and give them the option to be able to explore.

- Let's take a closer look at who wants to become a teacher these days.

US teacher prep programs have reported shrinking enrollment numbers over the past decade, citing factors such as low pay, school violence, lack of teacher respect, and of course, now the pandemic.

According to the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the number of students studying teaching is down 35% nationally with some Wisconsin program seeing even steeper enrollment declines.

Producer Maryann Lazarski talked four student teachers who are about to graduate from Mount Mary University.

- [Yeheila] My academic hustle revolves around my hustle growing up on the south side of Milwaukee and not having a lot of people that grew up with a college diploma, or like seeing them try to make ends meet.

- [Amiyah] I have a high school History teacher that I would like to appreciate.

She's actually the only person in my life whoever told me that I'm going to be a teacher before I even thought to be a teacher.

And I told her absolutely not.

And look at me now.

- [Karley] I'm pursuing a graduate degree in orientation and mobility, which I would be working with blind children.

And I grew that passion because my father's blind and like probably 80, 90% of my family friends are as well.

- [Mayra] The reason why I wanna be a teacher is because growing up with disability made it hard for me to think that I could be successful one day.

(Yeheila speaking in Spanish) - A verbal practice.

I am a student teacher in West Dallas for high school students and I teach Spanish.

I believe my philosophy of teaching centers around the idea of what I needed when I was younger.

I needed like a direct face that I could look up to.

A teacher that wore their hoop earrings or wore things that look like Latino culture.

Empathy is the biggest thing that is being lacked in terms of teaching from outside.

What scares a lot of people, or like teaching in general, we get a lot of false connotations or negative comments.

Like sometimes they'll be like, "Oh, I would never do that.

I would never teach."

Or "Why are you doing that?

I feel so bad for you."

You know?

So you get a lot of comments like that.

And I think it derives from fear of being spoken to by someone younger in a poor way or the pay, or just fear of not being appreciated the way that you're supposed to be.

- I'm a first grade student teacher in New Berlin.

I have a real passion for working with kids.

I love to watch them learn and help them learn new things and watch them grow over the school year.

Despite grade level, there's things that teachers experience in their jobs that it's just not comparable to any other field really.

Just realizing how much we are really with these kids all day, like eight hours a day typically.

We're like the biggest influencers on their lives for the most part.

- I'm a student teacher in New Berlin and I teach third grade.

I kind of think it's scary.

It's like, "Oh, what am I getting myself into?"

Because you hear all these things, you read about it online.

And now that we're student teaching, we kind of experience all the stuff that is on the teacher's plate, but not even to their extent.

So definitely it's nerve-wracking of what am I getting myself into?

But then you have experiences with a kid where they'll write you a nice note or they'll come up to you and give you a big hug and it's like, wow, this is why I'm doing it.

- I'm a student teacher in Milwaukee and I teach second grade.

I was working with two year olds, one year olds babies.

So it's like they always came for me for comfort, for anything, like any little thing, they'll come from me.

So I was like already kind of comfortable with that already.

So going into teaching, I'm like, "Okay, I think I got this."

"All right.

I'll sit down listen to you.

What's going on?"

You know what I mean?

Cause same thing for the two year old, they wanted to hug, they wanna sit in my lap and just talk or just play around, you know what I mean?

So it's like, I feel like I'm pretty good.

I'm just like, "Okay, I got it."

Even though it's hard and overwhelming because it's like, there's 33 that want the same thing.

You know what I mean?

So that's the hard part of it, but it's just making sure that at least you have a little bit of time for each of your students.

- If there's some solutions to this, you're gonna see a dramatic impact on students wanting to become teachers.

Because we all mention in different ways, people love and honor the education system and honor educators, but they fear the lack of pay.

They fear the treatment.

They fear the less liberty that they're gonna get.

And I think that that scares them off and they end up settling for jobs that don't follow the direction their heart wants to take them, which is why they also end up in positions where they're like, "I'm in this business office job in this cubicle and nothing is speaking to my heart.

Nothing is to my drive as a person."

- Lowering your class size, helping the support, having time within the day just for lesson planning.

Because not only when people look at teachers, they think, "Oh, well, they have the whole summer off."

The whole summer is spent lesson planning.

And then our days once we get outta school is grading papers, adjusting our lessons to what our class actually looks like, all this stuff where the balance between a social life and work life, like there's no balance.

We go to school to get in debt.

But we do it because we wanna be a teacher.

And not because we know our occupation is gonna pay off that debt.

So make it affordable for teachers to achieve that degree and not throughout their whole financial life.

- I've heard several times about a lot of these problems before even pursuing a teaching career, and there's still no change.

And I'm about to graduate college.

You know what I'm saying?

Like this has been a thing for a very long time.

And yeah.

Whoever we're speaking to, they're not hearing us.

- I hope the support of teachers, it completely flips.

And I hope it becomes something positive, and we actually do make move for change.

Because when you think about it, the future of our country is in our hands.

And so if we don't have enough teachers to really build the future politicians and the people who are gonna be continuing to help this country sustain itself, it's only gonna hurt all of us.

- Those students also wanted to thank their professors at Mount Mary for all the guidance and support they received Those two words, thank you, are the words teachers probably don't hear enough.

With that in mind, producer, Scottie Lee Meyer surprised a group of former and current MPS teachers with heartfelt messages from their former students who say they've been forever changed by what they learned in their classrooms.

- [Staff] Rolling.

- [Producer] So we're actually here for a different reason.

And I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking a seat for us.

I'm gonna play something.

- [Staff] Thank you for trusting us on this.

- [Producer] I'm gonna play something on the TV here for you It should start it about now.

(Mrs. Kelly gasps) - My name is Brad Schlaikowski and I'm here to honor Mrs. Kelly Clark Page, my middle school homeroom teacher and science teacher at Walker Middle School.

Dear Mrs. Kelly Clark Page, middle school is a tough time for most kid, and I was no different.

Back then, coming out as gay was something that wasn't really talked about.

And when you learned about the bullying that was happening to me in school and on the bus, you stepped up and took me under your wing.

You stood up for me when I had no one in my corner and that's something I've never forgotten after all this time.

With all my love, Brad.

- This means a world to me.

And this is, well, I never knew I had that much of an impact, but that's why I do what I do.

For this.

- Oh boy.

Oh, Sam!

Holy cow.

- My name is Sam Guyton.

I was Mr. Robert's student at Milwaukee High School of the Arts.

And he was my vocal coach.

Vocal coach, mentor, everything.

Dear Mr. Roberts, I wrote you a letter.

If you know Mr. Roberts, simply by saying his name often is followed with a smile.

All the young teenagers that have been touched by his teachings are destined for success.

And I'm just another student that has been granted that opportunity.

The coolest part is that he's still in the classroom and will continue to shape the future of the Milwaukee music community for years to come.

Thank you, Mr. Roberts.

- You guys are sneaky.

Wow.

This is something that fuels me to keep doing what I do.

It was really gratifying to hear.

- I got a little video for you to watch.

- Hi, my name is Deondre Lewis and I'm a former student from Riverside University High School.

I'm here today to honor my teacher, Mr. Wild.

He was our AP Psychology teacher.

Dear Mr. Wild, your mentorship during high school means the world to me.

And even when it was tough, you never gave up on me.

I appreciate you, I celebrate you, and thank you once again.

- That is beautiful.

It's a million dollars.

It's why I live.

Everybody should have a purpose for living, and I fell into teaching.

And I couldn't ask for a better job in my entire life.

It's why I exist.

To help lift up the young people.

- [Producer] Here we go.

- My name is Adam Carr and I'm honoring Mark Horowitz, who is my fourth grade teacher at Golda Meir.

Dear Mr. Horowitz, It takes a village to raise a child.

Mr. Horowitz, you were a leader in that village for so many children.

As an adult, I built a career seeking and telling the story of Milwaukee.

On my best days, I feel like I'm back in your class with my friends, embracing the magic and the world around us in each other.

You put so much of your heart and soul into our classroom and we felt it.

Thank you, Mr. Horowitz.

- This is a wonderful thing.

Mark just loved teaching.

He loved teaching and he loved showing those kids the world, the world in the city and the world outside the city.

And he believed they could do more than most people think 9 and 10 year olds can do.

- [Producer] I have a video here for you, just for you.

- Okay.

- My name is Samer Ghani.

I went to Ronald Wilson Reagan High School, and I spent four years there with the educator, Mr. Chad, who taught us Art History.

Dear Mr. Chad, while I have spent the last five years of my life as a professional creative, I do want to take this moment to sincerely thank you.

I thank you for your sacrifices, most of which I don't fully understand.

I thank you for your knowledge.

For without it, I wouldn't be half the artist that I am today.

Thank you for helping change my life.

- [Producer] So that was our surprise for you today.

- You can edit that out, right?

That is the food that keeps you going.

That is why you show up.

That little surprise right here was really nice.

I appreciate that.

- I would actually like to sit down with a legislator.

I'd like to invite them all in to schools and follow a teacher throughout the course of a day.

Because I think they have a huge impact right now.

- Educators want their voices heard.

And want those who can make a difference to take action now.

Producer Mariano Avila asked the US Secretary of Education what he plans to do about our teachers in crisis.

(hopeful music) - It doesn't take a pandemic for us to realize how important teachers are.

Yet today, we still have places that are not valuing educators or paying them a salary where they have to have two to three jobs to make ends meet.

You know, it's unacceptable for educators who in many cases, they have a master's degree to have to work another job so they can think about sending their children to college.

We can do better as a country.

- What is your department doing?

What are the initiatives that are in your pipeline to make sure that teachers stay in their jobs and new teachers come on board?

- The three things that I think are needed, the first is competitive salary, the second are working conditions that are conducive to professional and personal growth.

Our teachers are often asked to do more and more.

But what we're doing at the department, in addition to the bully pulpit, is really putting funds where we know we need to support efforts across the country.

An example of that is last week, we announced 65 million in the SEED Program.

And the intention there is to diversify the profession to make sure that our teaching ranks represent the beautiful diversity of our students.

So we're putting money there towards programs there, we're lifting up best practice.

I visited Tennessee recently and I saw high schools that have pipeline programs for their students to become teachers.

- What can people at the local levels do that the federal government is not doing or not capable of doing?

- You know, to put it in context, the federal government pays for about 10% of education across the country.

Now think about it.

90% of it typically comes from state and local government.

So with the 10%, we're really pushing to make sure that we're elevating the profession.

We really need to see that same level of urgency and action at the state and local level.

State level, really be intentional about working with colleges and districts to increase the pipeline.

Make sure your high schools have a teacher track.

- What are you hearing after two years of this very complicated teaching environment?

- You know, when our schools thrive, our communities thrive.

And I've been fortunate to travel to 30 states already to see that in action.

And what the teachers are saying is they're tired, but you know teachers.

They roll up their sleeve, they want to be there for their students.

It's about time we're there for them as well.

- The good news is there has been some improvement on the local level.

Just last month, the MPS school board agreed to give teachers and other staff a 4.7% raise.

Many other districts approved the same pay increase, including West Allis-West Milwaukee, Kenosha, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and Eau Claire.

Wauwatosa schools approved a 3% raise for teachers every year until they reach about $95,000.

- Seeing students, they sort of get that light bulb moment when they're learning things and they're picking up and they're getting excited about it.

And hat's just a lot of fun.

It keeps you going.

You know?

- It has been said that teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.

During this Teacher Appreciation Week, producer, Emmy Fink takes us to Genesee Depot in Waukesha county where a very special school is extremely proud of three very special teachers with a combined 96 years of teaching experience.

- What's the difference?

Sometimes you get tornado watches and tornado warnings.

Teaching is one of those jobs that you really learn on the job.

You keep growing.

And I feel now I have a lot of tools in my back pocket that I can access.

My name is Mr. Suhr.

I've been teaching 36 years and 25 years here at Magee.

- How's your day?

I have the greatest job here at Magee.

I'm a regular ed paraeducator and I get to be everywhere in the school.

I work with fourth grade through fifth grade.

Hi, I'm Mrs. Pendy.

And I've been teaching for about 24 years.

And this is my fourth year at Magee.

- And then you have six more.

Everything you do, everything you say, just as long as they feel safe and they're happy and they wanna be here, they'll be here, they'll be ready to learn.

That's my big takeaway.

Hi, I'm Mrs. Coss.

I teach first grade at Magee.

- Bing, bing, bing, bing!

You got it.

Atta girl.

- Now, we don't.

- And now you gotta trace.

- I think Magee's just been my rock.

It's the one safe place I've come to.

Sorry.

I always felt welcome here.

Loved, feel safe.

We do a lot of things to keep everyone safe.

The kids, teachers, staff, everybody.

- How many corners.

- Four.

- Well, first graders are extremely impulsive, (laughs) but they love everything about everything we do.

They love learning and that's pretty much my goal is just to get them to love coming to school, love learning.

- They're ready to learn.

You know, they're little sponges.

They really wanna take things in and they want to be entertained while learning.

- I love the variety of my job and every day is different.

So it's just fun.

- He loves us like we were his kids.

- She is kind because she makes teaching fun.

- That unexplainable kindness that she shows.

Reason that you're sitting here is because there was some amazing essays written about you.

What does that do for your soul?

- Yeah.

I cried when I read these.

They're amazing.

It made me realize everything you say to everyone matters.

- Hi, my name's Leo and I am in fifth grade.

I wanted to write my essay about her because I think she deserves recognition cause she's an awesome teacher.

- [Producer] What makes her an awesome teacher?

- She's kind, hardworking, and she's smart.

She always gives people multiple chances and doesn't give up on them.

- Their words, I mean, it's just so, is very powerful.

Very powerful.

I feel totally honored and extremely humbled by just so many of 'em had so much to say.

- You can always rely on Mrs. Coss that she's gonna build extremely strong relationships with her kids and it carries through with everyone.

She's in the hallway, smiling and hugging every single child that she's had.

She definitely commits herself to getting to know the kids and building that strong relationship.

- Hi, my name' is Charlie and I'm in fourth grade.

I wrote about Mr. Suhr because he actually has helped me a lot through the school year.

Because when I was having a hard time on math, I normally don't do easy, but ever since he started helping me, it got really easy.

- It's special.

It really is.

And when you read these, it's really heartwarming and uplifting.

- Mr. Suhr is so reliable with getting the kids outside, utilizing our amazing campus.

And he's just one of the most caring man you'll ever meet.

He really wants to be able to help the kids in his classroom and solve every problem.

- If you are struggling really hard and he can tell because he'll come over to you and help you.

- As I was walking around the room as they were writing these essays, cause fourth and fifth grade wrote 'em, I was checking, okay, that's not me, that's not me.

And I was thinking, "Oh, maybe I won't make it onto the air," or something like that.

But I was surprised that the number of kids that did write them.

- Hi, my name's Alyssa and I'm in fifth grade.

Ever since I came here in third grade, she's always been so welcoming and completely just made me feel at home right away.

And she always has this unconditional love for everyone.

And that's why I chose to write about her.

- It just really warms my heart.

And I just like getting to know the kids through the classroom and out at recess and they just are fun to get to know.

- [Mr. Nies] She wants to have fun and kids see that.

And she will dress up as a leprechaun.

She will us up as Cruella de Vil and she will play the role to make sure that kids are having fun.

- When someone is having a rough day, her Pendy sense kicks in.

Once, my friend and I were having a bad day and she came and talked to us.

And just like that, all better.

- Pendy sense is kind of like she just knows.

Kinda like spider sense that they use the Spiderman movies.

And it's just like you know that someone's having a bad day and you just automatically just know how to make it better.

- Just a smile, a laugh, a joke, sharing a story.

That's what helps kids get through their day, starting it off on a good note.

- And if anybody wants to be a teacher, you need to love kids.

Love every part of them.

You're gonna have some that are a challenge, but you know, I think they're almost my favorites because I see the growth and the difference at the end of the year.

- [Mr. Nies] It's so nice that even during some of the toughest times in education, that everyone still comes with such a positive mindset.

- Happy Teacher Appreciation Day, Miss Pendy.

- Thank you Mrs. Coss for everything you've done.

- Thank you Mr. Suhr for helping everybody in our class and school.

- Thank you, not only to the staff here at Magee and those who have been interviewed, but to anyone that's in education.

You are making a huge impact.

And please keep remembering that you are here for a reason and it's why you love doing what you do.

So thank you for everything that you do.

- We wanna thank all our educators who shared their experiences and thoughts with us this past hour.

Milwaukee PBS will continue focusing on education in all of our local programming.

For more, find us at milwaukeepbs.org and on our YouTube channel.

Thank you so much for watching Speaking of... Teachers in Crisis.

(mysterious music)