No One is Addressing the Growing Exodus of America’s Teachers and Nurses
Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart
Right-wing politicians would like you to believe that the
most important issue in America is the reelection of Donald Trump in 2024.
These men and women have renounced democracy and are planning a replacement for
our democratic government in the form of autocratic rule. This is necessary to
protect the plutocracy they created over the last 42 years. Please do not
discount this fact. I abhor conspiracy theories, but I have been writing about
American politics for 10 years and I pay attention. The very existence of our
beloved country is questionable.
Serious problems have been completely ignored by today’s Republicans
In Name Only. Universal Healthcare, immigration reform, the high cost of
education, growing racism, and the subjugation of women are among the issues
important to most Americans. Republican simply don’t care.
However, two of the most important issues have been
completely ignored by politicians, the media, and will become a major crisis
within a few years.
Teachers are resigning from our K-12 schools at an alarming
rate. The issues are many, and in recent years their efforts to effectively and
honestly teach their students have become controlled by fascist governors in
red states. Leading the way for these actions of pure fascism are Florida’s Ron
DeSantis and Texas’ Greg Abbott.
Pay has always been a serious concern. The average Entry
Level Teacher salary in the United States is $42,969 as of July 25, 2023, but
the salary range typically falls between $35,879 and $52,406. For this pitiful
wage, our teachers are expected to educate our children, keep them safe,
protect them from dangers to their health, offer psychological assistance,
while maintaining a professional environment.
I am one of millions of Americans who would argue that being
a teacher is not only the most respected profession in America, but also the
most important. No one in Washington has a value equal to that of a great and
caring teacher. They make a difference in our lives from the early beginnings
until our final days.
While approximately 67 percent of all teachers say they are
experiencing “burnout,” nearly one-third of all nurses are considering other
employment. "This really underscores the continued mental health and
well-being challenges the nursing workforce experiences post pandemic,"
AMN Healthcare CEO Cary Grace told Reuters in an interview.
Overworked, and feeling unappreciated, nurses are
reconsidering their choice of profession. Patients agree that the personal care
offered them by nurses is of much greater value overall than that of their
doctors. Nurses listen, doctors look for a diagnosis and answers. In hospitals,
patients assigned to nurses spend hours listening and talking to the true
primary caregivers. They see their doctors for less than one-half hour each day
on average.
[The top teacher burnout statistics of 2023
K-12 teachers are the #1 most burnt-out profession in The
United States
44% of teachers in K-12 school report often or always
feeling burnout
90% of teachers claim that feeling burnt out is a serious
problem
Over half of teachers say they will leave teaching sooner
than originally planned
There are 500,000+ fewer educators in the American public
school systems post-pandemic
44% of public schools posted teaching vacancies in early
2022
43% of educator job postings are going unfilled
30% of teachers were found to be chronically absent
Compensation is the #1 reason educators plan to quit their
jobs]
Nobody will argue the fact that being a teacher in the 21st
century is one of the most difficult and yet important jobs in our nation. As a
young student, I had good teachers and bad. The good ones changed my life for
the better. The bad ones were discounted by most of their students. We were
aware that no profession has 100 percent of its employees rated as perfect. There
are procedures designed to reward the best teachers, and to reprimand those who
are less effective, as there are in any other profession. However, the overall
evaluation of the profession is extremely favorable. Being a good teacher
requires dedication and sacrifice.
They deserve more. I believe they deserve much more. We
place value on doctors, lawyers, corporate leaders, our military brass, and even
our pastors, ministers, and priests. None of these professions are charged with
molding future generations or face the responsibilities required by their
employers.
Nurses have complaints parallel to those of teachers.
[The survey of over 18,000 nurses, conducted by AMN
Healthcare Services Inc in January, showed on Monday that 30% of the
participants are looking to quit their career, up 7 percentage points over
2021, when the pandemic-triggered wave of resignations began.
The survey also showed that 36% of the nurses’ plan to
continue working in the sector but may change workplaces.]
Not a single medical facility can exist without a staff of
nurses who are dedicated and well trained. In the United States overall, the
average registered nurse salary is $82,750 and the median (50th percentile) is
$77,600. California, with RN salaries averaging $124,000, is the highest-paying
state for nurses as of May 2021 (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Apr. 4, 2023).
The major complaints from nurses involve working conditions
and understaffing.
We cannot survive without good teachers and compassionate
nurses. We can survive with fewer politicians, fewer members of the justice
system and law enforcement, and definitely a smaller military. We most
certainly could exist with fewer corporations and billionaires.
The question becomes far simpler when reality is included in
the discussion. All we need is to look at our own lives. I am positive that a
majority of all successful and well-adjusted men and women in America can point
to one teacher who was influential in their lives in a positive way. There is
no doubt that any individual who has been hospitalized, or in need of outpatient
care has experienced a nurse who made a difference in their recovery. These are
basic essentials and of far greater importance than wealth, fame, and fortune.
No one, our government, the media, or hospital administrators
are addressing these problems seriously. It seems commonplace in America that
when a crisis approaches, we wait until the very last minute, until the danger
is imminent, to face the problem. The best examples are the tragedies on 9/11,
the great recession of 2008, our growing healthcare problems, and the huge
increase in hate crimes across America.
What we can change is the dysfunction and corruption in
Washington. As long as we have the right to vote, we can save our country.
Remember this on November 5, 2024. Don’t vote for a party, vote for those who
care about your future and the futures of those you love.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Sources:
https://www.devlinpeck.com/content/teacher-burnout-statistics
Find my nine novels here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/James-Turnage/author/B00LOCJ2Z2?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
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