By NATALIE SACKET
Feature Editor
Sleepless nights, missed lunch breaks and incomparable stresses are all realities for teachers.
Dedicated teachers have to put students first. Teachers like Dixie Meyer know when to make sacrifices for others, even if it may be inconvenient or unexpected. When asked to enter the classroom without previous experience as an educator, Meyer realized that the only right decision was the one that would benefit the community she loves. Previously a nurse, Meyer agreed to become a high school science teacher, despite having no professional background in education.
Early in the month of August, just weeks before the start of semester, Meyer received a call from Alva High School administration asking her to fill the position of a science educator. Administration had attempted to find a certified science teacher, particularly in the field of chemistry, but had no success.
This is a situation that countless school systems have found themselves in, as Oklahoma is facing a significant shortage in educators. According to Oklahoma State Department of Education records, schools face a reality of approximately 1,000 teacher vacancies. If one accounts for a classroom size of 25 to 35 students, nearly 25,000 to 35,000 students in Oklahoma do not have a permanent teacher.
With changes and growing issues in the Oklahoma system of education, schools have been scrambling to replace teachers who have decided on early retirement or to move to neighboring states that promise higher salaries to educators.
Jeffrey Dunn, who serves as a regent on the board of the Regional University System of Oklahoma, referred to the Oklahoma teacher shortage as “the single most drastic economic crisis in Oklahoma.”
This is an issue that will only be fixed with extreme adjustments in the education system of Oklahoma. Though no immediate solution is apparent, individuals like Meyer are helping school systems during these challenging times.
These impromptu educators are able to enter the classroom by taking an emergency certification test. Deana Silk, who serves as the director of communications at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, said in order to apply for an emergency certification test, a school must have already exhausted all possible attempts to find either a certified or qualified applicant to fill the empty position. According to records at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the department has issued 920 emergency certification tests since July. This is a significant increase since 2011, when the state only issued 32 tests for the entirety of the year.
This problem in Oklahoma has numerous layers and complexities. As the number of educators retiring or leaving the field of education is much greater than the number of individuals entering the field, significant vacancies have appeared in classrooms across the state.
A key factor leading to this predicament is the lack of competitive salaries for Oklahoma’s educators. “Our teachers need to feel respected and compensated accordingly,” Silk said. “In order to attract and retain top talent, we have to increase teacher pay to be competitive with surrounding states. Currently, only Mississippi, South Dakota and Idaho pay their teachers less than we do. Oklahoma teachers make $10,000 below the national average.”
Oklahoma education is losing teachers for more reasons than low salary. Jennifer Oswald is an instructor of education at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and a former public school educator. “There has been a pervasive lack of respect for the profession and a steady increase in accountability,” Oswald said. “I recently read an article about a teacher resigning because she just ‘couldn’t make kids cry anymore.’ The emphasis on testing and disregard for developmentally appropriateness of curriculum is a common complaint. … There have been a myriad of factors that have contributed to this shortage and those are just a few.”
Because school systems around the state are struggling to find certified teachers, the quality of education has taken a blow. Christee Jenlink, Ph.D. in educational administration, serves as the chair of the Northwestern Division of Education. “Well-meaning people are being placed in teacher roles in classrooms, but they are not qualified to not only teach, but to deal with all the other aspects that go into teaching,” Jenlink said. “That is the overriding concern regarding the teacher shortage, that it’s having an impact on the children in the school and the quality of the education.”
Oswald is not only an educator, but also a mother with a young son about to enter the public school system. She also said she is concerned about the quality of Oklahoma’s education in light of the teacher shortage. “As a parent, this affects me deeply,” Oswald said. “Our children deserve highly qualified educators. I know the struggles of a teacher firsthand. Not everyone can be a teacher. I want Rett [my son] to have the best. Not just teachers who care about him, but teachers who can truly teach him, teachers who can challenge him to reach his full potential.”
Though this shortage has affected Oklahoma in numerous negative aspects, Jenlink views a silver lining in the situation.
“The good thing about the teacher shortage is that it is forcing our lawmakers to really look at public education, what we call common education, in depth,” Jenlink said. “What I’m seeing is that they’re talking to administrators; they’re talking to teachers in interim studies. They’re bringing in experts who look from the outside and say, ‘here is your problem, Oklahoma. You’re in the middle of it and you can’t see it real well.’”
Legislators, administrators and teachers have been searching through interim studies for ways to fill the gaps in Oklahoma’s educational system while maintaining its quality. Northwestern Executive Vice President Steve Lohmann, Ph.D., emphasizes the need for a solution. “We have to continue to invest in our youth,” Lohmann said. “Education is the way that young people can succeed. … The most important commodity any state or nation has is its children.”
People like Dixie Meyer are needed in a time like this to inspire students to grow and achieve. Meyer’s said this is her primary goal at Alva High School. “I love seeing a student grasp a concept,” she said. “To be able to watch a kid grow in maturity and knowledge is an awesome opportunity.”
Meyer’s positivity and endurance in this unknown setting is evident, as she has made an impact across the state as well. Joy Hofmeister, the Oklahoma State Superintendent of Education, met Meyer earlier this semester. “I was in Alva … and was able to meet with one of these true, remarkable emergency-certified teachers,” Hofmeister said. “She just was beaming with joy, and it was really inspiring for me. We have great examples of people stepping up to serve the children of Oklahoma.”
Callie Duncan, a sophomore in Meyer’s chemistry class, also speaks highly of Meyer. “I enjoy the new and different way she teaches chemistry,” Duncan said. “I think being a nurse gives her a unique look at science. I’m very glad the school brought her on as a teacher.”
Though Meyer enjoys her position as an educator, she said she is still learning and growing along with her students. Despite the challenges, Meyer’s dedication to this unexpected and challenging task has been worth it, as she is making a difference in the lives of numerous students.