Wisconsin teachers are in crisis. A recent poll by the National Education Association found 90% of its members are dealing with burnout. More than half of U.S. teachers intend to leave the profession sooner than they had planned.
The reasons are many and as diverse as teachers are themselves. A new special by Milwaukee PBS is exploring these issues, through firsthand accounts from local teachers. Maryann Lazarski is an editorial producer for “Teachers in Crisis.”
She starts, "It could be just societal issues, political, cultural issues that are out in our world, in our communities. It trickles into the classroom, students, especially as you get into high school, these kids know what's going on. They bring it into the classroom, there's arguments, teachers have to take control of the classroom as best they can. Sometimes it just goes crazy."
Teachers are trying to find ways to deal with those issues and ways to keep moving forward, she adds. This particular special focuses on teacher's struggles and efforts to overcome.
On the positive side, Lazarski says there has been some movement in getting teachers raises in their pay and making their environment more tolerable. Milwaukee Public Schools is giving a 4.7% increasing in pay to its teachers and the City of Wauwatosa is giving teachers a raise as well.
"We really wanted to give teachers in our communities a voice and let them be heard. And so people can understand a little bit more, hopefully, of what they go through. But this coverage, this issue isn't over, as least as far as Milwaukee PBS is concerned," says Lazarski.
