TAhlequah Public Schools has been battling a teacher shortage that has plagued Oklahoma classrooms for several years now.
According to a February 2024 Oklahoma Watch report, during the 2022-23 school year, schools across the state had 1,019 teaching vacancies — the highest number ever in the Oklahoma State School Boards Association's annual survey.
TPS Assistant Superintendent DeAnn Mashburn said the shortage is particularly acute in secondary education at the high school level.
“There are not a large number of candidates to teach secondary education, such as mathematics, science and English courses, and we have had to fill a few of our places with emergency certified teachers who [for example] “You have a college degree in science, but it's not an educational degree in science,” Mashburn said. “So they have the content knowledge. We just have to work with them on the teaching and the teaching methods and how to manage the classroom.”
Mashburn said primary education was not as seriously deficient as secondary education, with many candidates typically progressing at this level. TPS Superintendent Tanya Jones said the secondary education shortage is a statewide problem, not just in Cherokee County.
TPS works closely with Northeastern State University to combat disability through interns. NSU students who train at a TPS site are often hired by the district, Mashburn said, after administrators notice their skills.
“It lets you watch them, and you see, ‘This is normal. ” [thing]. “This candidate is really going to be someone who has a good work ethic and has all the things needed to be a good teacher,” Mashburn said.
According to a June 2023 Oklahoma Watch article, the 2022-23 school year saw more than 4,100 emergency certified teachers working in classrooms across the state.
A teacher may be certified in an emergency, but TPS always hires staff with a degree, and administrators match their majors to the appropriate classes, Mashburn said. Mashburn said emergency-certified personnel bring a different perspective to teaching.
Like many instructional coaches, Jessica Morrison of the district's instructional technology helps emergency and alternatively certified teachers, those who have been in the district less than three years, and first-year teachers. Instructional coaches have one-on-one discussions with teachers and provide advice and guidance to teachers to overcome any obstacles they have.
“It's a little challenging,” Morrison said. “They come with a love of children and a desire to teach, but there is a clear deficit in knowledge. Managing the classroom, planning the lesson, delivering the lesson – it's all a challenge for them because you don't know what you don't know. They've never been in those situations to need that knowledge before.
Teachers learn how to plan effective lessons, review routines, and more, Morrison said.
“Developing these skills is essential to teacher and student success,” Morrison said. “Being able to deliver successful lessons and ensuring they master the content is important, but building their confidence and self-awareness is just as important for them.” [people] To improve themselves in any field.”
To improve the retention rate, the district is working on the environment and community, Mashburn said. She said administrators are trying to build a great school community for teachers not just at their sites or teaching districts, but throughout the entire district.
“[We’re] “He made them feel important, made them feel loved and cared for, made them feel special,” she said. “They get a lot of support from other teachers, and we have mentor teachers for every new teacher that comes into our building, whether they're new beginners or just new to our district, and we pair those two up, so they have each other for support.
Sharing accomplishments and events happening around the district on social media, and in traditional news media, keeps parents up to date on what's happening at TPS, and shows potential employers what the district is like, Jones said. Another goal of TPS's social media presence is to reassure current employees that they are valued and loved in their roles.
“I think the No. 1 thing that makes someone want to work here is just celebrating the culture that we have publicly, so they know what they're coming for,” Jones said.
