No Wonder We have a Teacher Shortage
By Jennica So
Growing up in Oakland, I knew that I always wanted to become a teacher because of how much I knew they affected students’ lives. Throughout middle school, high school, and currently college,; I continue to babysit and nanny kids because I enjoy being a part of their development and hopefully create a positive impact. One of my biggest accomplishments in my educational journey was switching my major from kinesiology to sociology with a minor in child development. It has significantly pushed me to fulfill this dream I have had since I was little. For the past few months, I have been battling with what exactly I want to do when I graduate, knowing I want to stay and live in the Bay Area despite how expensive it is. The issue that I continuously face is if I should go right back to school and get a teaching credential (putting me even more into financial hardship) or if I should just find a job that will pay me the living salary to be able to stay here.
At the end of last school year, I was able to witness and hear from teachers of the Oakland Unified School district during their campaign to get better pay. It was insane to hear that the city wasn’t doing their best to pay teachers not only what they are owed but more importantly what they deserve. This strike went on for about a week until an agreement was made. Despite this, it’s still incredibly disheartening to hear and see how much the city of Oakland doesn’t care much about the salaries of people who are taking care of their children, teaching them, creating a safe space for them, helping them throughout their development stages, and ultimately getting them ready for the future. Even though there was an agreement made and the Oakland Unified School District has continued instruction as normal, I believe that teachers are still underappreciated for the essential work they do to build the fundamental building blocks of each student.
The cost of living in the Bay Area has dramatically increased throughout the years. After hearing and seeing multiple teachers’ strikes when living here, I think the goal of encouragement of becoming a teacher and the encouragement necessary to keep pursuing it at this moment has diminished quite a bit. I believe that in the future I still want to continue on my education journey and get a credentialed, then I would love to become a great elementary school teacher. But I think if I were to go back to school and not get a job, it wouldn’t be possible or reasonably to live in the Bay Area anymore. And that is heartbreaking