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Administrator’s Corner by Tyler Johnson

Most people would agree that successful and thriving communities have successful and thriving educational systems. We are lucky to have both of those here in Albert Lea. On a typical day here at Southwest a teacher teaches five classes. Teachers have a supervision hour where they supervise students without teaching a class, such as supervising student lunches or supervising our homework help in the mornings. They also have a smaller advisory class they see twice a day to help build relationships and work on social and emotional skills, and they also have a prep hour to grade and get materials prepared for the next day’s class. This isn’t anything new; in fact this is how a typical secondary school has operated for decades.

What is new is the worker shortage. The worker shortage exists in almost every industry. Fortunately, we started the year fully staffed at Southwest, but we are definitely noticing less and less applicants each year for open positions and more out of field placements. This is when teachers are asked to teach a subject they are not licensed to teach. A general education teacher here at Southwest will normally see around 125 students every day — each student with their own personality and learning style.  Not only is the teacher expected to teach their content to each of those students, they could also have 25 students they see everyday on an individualized education plan and 504s. Each of these plans have their own modifications and accommodations the teacher needs to legally follow. That same teacher might have several students with their own individualized health plan and would have to know what symptoms to look for and what to do in the case of a health emergency. These plans are designed to help optimize the learning for the individual student and qualified teachers are taught about these laws, accommodations and modifications while going through school and teacher preparatory programs.   

Most professionals need to complete some schooling and/or training in order to become a professional. A master journeyman plumber, for example, goes to trade school and also has many hours of on the job training before becoming a master journeyman. Professional, qualified teachers are trained in classroom management strategies, take pedagogy exams in their content area and have to complete a semester or full year of training before becoming a teacher. Unfortunately, according to an article posted this year in Education Week, between the 2008-09 and the 2018-19 academic years, the number of people completing a teacher-education program declined by almost one third.

What can be done? The easiest answer is we need to continue to show support for all of our teachers (and educational staff) here at District 241. Our teachers (and staff) have done an exceptional job navigating through the pandemic, and we need them now more than ever as we try to help our students navigate through our current post-pandemic world. I’ve said it before in an Admin Corner article, and I will say it again. I truly believe in the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I personally believe this couldn’t be more true than it is today. Although being a teacher today can be extremely challenging, it is also still one of the most rewarding professions one can enter. By continuing to partner with our families and community groups, we can all help make sure we achieve our district mission of ensuring individual academic, social and emotional growth that leads to engaged citizens and lifelong learners.  

 Tyler Johnson is principal of Southwest Middle School.