Eric Weingartner worked two side jobs in addition to his role as a full-time 4th grade teacher to make ends meet. Chemistry teacher Becky Smith’s monthly paycheck rose just $300 in sixteen years. Aimee Elmquist spent her own money to stock her biology classroom. Mary West was did the same for high school art.
Teachers in Oklahoma have been doing more with less for over a decade now: state funding for schools has decreased over 25 percent in the last 10 years, the state ranks ranks dead last in teacher pay, and almost a quarter of its school districts transitioned to a four-day school week to save money on things like electricity and janitor hours. Earlier this year, 30,000 teachers walked out of their classrooms in an effort to change on that.
“It was this super hopeful environment. We were all down there, we were all together, working for the same thing,” Elmquist says. “The atmosphere was good; we felt like we had a lot of support.”
After nine days, the Oklahoma Education Association, the largest teacher’s organization in the state, called off the walkout and teachers returned to their classrooms without additional funding or raises. And now we’ve learned something else: Maybe it’s time to leave the classroom, for good.
“It wasn't until the day they announced that the walkout ended without teacher input that I knew. We have to leave,” says Sierra Thompson, a 9th grade teacher in Tulsa. “It was actually the next day that I started applying for jobs.”
VICE News spoke to 18 teachers who are closing their classroom doors one last time.
23 Comments
vilMake America great...
b4rringt0n*quality and *promote
It was very moving listening to these teachers.
I lived with two newly qualified teachers in a house share a few years ago. Both of them were already thinking of leaving after only one year because of similar issues here in the UK. Low pay combined with incredible pressure to perform, discipline students, growing classrooms and zero support.
It's sad that we seem to prioritize entertainment, sports and fame (to name but a few) instead of education which is the light of civilization.
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newtboyPublic school should not start this year until the teachers are paid reasonably, and classrooms funded. None of them. Just don't show up teachers, they can't fire all of you....they can't afford to fire any of you.
When China is poaching our teachers and paying them fully 3 times what they make in America, we failed.
Trump's education policy so far has been "Screw em, most public school teachers are liberals".
No surprise he doesn't value public education, his base are the uneducated. Cutting education makes him more voters.
We're hosed, start learning Mandarin or Russian if you want a job in 10 years.
C-noteThere are people who spend vast sums of money sending their children to private schools in america. To some from their perspective they feel as if they are having to pay the cost multiple times over. Once when they write the check for their child's tuition and a second time when they pay taxes on their properties. But most don't even know how much the tuition cost because their accountants handle the disbursement.
newtboyIn Houston in the 70's, my parents paid vast (for then) sums of money to send me to private prep schools. They never complained about also paying taxes for public schools until they sent me to public school in 4-5th grade and saw what their money was buying....low quality daycare with no education. Sadly, like many, their reaction was not to think they needed to pay more taxes to achieve better results, it was to think they should pay less because the results were so bad.
Public school in California was slightly better, but here I went to schools in Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto, incredibly rich school districts that got millions from alumni yearly. Other nearby public schools offered much lower quality education (if any).
There are people who spend vast sums of money sending their children to private schools in america. To some from their perspective they feel as if they are having to pay the cost multiple times over. Once when they write the check for their child's tuition and a second time when they pay taxes on their properties. But most don't even know how much the tuition cost because their accountants handle the disbursement.
Drachen_Jagersays...This is how you build an electorate that will vote Republican.
StukaFoxsays...Let's reverse the budgets of the DoD and the DoE -- let the generals hold a bake sale to buy another B1 bomber.
lurgeeI wish I could qualty that. I deal with office furniture in various government and government subcontractor buildings in the DC and northern Virginia area. I have seen so much wasted tax dollars. It's insane.
Let's reverse the budgets of the DoD and the DoE -- let the generals hold a bake sale to buy another B1 bomber.
wtfcaniuseOne of my teacher's had a poster of that.
"It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber"
- Robert Fulghum
On a side note, they teach dance at school?
Let's reverse the budgets of the DoD and the DoE -- let the generals hold a bake sale to buy another B1 bomber.
bobknight33State government funding other more needy projects constantly neglecting teachers.
Trump slashing policies which create 200K/ jobs month giving these people choice. MEGA 2020
Make America great...
bobknight33If it were not for Trump these teachers you not have the choice to get another / better job..
This is how you build an electorate that will vote Republican.
bobknight33In general are California schools good? Are they under paid also?
In Houston in the 70's, my parents paid vast (for then) sums of money to send me to private prep schools. They never complained about also paying taxes for public schools until they sent me to public school in 4-5th grade and saw what their money was buying....low quality daycare with no education. Sadly, like many, their reaction was not to think they needed to pay more taxes to achieve better results, it was to think they should pay less because the results were so bad.
Public school in California was slightly better, but here I went to schools in Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto, incredibly rich school districts that got millions from alumni yearly. Other nearby public schools offered much lower quality education (if any).
wtfcaniuseLol, you're such a terrible troll.
If it were not for Trump these teachers you not have the choice to get another / better job..
bobknight33Nope.
Lol, you're such a terrible troll.
newtboyHit and miss, but generally they're under funded.
In general are California schools good? Are they under paid also?
newtboy....in China.
If it were not for Trump these teachers you not have the choice to get another / better job..
ant*money
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Mystic95Zsays...Teacher pay is abhorrent considering the amount of education/cost they have to have to be a teacher (masters deg).
Mystic95Zsays...Your a fucking moron... Nuff said.
If it were not for Trump these teachers you not have the choice to get another / better job..
newtboyPlease refrain from purely personal attacks, no matter how tempting it is to make them.
Also...best to get your English correct when deriding someone's intelligence....should be you're.
Your a fucking moron... Nuff said.
eoesays...It's a conflict of interest.
Why help fund an education that would provide people with tools to realize how much you're fucking them?
That's like asking someone on the other side of a river who stole your money for money to build a bridge.
They'd be insane if they didn't laugh them out of the capital.
This is how you build an electorate that will vote Republican.
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