In this episode of The S Word, seniors Thea Krische and Yamini Shekhar join juniors Alex Moses and Hazel Reddy to discuss their shared dream of becoming teachers. In a time of frequent teacher turnover at McCallum and across the nation, the Knights shared their worries about the current state of the education system, from elementary to high school and from math to music classes.

“A lot of the best teachers at McCallum have left to pursue other jobs either because they couldn’t afford basic expenses, or it was just too stressful,” said Krische, who will attend Indiana University to study music education in the fall. “As a future educator, that is something that worries me that I’ll definitely have to deal with and kind of just, unfortunately, accept as a hazard of the job. But I do hope that things can get better, or else, I don’t know how long you can stay a teacher before you burn out.”

While Shekhar always loved teaching, happily helping friends with homework every chance she got, working at the YMCA child watch inspired her to become a teacher for real. For Shekhar, her intense passion for teaching outweighed concerns about money. She has committed to UT Austin to study early childhood education.

“I did not think much about money; I want to be a teacher, and I don’t care how much I get paid because this is my passion,” Shekhar said.  

Moses felt a similar calling toward early childhood education. Issues like book bans and discussions of increased parental control over classroom curriculum, however, make her worried about the future of education.

“At the moment, all the arguments on what we are and are not allowed to say in school, what books our kids should be reading, everything just seems to be taken away from educators and brought to people who might not understand the impact of their decisions,” Moses said.

Reddy, who is interested in teaching high school or upper elementary math or art, shares Moses’ concerns.

“I think if parents are too involved in what’s being taught schools are going to have one singular perspective,” Reddy said. “If people don’t have representation, or if people feel discriminated against in school, that’s a problem for people’s lives and mental health, like that’s super scary.”

Out of the classroom, Reddy has concerns about raising a family on a teacher’s salary. In order to fulfill her dreams of becoming a teacher, Reddy worries that she might have to move to a state that better aligns with her beliefs.

“I know that’s not a luxury that is available to everybody and I don’t know if it will be available to me,” Reddy said. “If you want to be a teacher a certain way, you just have to find a state that lets you.”

When Moses speaks with teachers about her interest in a career in education, she can tell they are worried for her. Moses said she feels lucky to have teachers who are willing to talk about the struggles they face. 

“I hope that I can be as brave as my teachers sharing their experiences and what they think about our system of education in America,” Moses said.

Despite all the issues teachers face, these Knights’ hearts are in the classroom. Krische hopes that becoming a teacher will allow her to make a difference in the world.

“When you educate the world’s youth, the next generation, that’s a pretty major thing because those are the kids that are going to rebuild the world,” Krische said. “It’s just something that I love, despite the many challenges, and I think it’ll be worth it.”

This story was originally published on The Shield Online on May 13, 2023.