Want to know why teachers are leaving the profession? Ask one

Teachers are leaving in record numbers and standards are falling in some key subjects. But behind it all is a bigger problem, writes Keith Woods.

We all learn, early on in primary school, that’s it’s important to show respect and listen to teachers.

It’s a lesson adults could do with too if we want to stop the haemorrhaging of talent from this vital profession.

As reported in News Corp titles on Monday, over the past 10 years teaching enrolments have plummeted by 16 per cent and up to half desert the profession in the first five years on the job.

A Question on Notice asked by Theodore MP Mark Boothman last year revealed that in 2021, a record 362 Queensland teachers quit after three years or less with the Department of Education. In 2015 the equivalent figure was 139.

Theodore MP Mark Boothman at a hearing in parliament. Picture: David Clark.

Mr Boothman asked a follow-up question in an Education, Employment and Training Committee meeting in November, and received another startling response.

“Has the department done a review into why these teachers are leaving within

the first three years?,” Mr Boothman asked.

“Is there some quantitative evidence or discussions between department heads and teachers about why they are leaving so early in their profession?”

In response, Department of Education officials told Mr Boothman that they were not aware of any such measures.

In other words, teachers are leaving, and nobody from the Department is asking them why.

Academics at Melbourne’s Monash University have been asking around, however, and found some interesting answers.

A survey by the university of almost 5500 teachers found a staggering 70 per cent believed that the public did not respect them.

This hints at another great problem.

While few seem interested in talking to hard-pressed teachers about the challenges they face, there is no shortage of keyboard warriors willing to tell them how to do their job.

They were out in force in the online comments section of our story on Monday, declaring that educational standards are falling because educators were too busy pushing a so-called “woke” agenda on children rather than teaching.

This is not only complete and utter nonsense, but insulting to the dedication and hard work of Queensland teachers.

This columnist has spoken to many, many teachers and school leaders. Their dedication to their students and to learning outcomes is extraordinarily obvious. None has ever mentioned anything to do with so-called “woke” causes.

Any suggestion this is their priority is just mindless drivel from people who have no idea what it is like to stand in front of a classroom.

Pressure on teachers is greater than ever.

That Monash study also points to another problem. Teachers are too often working alone.

With stressed parents pulling ever longer hours to pay ever higher bills, they appear to be paying less attention to childrens’ schoolwork.

Frequently, that vital half hour helping with homework in the evening is not happening. Emails from schools are not being read. Time is not being found for parent teacher interviews.

It’s a sad truth that in some cases, the only time teachers hear from certain parents is when something goes wrong. In the worst cases, that contact is via defamatory remarks on social media.

In another sign of the times, as this newspaper reported last week, sometimes children are even arriving at school hungry, with teachers dipping into their own pockets to help them.

These modern world pressures are surely also part of the reason results in maths and science are falling, yet many people seek to sheet the blame entirely on teachers giving every ounce of their energy to make things better.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare told News Corp he was stunned to learn the burnout rate of teachers.

“One of the things that’s blown my mind is that 30 to 50 per cent of teachers quit in the first five years,” he said.

“Now some teachers are telling their kids don’t become a teacher when we need them more than ever.

“That’s scary. That tells you we’ve got a crisis and we’ve got to turn it around.”

Mr Clare said he was examining high-performing schools to discover the “secret sauce”.

“What’s the magic? What’s the secret sauce that you can find in some schools, that we can identify and make sure that we roll out into other schools,” he said.

This column has a fair idea how he will find it.

Ask a teacher.

Follow @keithjwoods