In this episode, I chat with Bethany Hill, an educator for 24 years. She has taught grades kindergarten, first, second and third grades, has been an instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. Bethany currently serves as a retention and recruitment specialist for an education service cooperative and supports novice teachers in 26 school districts. She also promotes social emotional learning through facilitating learning experiences centered around trauma sensitive practices and the implementation of working dogs in schools. She is the handler for an educational assistance dog who visits schools with her.

During our conversation, we focused on the misnomer that is the “teacher shortage.” Bethany pointed out that not only are there a large number of people transitioning into teaching but that there are also a large number of teachers who have chosen to work outside of their certification. The teachers, as individuals, didn’t disappear, but instead they have made a choice to stop working and we should be inquiring as to why. Bethany stresses that we should shift our focus from recruiting new talent to retaining those who are already in our buildings. How? Yes, money is one factor but there are also plenty of others.

Ready to hear some more on how we can get teachers back into their classrooms? Let’s go.