The National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers’ union, recently published a survey where 28 percent of educators said the coronavirus had made them more likely to leave teaching or retire early. 

Among the poll respondents, 55 percent of veteran teachers with more than 30 years of experience said they were now considering leaving the profession, which is a lot of expertise and mentorship lost that is crucial to sustaining quality instruction. States are posting large numbers of teachers submitting their retirement papers. 

For instance, Illinois shared that from July through September, 566 teachers from across the state retired, a 45% increase from the same period in 2019.

 Teachers Retirement Association of Minnesota shows applications for retirement benefits increased by 35 percent in August and September of this year compared to the same period last year. 

What is also surprising from the NEA survey was the impact the coronavirus has had on younger teachers. 20 percent of teachers with less than 10 years of experience were also considering a career switch. You would think that with the implementation of technology and growing up with the internet, these new teachers would thrive and enjoy using modern tools and gadgets to redesign the classroom environment.

I sat down with Blair Husted, a colleague of mine who was a teacher for five years before becoming the Director of School Success at Student Success Agency, to get her perspective. Blair also works with new teachers as a coach for Teach For America, so I know her insight would be helpful for me to understand the challenges that young teachers are facing in our schools. In the media and on every other webinar, the phrase ‘new normal’ is often used to talk about our current situation.