VOA教育报道2023--More US Minority Teachers Are Quitting

More US Minority Teachers Are Quitting

States are reporting that teachers are leaving their jobs in growing numbers.

In some cases, retirement¹ is highest among teachers from minority groups. One reason is stress from burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another reason, teachers say, is low pay. And another reason teachers give is what they call the introduction of politics in the classroom. But the stress can be worse in schools serving poor communities that have a lot of minority teachers.

Rhonda Hicks is leaving her teaching job in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She said she loved teaching and loved her students. As a Black woman, she took pride in being a role model for minority children.

But growing demands from administrators² over what and how to teach made it harder for her to work. When she retires, she will join a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic teachers in her state who are quitting.

"I enjoy actually teaching, that part I've always enjoyed," said 59-year-old Hicks. "But it's the higher-ups: ‘Do it this way or don't do it at all.'" That, she said, was stressful.

Philadelphia has one of the highest percentages of Blacks in any major U.S. city. But the number of Black teachers has been falling. Twenty years ago, about one-third of teachers were Black. Last fall, that percentage fell to below 23 percent.

The Associated Press reports that about 80 percent of American public school teachers are white. White students, however, are not a majority in public schools. Having teachers who are the race of their students is important, researchers say. The idea is that teachers can provide students with role models who share their culture and life experience.

Retirements³ could affect recent efforts to bring more Black and Hispanic teachers into public schools. New, inexperienced teachers are more likely to quit. Researchers say minority teachers often are affected⁴ disproportionately by layoffs⁶.

Ed Fuller is an education professor at Pennsylvania State University. In a report, he wrote that Black teachers in Pennsylvania were over two times more likely to leave their jobs than white teachers after the 2021-22 school year. The numbers for Hispanic teachers were similar.

"They're in more precarious⁷ teaching positions, meaning you're in a position with less resources and worse working conditions, so you're more likely to quit no matter who you are," Fuller said.

States are reporting different rates of retirement for minority teachers. But Travis Bristol said minority retirement rates have been higher than rates for whites for 20 years. Bristol is an education professor at the University of California-Berkeley. He blamed federal policies from around 20 years ago that began leading to the closure of schools where students repeatedly had low test scores.

In poor schools with large populations of Black and Hispanic children, teachers say they have more responsibilities. They also say they have fewer resources and more children who are troubled by poverty and violence.

Chantle Simpson is a 36-year-old teacher in Texas who quit teaching after 11 years this spring.

She said other minority teachers are leaving because of growing expectations from administrators.

"They believe we can handle more," Simpson said. "So, we get fitted with the children who are more challenging or have more requirements. It's crazy."

That leaves teachers who deal with difficult children less time for the rest of their students who behave better, Simpson said.

Words in This Story

stress –n. a state of mental tension

burnout — n. when a person becomes physically⁸ and emotionally tired from doing a difficult job for a long time

role model — n. a person who children look up to and who they try to imitate

disproportionate — adj. showing a difference that is not in proportion to another set of numbers which causes people to wonder what the cause of the imbalance is

layoff⁵ — n. when workers' employment is ended for reasons beyond their control

professor— n. a teacher of high rank at a college or university

precarious — adj. not safe, strong or sure

 

challenging — adj. difficult

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 retirements   

退休( retirement的名词复数 )； 退职； 退役； 退休的实例

参考例句：

• We've had two retirements in our office this year. 今年我们办公室已有二人退休。
• Those may take the form of sackings redundancies, temporary layoffs or retirements. 这些形式有开除，作为编余人员，暂时解雇或退休。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 layoff   

n.临时解雇，操作停止，活动停止期间，失业期

参考例句：

• Finally, prepare an explanation about what led to your layoff.最后，要准备好一套说辞来解释你被解雇的原因。
• Workers were re-employed after the layoff.在暂时解雇不久后工人们又被再度雇用了。

6 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

7 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

8 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。