EDUCATION REPORT - Teachers in America

EDUCATION REPORT - Teachers in America
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, August 19, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.

Experts say the United States will need more than two million new teachers in the next ten years. More than one million public school teachers are close to retirement¹. So schools will have to do more to get people to become teachers.

The National Education Association² says the shortage³ of teachers from racial and ethnic⁴ minorities is especially great. The N.E.A. is the largest teachers union in the country.

The government last counted teachers in two thousand. It found that eighty-four percent were white, compared to sixty-one percent of students.

African Americans were about seventeen percent of the children in public schools. This was true of less than eight percent of the teachers. And Hispanics represented about sixteen percent of the students but less than six percent of the teachers.

There has been some change in these numbers. In all, sixteen percent of teachers are minorities. But this is true of twenty-one percent of new teachers.

Many people, however, say they do not enter teaching⁵ because it gets less respect than other professions. Only about ten percent of teachers in the lower grades are male, compared to nearly fifty percent in the upper grades. Also, demand for minority college graduates means these job seekers can often get other work that pays more.

Teachers must have at least a bachelor's degree. In some areas, they must earn a master's degree within a few years to keep their jobs. But keeping new teachers can be difficult. About twenty percent leave the profession within three years. In cities, close to fifty percent leave in the first five years.

Teachers say they are not paid enough for all of the duties and responsibilities they have. Many take work home with them during the school year and vacations. Many also take classes to increase their knowledge and skills. And many say they do not get enough help from more experienced⁶ teachers or support from school officials.

The N.E.A. says teachers spend an average of more than four hundred dollars of their own money each year on classroom materials. Some do it because they want to; others might have little choice. Yet the union reported a year ago that a majority of teachers said they would return to the profession if they had it all to do again.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Gwen Outen.

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 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

3 shortage   

n.缺少，缺乏，不足

参考例句：

• The city is suffering a desperate shortage of water.这个城市严重缺水。
• The heart of the problem is a shortage of funds.问题的关键是缺乏经费。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

6 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。