ANYONE involved in education whether it be a pastor, conference educational superintendent, college placement official, or a college teacher, is painfully aware of the problems involved in finding enough teachers to supply the demand for operating the denomination's elementary schools. The attrition rate and the turnover in elementary education in the Seventh-day Adventist parochial schools seem very high.
Often in attempting to reach a solution to problems of this nature much conjecture is advanced regarding the solution without benefit of research. Therefore, the writer attempted to discover why teachers leave the profession by asking teachers who were actively engaged in teaching in a Seventh-day Adventist parochial elementary school.
The purpose of the survey was to help improve the profession of teaching. A survey was submitted to 298 teachers in four union conferences, at teachers' conventions. Inasmuch as the informants remained anonymous, they had freedom of expression.
The Survey Sheet
The survey sheet consisted of eight statements on educational background, experience, and teacher certification that could be answered by checking or circling the correct response. This was followed by thirty-one positive statements, which the respondents were asked to evaluate as very important or not important. Following this the teachers were asked to respond to the following open-ended questions: (1) "In my opinion, the greatest single reason teachers leave the profession is . . ." (2) "My greatest problem connected with teaching is . . ."
It was hypothesized that when the respondents marked an item they would be projecting their own problems in the response. The responses to the open-ended questions when compared with the responses to the thirty-one positive statements substantiated this hypothesis. The responses to the survey were punched on cards and tabulated by the computer. The chi square statistical technique was used to evaluate the probability that any sample distribution differs from the distribution of census, or other rational information, by more than would be expected from sampling fluctuation. In this research significant findings are reported at the .01 level of significance with two degrees of freedom.
Education and Term of Service
Of the teachers who responded, two thirds were female. Regarding their education, 44 percent had a Bachelor's degree; 20 percent had gone beyond a Bachelor's degree with five or six years of college; 34 percent did not have a degree; and 5 percent did not respond to the question. In terms of service 27 percent had never taught more than five years in a school, yet 25 percent had stayed at least twelve years in one school. Thirty percent of the respondents had taught sixteen years or more yet had moved considerably. Of those who had taught sixteen years or more, 31percent had less than four years of college. The fact that the largest concentration of teachers was those with one year or less of teaching experience indicated a large turn over in personnel.
The Ten Most Significant Factors
Below is a listing of the ten most significant factors that the respondents believe cause teachers to leave the profession. They are listed in order of importance. All of them were at the .01 level of significance and represent the top third as selected by 60 percent or more of the respondents.
Table I
1. Work load too heavy (lack of time).
2. The factor of salary.
3. Lack of dedication or commitment.
4. Marriage and family responsibilities.
5. Other jobs or positions more favorable.
6. Lack of support by parents.
7. Lack of support by school board.
8. Criticism by patrons.
9. Husband or wife moves.
10. Frustration or nervous exhaustion.
By way of contrast, the following represent the reasons of least importance. The research also pointed out the areas which at least 44 percent of the respondents thought were only slightly important causes of teachers leaving the profession. These represent the bottom third of the responses and are listed in rank order.
Table II
1. Isolation from shopping center.
2. Certification requirements too high.
3. Grades and grading.
4. Lack of attention by superintendent.
5. Superintendent's lack of training.
6. Not enough supervision.
7. Expectations of church and/or community too high.
8. Isolation from friends.
9. Poor living conditions.
Analysis of Tables I and II
A study of the implications of the items in tables I and II along with the information gleaned from the open-end questions gives one cause for some very serious thinking.
Contrary to some speculation from the past, it is neither isolation, poor living conditions, high certification requirements, lack of supervision, nor expectations of the community that are the major problems causing teachers to leave the profession.
Work Load and Lack of Time
The biggest factor was the work load and lack of time the sheer frustration of not being able to do all the things that need to be done. One might suggest that this comes from lack of planning and organization. However, anyone knowledge able regarding the demands upon teachers and the increase in knowledge during the past decade must admit that this is not the real factor. True, policy says the teacher should teach a maximum of six grades but the writer knows this policy is not adhered to in many instances. Along with this the teacher may be expected to teach a Sabbath school class and organize the Junior MV Society and prepare the students for Investiture. In some cases the teacher may be further involved with the Path finder organization, and of course will be expected to spend several nights caroling each week during the Ingathering season, as well as providing a Christmas program for the patrons in many instances. Yes, some of us know from experience! Is it any wonder that frustration and exhaustion are correlated?
Salary
The second most important reason for teachers leaving the profession was the factor of salary. In the past decade a great deal has been done to alleviate the disparity in salary. We are nearing the day when there will be a single salary schedule for men and women, which seems to be a real step forward on the part of school administrators and patrons. However, unless the present wage scale is changed or a teacher goes into school administration, no teacher in the denomination's elementary or secondary schools will ever be able to draw one hundred percent, regardless of their advanced training. This situation is hard to comprehend in view of such statements from inspiration, such as: "There is no more important work that can be done" (Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 267); "sacredness of his calling" (Counsels to Parents and Teachers, p. 229); "most delicate work ever entrusted to mortals" (ibid., p. 264); "the nicest work ever assumed by men and women" (Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 131); "noblest missionary work that any man . . . can undertake" (Counsels to Parents and Teachers, p. 168); "does a high and noble work" (ibid., p. 24). After reading these and many other similar passages is it not logical that teachers should wonder? Can teachers be condemned for feeling other jobs or positions are more favorable, especially when it happens, as it did recently, that a depart mental secretary attempted to lure personnel working in an educational institution to a position in a conference office by suggesting that the person would "feel more in the work" by accepting the call?
Lack of Dedication and Commitment
It is very difficult for one who has spent more than thirty years in teaching and other phases of educational work to comprehend the full impact of item three Lack of dedication and commitment. Yet when one sees the large number of teachers not teaching in our own denominational schools, especially around our large centers; when one receives calls for students to enter teaching from an area where the denomination has more colleges with larger enrollments in education and teaching whose students are not entering the work, he again wonders, Can it be true?
Lack of Support
The next three items Lack of support by school board, lack of support by parents, and criticism by patrons seem to be closely related. Although these three were not top rated, the fact that all three items received considerable support indicates that lack of support and criticism are among the major causes for teachers to leave denominational employment. Alleviating these problems should be a challenge to parents, patrons, school boards, and pastors. To pastors in particular, because they usually are the chairmen of boards and their attitudes should set the standards for the church and school. Perhaps it would not be amiss to state that 55 percent of the respondents cited lack of support by the pastor as a reason for teachers leaving the profession. Without belaboring the issue unduly, it may be stated that criticism and lack of support by patrons and school boards create situations in some areas that make it very difficult to secure teachers for certain schools.
Attitudes Expressed by Teachers on Problems Considered Important
The way teachers see themselves in relation to the human interrelationships of the church and community appears to be significant as a reason for leaving the profession.
While there are slight differences in the response from the four union conferences in which the study was made, some definite trends were established. Criticism by parents was a significant factor in all unions as expressed by two thirds of the respondents. The next problem was their status as they perceived themselves as seen by their constituencies. Of the entire group responding to the survey, 54 percent felt that how the church members regarded their status was a factor in teachers leaving the profession.
Forty percent of the entire sampling thought that teaching was not commensurate with other denominational positions, and 36 percent thought the church or the community expected too much from them. The study points up the feeling that a significant number of teachers do not see the teaching profession as the "nicest work," and suggest some of the reasons why they feel this way.
What Can Be Done About It?
The multiplicity and interrelatedness of factors causing teachers to leave the profession compound possible solutions. How ever, this should stimulate and challenge the denomination to seek workable solutions.
We suggest:
1. That our institutions that train teachers screen more carefully those persons seeking to become teachers.
2. That our institutions prepare potential teachers better in the area of human relations in order that they may have a clearer picture of the frustrations and problems of teaching so they will be less apt to leave the profession.
3. That our institutions of teacher training provide more actual experience by direct field contact.
4. That our ministerial training curriculums emphasize the necessity of professional relations between teachers and the ministry, ever seeking new and better ways to emphasize the principle that any position in God's work requires dedication. "The same devotion, the same consecration, the same subjection to the claims of the word of God, that were manifest in Christ, must be seen in His servants." Gospel Workers, p. 111.
5. That leadership must work with school boards to find ways and means to eliminate the multitudinous, nontechnical duties a teacher is called upon to perform. And give the professional teacher an opportunity to teach, that is, teacher aids and clerical help for record keeping and other nonprofessional duties.
6. That the denominational organization continue to progress toward a single salary schedule including equal benefits for all professionally trained teachers.
7. That the local conferences reaffirm and implement the plan of hiring teachers by the conference committee as stated by the General Conference Working Policy (rev. 1966), pages 104, 105.
8. That we encourage our pastors, as leaders of our churches, to work toward establishing positive attitudes toward Christian education and educators, rather than exhibiting the lack of support and criticism that teachers cite as a significant reason for leaving the profession.
9. That throughout the world organization emphasis be placed upon the concept that teaching is a "high and noble work," one that is a lifework, not a steppingstone to other positions considered higher by some individuals.
10. That last, but not least, we encourage, advise, and train more able young people to dedicate their lives to the teaching profession, and encourage them to be known as teachers sent from God.
