Rural America Is Running Out Of Teachers (HBO)

On a recent cold Sunday morning, 13 college students arrived here for an unusual Spring Break: a weeklong date to get to know one of the countless rural towns struggling to attract teachers.
The trip was part of a feeder program, of sorts, created at Montana State University to address the state's education crisis: Nearly half of all Montana schools now employ teachers who aren’t certified, and almost all of those schools are in rural areas.
“Even 10 years ago, they were still pulling in people, getting applications, being more selective about who we can hire,” said Dr. Tena Versland, a professor at Montana State University who helped found the program two years ago. “Now it’s 'Just find someone.'”
The root of the problem is a decades-long inability to hold onto young people, who've been leaving small towns for bigger cities and never coming back. The shift is especially pronounced in the Midwest, where 85% of rural counties are shrinking.
Shelby, a town with about 700 families, one K-12 school, and a small main street that runs only a few blocks, has tried everything to fill the vacancies that pop up almost every year, with little success. So they weren’t about to let this opportunity of courting 13 aspiring teachers go to waste.
VICE News Tonight was there for the entire week, watching the town roll out the red carpet for the college students.
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[@VICENews]

Shelby, a town with about 700 families, one K-12 school, and a small main street that runs only a few blocks, has tried everything to fill the vacancies that pop up almost every year, with little success. WATCH NEXT: We Talked To 18 Teachers In Oklahoma Calling It Quits - bit.ly/2kW2ro4

[@lga9436]

VICE News I'd like to work there. As a Filipino, there's a big competition for employement, in my country. I'd like to move there with my partner permenantly. These kinds of town are a hidden gems, and comparing the salary, US is much better. For the long-term. They could just continue hiring Filipino teachers there to work, after 4 years, hire a new batch of Filipino teachers. And I feel like, we don't need to be treated as superstars. All we ask is to be respected and one of the perks they could give, is accomodation.

[@feefee5163]

@@lga9436 God Bless u in all ur endeavors.

[@dennycrane4261]

I can be a teacher there, I'm fully bilingual...... just request me from Mexico and I'm all in!!!!

[@unselfme]

Unfortunately, the solution to rural teaching are: a) short-term contracts (2-3 yrs) with possibility of extension (give teachers the freedom to move) b) provide free-accommodation for teachers (easier to save money for the future) - teacher housing allowances c) "bonus" for years of service (financial rewards) or wipe out X amount of debt per y amount of years d) twining with big-city schools where teachers get to rotate (big city teachers spend time in rural areas, vice versa) it needs to be a multi-pronged approach. Teacher rotation is not ideal, but it is the only solution for rural communities. Another niche market are teachers later in their careers, nearer retirement, may wish to retire to a small town, low behaviour issues, with low tax where their money would go far. The hiring of foreign nationals is a solution tried out in the UK, and it works to a certain extend, depending on visa-requirements. US could create a special visa for Teachers. But in this climate, difficult to see that happening.

[@claireconover]

Gab Speed no, hiring new teachers every 4 years is not good. a family’s most precious possession is it’s kids and a revolving door is inevitably going to let in the wrong people. the safest thing a school can do for it’s kids is find a good teacher and keep them indefinitely.

[@pacoramirez7363]

Small towns: “If teachers don’t like the pay they can get a different job” Teachers: *Get different jobs Small towns: ...

[@agentxsmithx826]

LMAO IKR!

[@pacoramirez7363]

@@cstuartdc The problem is that school funding is heavily local, and and lot of school districts don't have many particularly rich people to tax to begin with. The ones that do are mostly doing alright. In most of these small towns it isn't regular people voting for tax breaks for the rich, it's regular people voting for tax breaks for themselves in a place where regular people are the only taxpayers. Just another reason out of many why property taxes are a terrible way to fund local services.

[@jessicaxhanning2111]

Amen. I still haven't used my teaching degree :( cant afford too

[@mr16325]

@@cstuartdc yeah what are you talking about. Red states like mine don’t have different tax breaks than any democrat state, they are nearly identical. We don’t even have many rich people to tax. Also, schools are funded locally, which don’t have tax breajs

[@JK-gu3tl]

At this point, those small towns need to adopt online education as a model.

[@iammrbeat]

Oh! Oh! I got an idea. PAY THE TEACHERS MORE.

[@jameshartley7345]

Omg Mr.Beat I love your States vs states videos

[@turkenlegoflims]

Love your videos and I agree completely! Although it’s nice to see they can help the Filipino teachers, it’s only temporary. The only real solution is to increase teacher pay. They’ll have to figure it out one way or another!

[@sunnycopper9653]

No! No! Trump's gotta pay his billionaire friends more!

[@BloodyRomance1313]

Depending on state: but in general the area around the school funds it. These people's taxes might not have enough to afford this.

[@jreifsnyder2225]

and where does that money come from,does it grow on trees? or is it paid by the property owners who can't fix their roofs because the taxes are too high.

[@PriusRaj]

Literally no one my age wants to be a teacher, BECAUSE OUR TEACHERS HAD TO WORK THREE JOBS. You have a teacher shortage because you fkn won't pay them.

[@OhFlamePrincess]

Ikr. I know I'd love being a teacher, but I had to trade it in for a different career path that can guarantee me just a bit more.

[@LittleOldDodges]

That requirement for a degree is a major setback for access to teachers. Especially considering a perceived erosion in value of education while costs increase has seen college attendance drop. The costs go up, graduation is increasingly linked to classes not related to the major or even minor, and it has increasingly made a situation where these universities are a stunningly lower value than work experience outside of a few tight fields. The other big problem with their having obtained a four year degree is the perception that a rural school with low property values should be able to afford paying them a wage inline with private companies, without taking into account those private companies require hundreds more hours a year for that pay or how experience can be vastly more valuable than education. One could say they really fail to educate future educators.

[@cabayern9416]

Not to mention it would be horrendous to live here.

[@lh9591]

Yeah my hs social studies teacher had a job at Home Depot, my math teacher had a job at Applebee’s, my art teacher was in grad school and lived at home. It was a lower middle class community. It’s expensive.

[@lockergr]

Working 14 hours a day and getting paid nothing was my reality as a teacher. So I quit.

[@nmarms]

$35,000 salary? You'd better throw in a loan forgiveness program if they agree to teach for a few years. Three or four years would be fair.

[@jathebest2835]

What do you mean? The pay is not enough for most Americans?

[@abdiganiaden]

@@jathebest2835 No, its essentially poverty.

[@UserName-ts3sp]

@@jathebest2835 yeah $35,000 a year is pretty low. especially if you’re trying to raise a family on 35k

[@user-tj7sh8wx1x]

If you reconsolidate with an Income-Driven Repayment plan, Federal student loans are forgiven after 10 years, for individuals who have a public-service job (teachers, firefighters, nurses, etc.) with no gap in their public-service employment record + 20% of their monthly income. Combine that with federal taxes, paying for school supplies out-of-pocket, etc... Teachers are taking home less than $20,000 a year. If you're bright and value education... You can probably educate yourself for an in-demand field that'd pay $80,000 annually, instead of making poverty wages at a thankless job in the middle of nowhere.

[@crazyt3185]

Nope...just the pay...oh but if you can catch a ball we give you millions.

[@madeconomist458]

"Running out of teachers" Have you tried paying them?

[@saberur66]

these towns have 700 families, and I doubt these families are living above middle-medium income wage income level. its almost impossible for them to have the funds to support a school system, let alone have competitive pay to entice teachers.

[@eligio7907]

@@saberur66 not true California could fund about half of the country if they could but the Fed Goverment has some weird hatred to us, so they use our funds for the Military or Corporations. I would not mind giving funds to these rural areas every American should help every state but CA should not be hated for wanting to help

[@Da_padilla]

@@moose2159 at least right!

[@RockBandRS]

@@saberur66 We could put more federal funds into education. There is a way to fix it, but education doesn't seem to be that big a priority to a decent amount of people.

[@jzk2020]

Their budget is attached to the property taxes... erhm, what sort of money do you think 700 families pay in property taxes with houses worth $150,000? That's like $1 million per year. Let's say you have 12 classes x 2 that's 24 full time teachers. If the teachers got all of that $1 mil. they'd be getting $41k each... after taxes maybe $35k. And we haven't counted supplying the school with books, computers, chairs, cleaning the school, heating the school, janitors, the headmaster's salary LOL. They are CLEARLY under-paid because the money isn't there mate.

[@Llynnyia]

Its not just Paying Teachers enough its FUNDING the schools enough to complete the school year, to have books enough for all students , to have supplies that the Teacher doesnt have to buy out of pocket!

[@crucisnh]

And the reality is that if the school district's budget is really tight, if they give teachers raises, they may not have the new revenues to pay for those raises, and the money for the raises might come out of those other line items in the school district's budget, i.e. infrastructure, books, other supplies, etc.

[@runningfromabear8354]

@@crucisnh Which goes back to the US attaching education to property taxes. It's a mistake.

[@ScSiDiamonds]

Just bought a case of paper out of my own pocket....how do you run out of paper?

[@johnsmith6974]

Why are we still using books? In an age where knowledge is being updated constantly, a book is a pointless educational tool. Lol I've had books in my ac/DC class that stated in the damn book that "before the ink dries this will be outdated" seriously books? Books are for museums and cute collections

[@johnsmith6974]

Also welcome to the real world. You know how many tradesmen have to buy their own tools? Lol I laugh when I hear teachers whine avout buying their own tools. News flash! Everyone else does. Next maybe if the school budget was transparent, we could see what's happening. Seriously, tax payers hope the money goes to something worth wild. Most of it goes to increasing the size of staff to do pointless tasks. Again stop demanding more money. Demand to see where the money is.

[@erzan]

At 10 I wanted to be a Teacher. At 12 I saw my Teachers unable to afford a house. At 14 I wanted to become a Lawyer.

[@IanMcD204]

@@Jj-gi2uv Teachers sometimes deal with similar debt for their education but have almost zero income mobility compared to a private sector lawyer

[@jansa940]

Not all Lawyers make good money. In Fact in New Jersey, you have OVER 10,000 public school teachers making $100,000 to $152,000 a year (working only 180 days a year). I know plenty of attorney's that work insane hours (working 255 days or more a year) AND they make way less than $100,000 a year (even ones in their 30s).

[@IanMcD204]

@@jansa940 Right there are exceptions to every rule. If you are a public defender you're going to have a hard time saving for retirement, and not all teachers make low salaries- but in general, private sector lawyers make significantly more than teachers.

[@theroadtocosplayandcomicco5840]

At 10 I wanted to design video games At age 12 I still wanted to design video games At age 15 I wanted to become a special education teacher

[@em-st2kq]

The Road to Cosplay and Comic Con good for you ! hope you achieve your goal

[@jd0614]

no one wants to be a teacher where you get less than 60k a year and still have to pay for supplies in class. FK THAT

[@shadybanana6553]

also student loans

[@xStarstargirlx]

Ikr. Public schools should be supplying classroom supplies. I went to a relatively good public school and yet I had teachers making it a "requirement" for students to buy some classroom supplies (not course materials like notebooks, but supplies for class use only like tissues, hand sanitizers, etc.). It must have been a bit humiliating for teachers to have to beg for supplies basically (and when I was a kid, I always thought it was weird for teachers asking ME to get the supplies when the schools could get them).

[@marcmeinzer8859]

That’s precisely what I did including saying F**K that.

[@tsalon5864]

Universities in the USA are expensive. Student loans can never be forgiven. Nobody with a lot of student loan debt is going to get excited about making 35,000 a year when you can pick another speciality that is making 2 or 3 times that amount.

[@crucisnh]

T Salon, that $35k might be worth a lot more than $70k in a place where the cost of living is vastly higher. It's pretty ignorant to just look at the size of the salary without also considering the cost of living, the cost of housing, and so on. Out in the woods, it might be possible to own a house and live a pretty good life on a seeming smallish salary, where OTOH, you might have trouble finding a decent apartment in urban California while making twice as much. You have to look at the entire picture, not just a small part of it that's out of context.

[@tsalon5864]

crucisnh BS! Universities are expensive everywhere. $35K is not a lot of money anywhere when you have USA college debt, etc. If minimum wage had kept up with inflation and productivity growth, it would be $21 an hour.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

@@crucisnh With exception to some extremely ridiculous cost of living areas (San Francisco bay, tops the list), one can usually economize quite a bit by living further away/having roomates, etc. Food costs can usually be minimized through simple techniques. You're better off taking that $70k/year job in a high cost of living area to pay help pay down that 100k of student loan debt as quickly as possible.

[@RockBandRS]

@@crucisnh Your statement is correct, but only when you ignore student debt. Sure, 35k might cover the cost of living in some areas. But, not when you have student debt to pay off.

[@MastaOfMonkeyDisasta]

Then protest the colleges for cheaper rates, not the government, all the government can do is increase taxes to increase fafsa and the colleges will in turn just raise their tuition. One of the colleges I was looking at, the dean made 1.5 mill. a year... just what.

[@fredrm6023]

Wtf, this whole video and yet never ask the question “why are the teachers leaving?”

[@absoliutenuds]

Probably money

[@crucisnh]

Or maybe it's not that they're leaving, but maybe the older ones are retiring, and the school districts are having difficulty finding replacements.

[@Zoegirl3211]

I used to live in a small town with one k-12 school that we shared with the other town 45 minutes away. When the same lady who has been teaching 1st grade for 27 years retired they had to combine the 1st grade class and kindergarten because they couldn’t get another teacher. People leave small towns, no “night life”, you have to drive an hour to see a movie and buy a pair of jeans, and the bars full of the same old men who’ve been sitting on that stool for 20 years. So many young people leave to go to college and they don’t ever come back for a reason it’s because they feel like they don’t have any opportunity and they’re small towns depending on what they do for work

[@opl500]

Not paying enough to put up with it. People with options finding better jobs

[@Atombender]

They have seen a $300 rise in 16 years, maybe that's why.

[@kevinsullivan7120]

As a 16 year science educator, I recently moved on from the classroom. Everyone knows the issues. Reduced administrative support, teachers lacking in pedagogy & practice, workdays that last 8 hours beyond the classroom - especially when prepping lessons, grading assignments, or contacting parents. Teacher compensation and benefits are not keeping up with cost of living, in some places 150% above average. Since those areas tend to pay better, that's where teachers are forced to work in either public or private settings. Students expect teachers to put on a show, while their own investment in the learning environment diminishes with each passing year. Public perception is teachers are "off" two months a year, but for many there is no income either. It is ignorant to say just save, as often, there is not much left over in the month to budget expenses for two months of unemployment. It's why many do curriculum work or summer activities to help bridge the gap. While teachers entered the field knowing some of these issues, I believe the culture has become one of wearing teachers out, and turning to fresh faces like an assembly line. Teaching is something that evolves, must be nurtured, and comes from being in a culture of likeminded professionals willing to grow their skills. Many teachers don't last 5 years because the support is simply not there. I've worked with aspiring teachers in college and they are woefully unprepared for the challenges awaiting them. Many have deficient classroom management skills or believe they can just figure it out as they go. Those are the ones that simply don't make it. I loved being a teacher, but the system has little regard for teachers anymore. You are an expendable asset and only as valuable as what you offer the school community on a given day. It simply is no longer worth the toll it takes on your soul. Sad.

[@marcmeinzer8859]

When I taught I got 4 months vacation, same as I got in the merchant marine. I quit teaching to ship out as an able seaman since I got a mariner’s document based upon my navy sea time. One reason I quit was because I didn’t like the other teachers. If you can find a good ship to go live on the company is really better than what you get in the teachers lounge. For one thing, there are very few women to put up with in the merchant marine. And of course no kids either. Ever since the early ‘70s student rights movement the kids have been converted into complete asshats. Teachers who do extra prep work w/o compensation are nothing but fools and don’t get any sympathy from me. I taught 7 years and never took anything home. I did my work while forcing the kids to do their reading in class. If you don’t watch them do their reading guess what? They won’t do their reading. So they would complete all of their textbooks then I would reward them by giving everyone an A on their imaginary final exam. But that was a suburban parochial school. I also got good results in GED at Job Corps where virtually all the kids were black. I had a 94% pass rate at Job Corps and a 100% pass rate at Cuyahoga Community College Adult Learning Center. But the inner city public high school I spent two years at was monkey island at the zoo. Just saying!

[@DK-nv9zu]

$35k!? Jeez, I made that as a hotel valet while in college

[@swegkilla2015]

Coley Durham I mean it kinda is

[@ninagold4160]

Wow, i make 20k a year and I'm a business analyst.. with a family to keep afloat..

[@user-ld9hs1mb1u]

Grew up in a rural town, and while many kind-hearted people live there, getting out and moving to a city is the best choice I ever made. More opportunities, more services, more to do, better pay, better quality of life, more open mindedness. Small towns just can’t offer a lot and it’s only for some people.

[@SamanthaSteinbring7]

Same here. I got out and will never go back

[@kingofmphs]

That’s the problem. Who wants to live in the middle of nowhere?

[@pointingitout5624]

I'm working on getting out!

[@user-ld9hs1mb1u]

Prissea&Sophisticated - Best of luck 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@Jimmy-lm2eg]

But... *COUNTRY ROADS* Actually NYC Is the best in the World. (Or the America if the world disagree about it)

[@dinolandra]

I wonder if they gave the Filipino teachers the star treatment the same way they gave the student teachers the star treatment

[@thegodhoward8037]

We treat them like any other teacher

[@Nemesis_T_Type]

Those student teachers won't last long. Filipino teachers will teach there as long as they can.

[@joj4096]

@@Nemesis_T_Type money of course

[@joj4096]

@Sunny Love does that apply to all races if that is what you want

[@impresarioe6824]

My mother is about to retire from teaching. The amount of work, stress, mobility between grade levels, dealing with parents, dealing with school administrations, the lack of pay...it was probably the job I wanted to do the least! She is one of the best to ever do it, but to see her tired and stressed really pisses me off. We have to value education and our teachers more!!

[@anthonylapenna8264]

Pay teachers actual living wages and they might sign up

[@articulatemadness]

He'd rather pay less importing the immigrants.

[@prime8nate]

@@articulatemadness He works with the budget he's given. Most of his budget comes from local property taxes, a funding system guaranteed to screw over rural areas with shrinking tax bases.

[@XxRipstikersxX]

The pay comes from the people who live there. Barely anyone lives there

[@jimderess2206]

You could pay teachers 70k a year and they'd still have trouble keeping them around in Shelby. Between -40 every winter and people on the hi line being extremely suspicious of out of towners its not an easy sell

[@wewuzvikangz4829]

Oh no one wants to teach for a shit wage? I guess that means they will have to do the unthinkable and *gasps.... pay them more!

[@drzoidberg844]

John Smith no just find People who will work for a humble amount teachers are not meant to be rich

[@officerk8697]

@@drzoidberg844 teachers should be rich they have one of the most important jobs in the world.

[@Tearakan]

@@officerk8697 yep exactly. Their job and an educated population makes a democratic republic possible. The founders knew that well.

[@juniorkool21]

C Duffy teachers should not be rich.... now professor ( teaching in college) should be rich

[@markesblack]

DR Zoidberg What is a humble amount? Not enough to pay bills and student loans?

[@chartaiwan]

They got Pilipino teachers? They are lucky, professionals from the Philippines are some of the best! Their English is amazing and they are hardworking, smart and warm people. They really should be thankful!

[@rhiethreal]

When qualified people, for a needed position, are hard to find, you raise the salary to make the position more desirable. Shipping in migrant works only keeps the wages for the position artificially low and makes the problem worse and worse over time.

[@lordblazer]

I don't think for jobs like teaching immigrants keep the wages low.. It isn't a low skilled job. You have to have a higher education plus certification to teach in any state. Similarly teachers in UAE and Kuwait who are from the US make decent money. Not keeping the wages low at all.. How we fund school districts have to change on a fundamental level.. The current system we have pretty much created this perfect storm where rural areas have shortages in every imaginable area. Not just education. But also in hospitals and other services and infrastructure projects.

[@Illisil]

Isn't that what America has always done? Hold the wages low with ever increasing waves of immigrants. All the while selling the population "we are a nation of immigrants"

[@swhaht6807]

Having observed Immigrant teachers being denied workers rights allowed to Americans there is a civil rights problem overlooked. Also, English deficit teachers placed in K and Grades 1 and 2 cannot teach primary grades adequately. I have witnessed Grade 1 students unable to have a basic conversation with their teacher. This is a serious disservice to primary children, they do not establish fundamental language skills needed for success in upper grades.

[@Illisil]

@Zechs Merquise I've read some people in the trucking industry are making like $60 a day. The big companies will do anything to hold wages down.

[@tansiian]

​@@Illisil Well yes and no. America, along with most developed nations, does bring in immigrants to keep wages low. But it is part of a difficult balancing game of ensuring that locals are not pushed out of jobs and managing inflation. If the wages that immigrants take are brought up to the level that natives get, cost of production will go up, and in turn , prices of everything. It does happen more in the lower skilled professions, where locals get out turfed because the immigrants are willing to work for less, but in higher skilled jobs, which includes teaching, it rarely has that effect. The selling of "nations of immigrants", or rather the opposition to it, is a well marketed misdirection campaign. Workers pushed out of their jobs are taught to hate immigrants, but are made blind to the fact that the people in charge (e.g. large corporations, politicians) can take action to make their transition, via education or retraining amongst others, choose not to. It's easier to demonise someone who is unable to fight back.

[@bornearth]

I participated in one of those week long teacher recruitment "dates" 15 years ago when I got certified in education. I traveled the beautiful landscapes of Vermont. People were mostly very kind. Most of the kids were curious and sweet. A group of adolescents enrolled in an anti-truancy program literally coached me up a very intense mountain climb. I went to a baseball game. Hung out with the youngest teacher. Learned how comparatively inexpensive real estate was in Vermont. As a Black woman, I experienced a few racist incidents. Openly called the n-word (a couple of times... for the 1st times in my life). I was followed in my car closely (less than 12 inches) by police car until I reached a sign that said I was exiting the town. Lucky me: it was pre-gps popularity and had to go back through the town to get to my motel. The school board refused to interview me despite the superintendent's request (I sat for nearly 2 hours waiting and a member came out apologizing saying "you can't get some people to change").

[@jeep1077]

Sorry that you experienced that. Your story is an eye opener. I assumed Vermont would be an accepting place because of its liberal reputation.

[@mshara1]

That kinda surprised me. Vermont is very northern and very liberal.

[@MrJoki56]

@@mshara1 anywhere where there is a large majority of white people, black people expect racism. in a rural white setting, most of them know each other so they're not afraid of getting fired for harassing black people or calling them the n word. in the city, the whites know they can get fired for harassing black people so they try to be slick with their racism.

[@DaemonJax]

It really doesn't matter what state you're in. If there's a cluster of only white people, that's where you'll find racism. Even in NJ (where I'm from). I'm white, but I hear it all the time because they think I'm "one of them" because I'm a vet and ex-law enforcement.

[@donnawinters3587]

@Cole S Women don't want to be around you, deal with it

[@JulioAvalos3000]

Give people an incentive (better pay) to take on the profession. Problem solved.

[@shaolinotter]

Julio Avalos except red states want to "prove" that public education doesn't work. so they can implement a caste system where poor kids don't get an education Many voters think this is a good idea

[@shaolinotter]

WolfgangLMclain paying them more certainly wouldn't hurt, but yeah, it's a drop in the bucket. If you want the best for America's young people, get them to California asap. Mid-america is falling further into the 3rd world, and that's how they like it.

[@crucisnh]

Julio, here's a different incentive. Have a state run program where the state will pay for your teaching degree as long as you spend X number of years teaching in a community in that state that needs teachers, which should probably be limited to more rural communities that have difficulty getting teachers in the first place. I don't know if these details would work, but if you tried to reneg on the deal, you'd end being liable for paying back the state for the cost of your education, perhaps at some sort of prorated number based on the number of years of teaching you did complete in the "payback". That is, say that the payback period was 5 years, but you wanted to bail after 4, maybe you had to only 20% of the cost of your education. Overall, the idea would be to give potential your teachers a way to get their education degree for free at the cost of a number of years of teaching in these hard to staff rural schools. Also, as I recall, some (all?) teachers are required to take additional courses (at their own expense?) over time. If this is true and it is out of their own pocket, perhaps this sort of deal could be expanded to cover additional training costs, at the cost of additional years of service. It may not be money in your paycheck, but it's also not money you're having to give up to pay off college debt either.

[@RockBandRS]

@Narciso Duran California has too many students per teacher. Which is what happens when people flock to a state that has good education, instead of remaining in a state like Montana. California's issue wouldn't exist if other states didn't have an issue with poor education systems to begin with.

[@HeyYoFabels]

Better pay in cities maybe, teachers are paid well in rural counties.

[@desertraven]

All the millennial teachers who got their degrees during the recession got screwed out of positions because boomers wouldn't retire. Now that they're all 70 and all the millennial teachers had to switch to other fields, we're wondering where all the teachers went. 🙄

[@hmmm3210]

Wtf .

[@alohaazzie8462]

This! Boomers wouldn’t retire in order for people to take those spots, delaying their retirement another 10-12 years. This lead more Millennials to go into tech or sales, or creative ventures. And then the Boomers all retired at once

[@rosedalinevaletine6931]

They didn’t retire for a reason, I believe. And that reason might have been them their deep, never ending love, but might have also been a financial reason. Stop victim blaming.

[@prime8nate]

I'm a public school teacher and I've never heard of a person teaching till they're 70 to scale. That's crazy. The only teachers I've seen at that age are retired and have come back to teach at a reduced rate or work as subs. Very few teachers even work full time up to 65. What is screwing the younger teachers over is that they have to pay so much more money for university and teaching programs. They invariably start off with a ton of debt and immediately have to start thinking about how to get out of debt.

[@WeatherManToBe]

This. This. THIS. Where I live it was nurses more than teachers. We had the largest class EVER in the history of my uni. We didn't hire a single nurse that year.

[@Neatpotato248]

“When I have an opening...” Dude, I thought there was a SHORTAGE...

[@jamesmeegan4755]

Yeah wtf

[@zephead843]

The whole "teacher shortage" thing is a very sophisticated ruse perpetrated on an uneducated public. It's a strategic maneuver to squeeze more juice from the lemon.

[@abcd-gn3nf]

it's a job where positions are constantly being opened up because so many teachers are constantly quitting

[@zephead843]

abcd-Psst...wanna know a secret?...teachers don't quit. They retire. (But you didn't hear that from me.)

[@articulatemadness]

He has no shortage...he's importing from The PHILLIPINES!!!

[@lortiz2013]

My mom is a teacher but she makes $82k a year. The starting out where I live is like $45-50k. However my mom is 42 years old, still in debt , and went to college so long she could have just been a doctor. She also works and does more outside of her job description so the county doesn’t have to pay for more teachers.

[@crolandw]

I'm a young person (29) who chose to live and teach where I was raised in the small rural community of Plentywood, MT. This video hit close for me. I chose to come back to be close to my family. I can tell you from experience, it is difficult. The pay is low, the hours are long, and while I'm a native of the community, the social life at times doesn't provide the same benefits that Bozeman, Missoula, and Billings or even Denver, Seattle, and Minneapolis provide. But it is definitely worth giving a chance as Rachelle says in the video. Small communities are worth more than many people allow themselves to see and we desperately need answers so our future generations can benefit. Thank you Vice for highlighting this story so that those of us out here don't feel so lost and ignored in our difficult times.

[@ShidaiTaino]

Craig West are they really work saving?

[@crolandw]

@@ShidaiTaino Absolutely! I think to suggest that any small community isn't worth saving is extremely morally bankrupt. The mass of metropolitan and city areas rely on rural areas. The health of small communities matter because the health of all populations and demographics matter.

[@LilyGazou]

Craig West looking back, if I could do over, I would have stayed in my small town, married and raised a big family. If you live near extended family, you have deeper connections to nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins. You may have fewer friends but they are real ones.

[@crolandw]

@Don Khan Khan Don go away troll. or hey, maybe watch the video. you might learn something.

[@dauya]

Filipino teachers would snap those positions in a heartbeat if they could Edit: oh wow they did!

[@jeep1077]

Which is a problem because it is a race to the bottom in regards to pay. Filipino's are awesome but working for peanuts in the U.S. isn't helping America to solve its problems.

[@dauya]

@@jeep1077 agreed. But so far the problem doesn't seem to be pay but the attraction of a town or village. That's not something a salary can easily fix.

[@balleet210]

@PaleBit Alien You speaking is embarrassing, especially on a video pertaining to education.

[@johngablesmith4671]

Filipinos are so hard working

[@AK47_414]

Fillipino dont live in Montana lo diento

[@mmckenz89]

When pay is as low as it is, it's not worth it to be 2 hours from civiilization

[@alwaysopen7970]

You don't live real life, do you? Let's ask all of these fine folks what their suburban commute times are like and what their salaries are. If you commute around the DC area, 2 hours is about right. I never lived in NYC or LA but those are huge areas with long commutes as well....unless you can afford a million dollar+ condo in the city.

[@alwaysopen7970]

You don't live real life, do you? Let's ask all of these fine folks what their suburban commute times are like and what their salaries are. If you commute around the DC area, 2 hours is about right. I never lived in NYC or LA but those are huge areas with long commutes as well....unless you can afford a million dollar+ condo in the city.

[@gavip24]

@@alwaysopen7970 my real life, Chicago, prior to covid commuted an hour. Yet I make $110k a year. Chicago is a hub for food, entertainment, lake front etc. while rural living barely has much.

[@holdencaulfield8239]

Even with high pay, who wants to be surrounded by minimally educated, republican, Christian, rural folk? Answer: only other minimally educated, republican, Christian, rural folk.

[@dirtycommie2877]

I'd say 4 hours away from civilization. How close I live to a major airport is my determination for how close I live to civilization.

[@joed7185]

In the words of Rust Chole... "This place is like somebody's memory of a town, but the memory is fading."

[@reelmi7684]

Joe D True detective fan here!

[@joed7185]

@@reelmi7684 What did you think of Season 3?

[@callmeishmael4659]

@@joed7185 outstanding acting but lacking a gripping drama. 7/10

[@joed7185]

@@callmeishmael4659 Are you talking about Season 3?

[@callmeishmael4659]

@@joed7185 yeah

[@brendanlee5188]

They just gotta pay more, if they can't afford it school needs more money from the government, if they dont have money then we shouldnt of cut taxes for the rich 🤷🏿‍♀️

[@juniorkool21]

It’s not only about “they got to be pay more” did you not watch the video?!?!? There is nothing to do in that small town that’s why no one wants to live there.

[@brendanlee5188]

@1113 Cntrl even then we gave tax cuts,

[@shaolinotter]

You guys are missing a big factor. There is a big trend towards private schools and rich people don't want to pay toward public education.

[@brendanlee5188]

@@shaolinotter Well the rich dont decide where the tax money's goes, make them pay taxes and give it to the public schools. If we all decided where taxes went I guarantee the roads in my state would be fixed lol

[@weezerwookie]

or stop susidizing the farms that make the town possible. farmers don't like it, time to stop getting a free ride, sell it to someone who can make it work, instead of asking the tax payers to pay for a money losing hobby and get a real job.

[@andrewloera5641]

Just looked it up. New teachers make $30,000 a year here. Not surprised.

[@STScott-qo4pw]

30k...?! a fukkin YEAR?! no wonder they won't come - they CAN'T.

[@andrewloera5641]

@@misterb1132 Yeah, I live here too. Incomes are great, but this living expense… yikes

[@calebgillett6091]

Teachers at my school have been leaving for years just to get better pay. Many have secondary jobs just because teaching here isn’t enough to support their living. The only ones staying here are the ones who genuinely care about their students and the school. It’s truly sad watching a teacher who has taught here for 20+ years leaving just because they need to find a better teaching job elsewhere.

[@emmanuelmacas5251]

As a student, I symphatize for these kids who didn’t get the education they deserved.

[@laughterismed]

Betsy Devos doesn't care in the slightest. This is an opportunity to enter charter schools that make individuals more money - quality be damned!

[@truecatholic8692]

The federal government has limited involvement in education. Actually, too much. It should all be a the local level.

[@laughterismed]

@@truecatholic8692 this rush to privatise and capitalise on public education gained much traction under Obama. DeVos just accelerated it. And looking at higher education trends over the past 50 years paints a bleak picture for humanities. And the pushback of lecturers, professors and grad students. I'm disappointed by the state of it all. And it feels like, by squeezing the system to enrich the top, quality and breadth is compromised. Shorting the younger generations on opportunities for success. Top league schools are leading with computer, systems, and business management. Humanities must fend for themselves. Could this contribute to the poorly exercised use of critical thinking skills? Feels very Powell Memorandum-esque

[@spookyboi8446]

No teacher wants to make 30k a year when they can make 50k-60k in small urban areas and 80k-100k in large urban areas

[@GuruLivesOn]

I am swiss/american and here in the state (or canton) of Geneva, you start off with 78k/year as your first salary

[@minimooster7258]

Ouais, mais bon, en Suisse, on a plus d'argent, et en comparaison avec les Etats Uni, l'université, c'est quasi gratuit (l'écolage de l'EPFL c'est quoi? 1200 CHF par an?)

[@GuruLivesOn]

@@minimooster7258 C'est clair que le coût de la vie est supérieure en Suisse, mais c'est pour ça que le salaire des fonctionnaires est plus au moins indexé sur l'inflation, alors que dans certains Etats (l'Oklahoma notamment) aux USA payent leurs enseignants de façon tellement indigne, qu'il devient pratiquement impossible de joindre les deux bouts. Je confirme qu'on a une chance inouie de profiter d'études supérieures quasi-gratuites et de qualité (étant actuellement en master à l'UNIL, jsuis loin de me plaindre ^^).

[@celestial623]

Even if countries are expensive, they keep up with the average salary. Suffolk County, or the east side of Long Island, has an average incone of 88k a year.

[@mustyshitlap]

The attitude towards teachers has shifted. Not just from the kids, but from the parents. Parents are now more inclined to stand up for the kids under the belief they're 'just being picked on' or the teacher doesn't know what they're talking about. How do you get other people to raise the children of parents who aren't up to the task themselves?

[@marcmeinzer8859]

You don’t. If the parents don’t care then nobody does.

[@johnrodarte7397]

The problem isn't getting teachers to rural areas. The problem is the profession and the community DOES NOT VALUE teachers!

[@sailaway258]

Can you do a follow up in 5 years to see if these upcoming teachers stay bc im pretty sire 75% will be out by then

[@rohanm4214]

You are being too optimistic at 75%. 💯% of them will leave their jobs.

[@jackreeve5775]

5 yrs 100% will leave 🤣

[@parkaman8901]

They keep voting the same people, what do they expect? 10th time is the charm?

[@thegodhoward8037]

This argument is used on both sides

[@joekrebs964]

It's not a political but economic problem.

[@ShidaiTaino]

Joe Krebs are you implying that the government has no influence over economic matters

[@user-ub3hd4sy4e]

@@thegodhoward8037 both sides are wrong

[@thegodhoward8037]

@@user-ub3hd4sy4e i agree I'm an independent

[@courtneydurham8429]

$35,000 for someone who had to get a masters to be a true teacher. And even if they only got a bachelors, just think of the student loan debt for the teacher. I make more than that.

[@MrErzberg]

You don't need a masters to be a teacher.

[@marty1076]

You don't need a master's degree to be a teacher in most states. Even in California, where I teach, all you need is a bachelor's degree and completing a credential program which takes around 18 months including student-teaching.

[@leandrotorres2943]

"I wanna be an art teacher." Everyone: Laughs at him

[@madison__baylee]

@@misterb1132 ❗️did he make as much as the other teachers or... significantly less? Art is still an important curriculum and part of being a well rounded individual.

[@dnshable]

Have you tried paying them, the teachers?

[@articulatemadness]

They'd rather pay the Filipinos less.

[@tightywhitey9779]

I've been a teacher in a small town as well as a big city. The one thing I can say from experience is that the students in the cities are going to make your life a living hell a lot more than the rural students will.

[@victormalyar9200]

Is it because in the rural towns they use corporal punishment?

[@rachelk7555]

I taught in a VERY small, rural town back in 1999. It was horrible! It had everything to do with the fact that this town was backward...they still incorporated the barbarity of corporal punishment and many of the teachers were shockingly verbally abusive. It was like I walked back into the 1950s in that the day-to-day running of the school hadn’t changed! I wrote and published an article about my experience (went into writing for several years after this) titled, “Public School Pandemonium: My Experience As a Public School Teacher.”

[@daryl9905]

What state?

[@Nothing-zw3yd]

I'll take things that never happened for $500, Alex.

[@satriaamiluhur622]

Here in my country, university graduates willing to teach students in remote areas are given plenty of tax breaks, very high salary, and free accommodation (housing+vehicle). Oh, and if they get married with locals, lifelong job security

[@YYBWDL]

satria amiluhur what country is that?

[@HansCent]

The Filipino teachers that have the Shelby teaching jobs are incredibly LUCKY compared to the Filipino teachers that were sent to inner city schools.

[@breynoso19]

Mr. Crump! He was one of my Social Studies teachers in the Bronx and one of my favorite teachers. I'm so happy to see he's now a superintendent and continuing to do good work.

[@Spike.SpiegeI]

very interesting piece, thanks Vice!!

[@tecpaocelotl]

If they actually paid good, I would have been a teacher. Lived near a place like that.

[@hhiippiittyy]

Lesson 1: paid "well". ;)

[@larryblair1418]

As a school superintendent I see two major reasons for the national teacher shortage: Low pay and a changing culture that allows parents and students to bash teachers. We can't do much about that first one because we do not receive enough from the local, state, and federal governments to increase teacher pay to a respectable level. We do what we can. As a society however, we have allowed the media and social media to basically bash and trash our schools and our teachers every single time a child gets their feelings hurt. Parents and social media are the main culprit driving people out of public education.

[@uploaded113redone]

Pay them shit , and they will find a better job Tell the government to pay them more and you might attract more students to go to college for 4 years just to make 40k-60k/year

[@articulatemadness]

Why pay them more when they are importing immigrants to take peanuts.

[@tallswede80]

teachers work 9 mo per year, and they get shitloads of time off during the year. They are already overpaid. Those of us that make good money work 60 hours a week with no time off.

[@articulatemadness]

@@tallswede80 Only in Ameration, but hey, MAGA, right?

[@swegkilla2015]

tallswede80 They were all year around. They teach the new generation to be ruling countries around the world. They have to deal with so much. You seem like a person who didn’t have a good teacher.

[@alwaysopen7970]

@@articulatemadness TRUMP2020

[@GreenGretel]

"Nearly half of all Montana schools now employ teachers who aren't certified. And almost all of those schools are in rural communities." Welp, Montana's about to get even redder.

[@abyssinia4ever]

@Ricky Spanish the intelligent care about all sectors of society including the poor. The ignorant do nothing about the situation.

[@thegodhoward8037]

Ya and city's states like California are mainly blue and look at it's drug abuse and crime rates

[@GreenGretel]

@@thegodhoward8037 ...lol, you clearly don't know your statistics. 7 out of 10 of the states with the highest violent crime rates are reliably Republican (one of the other three - Nevada - is a swing state). Texas, Illinois, Florida, and California all have statewide crime rates on par with one another, but none rank in the top 10 most violent. Over half the nation's states have _at least_ around *double* the overdose rate of California (and quite a few have more that 3x the rate). West Virginia (which has 5x the overdose rate of California), Kentucky, and Ohio have the highest drug overdose rates in the country.

[@thegodhoward8037]

@@GreenGretel tell that to sanfran

[@synecdoche8783]

I'd rather be a janitor in a busy city lol.

[@jamesmeegan4755]

Pays about the same probably

[@epicurusstan3223]

janitors can make bank

[@SocialistFinn1]

@@epicurusstan3223 can they?

[@mzzzzzzday]

@@SocialistFinn1 my mom teaches and my dad is a custodian. he has made more than him my whole life lmao

[@littlebit725]

@@mshara1 To be fair. $100,000 a year in NYC is probably not worth much more than $35,000 in Shelby.

[@zeusfloreus]

I loved this episode! I have nothing but respect for these young teachers where ever they end up. Wish you all success!

[@iwillrateyou9375]

get $400,000 college debt then get a $35,000 teacher job LOL

[@edmeds1336]

Thank God for this superintendent... he is doing everything he can to make this work... men like home are invaluable.

[@Litany_of_Fury]

Here in the UK if you're a teacher with sense you'll work private or go down under.

[@sydneywilliams4796]

друг its funny (and sad) but in the US most public school teachers get paid more than private school teachers. But overall the pay is still nothing

[@mshara1]

Here in Australia public school teachers are paid higher than private thanks to high union membership rates,

[@user-un6sb4kn2z]

pubic teachers...

[@susannorrell1695]

@@mshara1 We also receive a much better retirement if we work in the public school system.

[@michelleeldridge8935]

Small towns aren't just losing teachers, they're losing everything. The more people and resources leave, the harder it is for anyone else to stay, let alone move into these communities. Teacher shortages are just a symptom of a larger problem.

[@mindgamewords]

I been there. Montana is a tough climate. 8 months of snow and cold.

[@mshara1]

So does Boston and NYC, ...

[@ShidaiTaino]

mshara1 There are four seasons in Boston and New York

[@swegkilla2015]

mshara1 atleast something happens there

[@olyl3859]

Hello from Canada 🇨🇦 ! Cold here is real !

[@HAYDER930]

Shelby, the hometown of the Peaky Blinders gang.

[@idontwanttohearitidont4792]

...

[@blanco7726]

Bit of a dead joke init

[@angelgjr1999]

@@idontwanttohearitidont4792 huh?

[@edr.2642]

Great series

[@agentK1896]

Your president was just declaring a few days ago that the country was full.

[@Pcarnevaaa]

It’s not empty lol If anything no one wants to teach because of shitty pay and no one will move in the middle of nowhere to work.

[@agentK1896]

@@Pcarnevaaa right. Therefore, there is a need. Full means, there is no need. That's why they bring teachers from the Philippines.

[@nobodynothingberg4886]

Agent K I would rather have teachers from Europe and east Asia

[@odynith9356]

Rieden Mannen what this guy says is true. The country has a lot of illiterate and unskilled people. However people who know a trade or educated can def find work.

[@thegodhoward8037]

I live in Shelby and the problem is not our countries population it's that people don't want to move to small towns and the pay is barely enough to survive

[@foodie_advanture]

Maybe instead of paying for the wall, we can pay our teachers. 🙃

[@nixonhoover2]

Kpop Karen nah, gotta keep those third wolder, Mexicans out first.

[@trigger8152]

@@nixonhoover2 exactly we need to secure our borders first. whats the use on paying teachers more, if more gang bangers and shit are coming into the area?

[@ShidaiTaino]

nixonhoover2 your greatest enemy is yourself

[@danthoniwooten6890]

Hey, I've got a solution... pay the teachers a decent wage?

[@HR-vm5df]

N Silva Just stop talking.

[@heizhummer6326]

@N Silva like things were any better when democrats ran the country

[@an0maly5k27]

This will happen in cities too. The overcrowded classes are already a visible symptom. For the past twenty years kids who've now grown into working adults have seen teachers getting the shaft. Nobody with ambition wants to do that job anymore. And guess what? Those kids are now parents and telling their kids to not become teachers as there's no future in it. When a McDonalds employee is treated better than a teacher, this is what happens.

[@CattyMcMeow]

Truth. I would have become a teacher, were it not for this fact. It was and still is my true calling. But I don't want to endebt myself with college, all to get a job that will pay at most 50k 15+ years down the line, starting at 35k, with long hours a fair bit of which are non-billable overtime. I don't want to have roommates at 35, or depend on a man to give me a comfortable life. It's so sad. America as a whole is crumbling from all sides.

[@maxwellcavassa4203]

It’s not just teachers there’s a lack of mechanics, pilots, CDL drivers, electricians, plumbers, law enforcement, welders, etc.

[@rationalirrationality5691]

True but teaching doesnt pay

[@jeep1077]

Construction and manufacturing jobs rise and fall with the economy. They always have and always will.

[@alwaysopen7970]

Illegals took over the trades and made them a nightmare. If you did it years ago you wouldn't recognize it now.

[@braaap6059]

Filipino teachers are loving and caring 💪🏻🇵🇭

[@thegodhoward8037]

They are one of them is one of the kindest people I have ever met

[@marty1076]

@terminalcommand Hopefully not too much. My wife is Filipina-American and I'm Mexican-American and we did not experience any obvious discrimination when we lived in rural Idaho. I would hope rural Montana would be similar.

[@redgringrumboldt8983]

My old high school teachers spent 20 years paying off their student loans, my history teacher with a Masters Degree worked as a bartender after school. People look at teachers as glorified babysitters. They have one of the most important jobs anywhere, yet we pay them $35k? What does that end up after taxes? Barely $25k? That's madness. Why don't we have teachers? Because they aren't paid enough!

[@chimponkoman]

35 thousand dollars? A year? HAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHA

[@Timothee_Chalamet_CMBYN]

Chinpokomon Master right. I was making that in a call center out of highschool years ago in the metropolitan

[@johnnelson4880]

It depends. Cost of living matters. New York City for example, is 42% more expensive than Shelby, MT. It takes nearly 50k in New York City to have the same purchasing power as 35k in Shelby, Montana. Average starting pay for New York City teachers is about 57k. So Shelby underpays their teachers, but not absurdly so.If Shelby wanted their teacher COL to be competitive with NYC, they'd need to increase starting teacher pay to around 41k. Now I wouldn't choose Shelby over New York City, and Shelby could probably attract more people if they paid teachers more, but Shelby has other issues stacked against it, mainly lack of anchor industry, low population and urbanization. Low pay for their teachers is merely a symptom of those other issues. Citations here: smartasset.com/mortgage/cost-of-living-calculator#xhIjq4EXyE teachnyc.net/your-career/salary-and-benefits

[@articulatemadness]

@@johnnelson4880 Cost of living in most of Montana is high. Lots of Hollywood folks got land there and property taxes are high in certain counties. Between the racism, sexism, republicanism, and god, guns, and glory combined with 8 months of hellish winter, that 35K ain't busting a grape.

[@valerieking5265]

It's more money than I make

[@MohammadAlshahrani]

A Year

[@ahmadfadzel7089]

the school look so nice. seriously

[@angelgjr1999]

That is actually below average looking school. Schools in suburbs near cities look way nicer.

[@natoshawomack2829]

It looked leagues above the rural school I grew up in 😂

[@gustavoespinosa7970]

Lol cause they pay shite. Come to Texas where the mandatory minimum pay is $50k starting salary. We got teachers in a town of 300 people. Good pay will always attract talent.

[@alwaysopen7970]

Texas public schools are different than other states.

[@alwaysopen7970]

Texas public schools are different than other states.

[@rjb77]

The one stat that I know is wrong is the "major airport" being over 400 miles away. Great Falls MT is 85 miles south and I can fly out of there to anywhere. It's not a really large airport but it works. Last flight out of there was to Johannesburg SA and back. Going that far there are always connection changes even out of Seattle (700 miles) or Denver (600 miles). Glacier park is 80 miles to the west and only 35 miles to the Canadian boarder. Like trains? Amtrak is thru Shelby twice a day, one east and one west. Interstate 15 goes thru town. UPS and FEDEX and USPS are very consistent as well. It's a good place to live still but then, I was born here so I'm a bit predigest. And of course, like any place (large or small), it has it's down side. Winters are wicked nasty cold. Those big box stores are 80+ miles away. I'm sure there's a few more negative things about small town living but, it's a fairly safe place to come home to. PLUS, if you're in the witness protection program, you'd love it. Call a wrong number and most likely you'll get someone you haven't talked to for a while. Air is clean except for harvest and the occasional forest fires to the west and north.

[@soil-play]

I agree, for Montana Shelby is quite connected - try Scobey, Glasgow or Jordan......

[@tamarockstar09]

First time I seen a superintendent connect his own laptop to a projector. Lol they usually have someone do that for them.

[@WILD4X4D]

My mom came from a small town to teach in a little village over 1000 km away. She eventually met my Dad, and decided to stay.

[@rebeccawhite8459]

I went through 5 years of college to become a teacher and I can honestly say that I was only taught two words of advice that helped me. I learned everything I know about teaching from the teacher that taught in my classroom prior to me. You learn a lot just by the experience also. It's not an easy job. These are real lives and you're always thinking about how to improve them.

[@TGIM]

35K?? 20k after taxes, what the hell kinda pay is that in 2019

[@mph5896]

$35k, they aren't paying crap for taxes.

[@amberdoll4988]

Closer to $23k, but pretty close.

[@DaemonJax]

No. Federal income tax on 35k salary is "only" $5,745. State tax would be way less than that. So it's more like 28k take home per year.

[@user-zp8jv2yt7s]

Where the hell are the proud yeehaws when you need them lmao

[@Piffydaily]

🙋🏾‍♂️I'll move out there....oh wait🤦🏾‍♂️ lol

[@neanam]

Hahaha 😆 IKR

[@princediop8190]

Comment of the month award goes to... 😂😂😂

[@jfinite]

I literally LOLed at that!

[@jrad410]

Yup lmao

[@johnconnors6412]

Youd find it different if you went out there. You'd get a lot more respect than in a big city

[@hilda1584]

Some of my teachers make over $100K each year (yes, I go to a normal public school). Many teachers are going to move to places where they can make more money. That's why these schools in rural can't find very many promising teachers, they're all flocking to higher paying areas.

[@dcmfox]

Shelby is 2 hours and 40 minutes from Kalispell which has lots of grocery stores and a Costco along with an airport

[@jay4201203461003]

Well. Theres an abundance of pissed off school teachers who need jobs in los angeles.

[@lemonlimesnout]

The problem isnt that no one is becoming a teacher, its the pay and funding for the schools isn't enough to retain them to be teachers.

[@VibeVixen02]

Would they want to leave LA to teach somewhere else?

[@4Realkevv]

xJAY42Ox over populated

[@jay4201203461003]

@@VibeVixen02 youtube it

[@barbaraallen7164]

Didn't they go on strike not that long ago?

[@8minecrafter8]

Title: Rural America Is Running Out Of Teachers Actual story reported: Shelby, MT is Running Out Of Teachers

[@DaemonJax]

35k for a teacher? WTF! You can make 35k a year doing anything that doesn't require a degree.

[@LegalAlien100]

School’s are so underfunded that teachers are literally bringing in their own school supplies for the children to use. It’s almost expected that the teachers pay out of their own pockets to supply things like pens, board makers, paper, art supplies etc. If they don’t, it makes teaching almost impossible. Could you imagine if McDonands expected their restaurant cleaners to supply their own mops, buckets and cleaning supplies?! This is basically what’s being expected of these teachers! Why would anyone want to work in those conditions???

[@zakali5320]

I bet when the immigrant start doing these jobs suddenly people will complain about how they're stealing these jobs that no one wanted to do in the first place.

[@Dangic23]

It will happen. People love to repeat empty talking points

[@JimmyKillem69]

immigrants don't move to small towns either, because they move to where lots of immigrants are (the city)

[@zakali5320]

@@JimmyKillem69 By living in ethnic neighborhoods in the cities, immigrants find it a little easier to adjust to living in the United States because they live with people from their homeland who share a common language and a common culture. small towns aren't generally accepting of immigrants anyway.

[@JimmyKillem69]

@@zakali5320 but clearly, immigrants are not accepting of anyone but their own people either it goes both ways

[@Dangic23]

@@zakali5320 Exactly....which is why in my hometown of NYC, to this date, you still have Little Italy, Chinatown, the Jewish town, the Puertoricans in LES, the Russians in Coney island, the Dominicans, Korea Town, etc etc etc

[@Sun-Tzu-]

Well that explains a lot!

[@DonAle_97]

That also happens at the southern towns of my country, Chile, where only a few kids go to school due to the long distances between their homes and the schools

[@janegitelman2615]

This was fascinating to watch. I see a Netflix docu-series in the making.

[@thechosenone1533]

So you are telling me people don't want a $35,000 a year salary after spending a $100,000 on a college education. That's shocking.

[@acme663ryo]

I had the pleasure to teach one of those young aspiring teachers.

[@em1osmurf]

i went to school in a town of 2200, county of 4000 in the barrens of SW kansas during the 1960s. most of the teachers taught multiple disciplines, including the shop/industrial arts teacher, who was basically a local carpenter. i shudder to think what it's like now, 1000 town, 2000 county pop. look up the stats on Meade, KS. sad.

[@ferocious_phiragi]

Great work sir for saving the school from death

[@thecrazyjoker3289]

“I want to be an art teacher.” Everyone starts laughing

[@Jenny_Lee_]

Arts are the first program that's cut in downturn economy. If you decide to teach arts, you know you are first on the chopping block when the economy tanks.

[@patty4349]

I worked for a year in a rural district. I did not get paid enough to pay my student loan payments so I left for a suburban district. :-(

[@TheOceanFloor]

Suggestion: host the program in the summer when it’s much prettier outside.

[@DrASiddiqui]

when i have an opening?....wasnt the issue LACK of teachers?

[@---vv5oy]

Bozeman was about to get Sheldon Cooper but they spooked him out

[@cvillefarmer]

That pork was clearly not cooked.

[@charlescoe226]

if u like hosting a myriad of parasites sure lol @Long duk dong

[@luvbb23]

The fact that the closest Walmart is 1.5 hrs away is crazy!

[@Jasonmascelli]

It’s almost as if incredibly small towns in the middle of nowhere are fundamentally unsustainable