HINTON, WV (WVNS) — Over the past few years, West Virginia has experienced a significant teacher shortage. There are several reasons for this shortfall, from salary levels to budget cuts.
Summers County Comprehensive High School has over 700 students in grades 6-12.
The school currently has 45 staff members but still needs teachers. Leon Franklin is a current in-school suspension teacher with over 20 years of teaching experience.
He began teaching in Virginia and then moved to Summers County in 2003. Franklin said West Virginians need to make difficult choices about where to move their education system from here.
“West Virginia and its people, politicians and everyone have to make difficult decisions about whether education is worth it. It needs to be evaluated,” Franklin said. “If that's the case, there needs to be accountability from teachers, administrators, state and federal governments, local governments, local school boards, teachers, and even students and parents.”
Franklin said Virginia has a testing system that requires students to pass an end-of-year test to earn a diploma.
This system not only forces students to take responsibility for their own learning, but also forces teachers to take responsibility for ensuring that the lessons they provide are inclusive and understood.
Therese Waldron teaches science to 8th graders.
After spending time teaching abroad, she said she learned that parents need to take responsibility as well and be more involved in their children's education.
“In the Philippines, parents are very involved. In Asian countries, that's very common, but not so much here,” Waldron said. “I wish parents would be more enthusiastic about helping their children and furthering their education.”
Waldron said students and teachers would benefit if parents were more involved.
She said parents' comments can have a huge impact on how teachers work and continue their education.
Shannon Barnett, a recent immigrant from Florida's education system, said it could be the materials themselves that cause the problem.
“The only thing that's different is that I feel like we're still teaching things that we would have taught in middle school. From an educational standpoint, it's a little behind,” Barnett said. I did.
These are three reasons why three teachers who came here to teach are leaving the state. They argue that with increased accountability, parent involvement, and standards, West Virginia's education system can make a much-needed turnaround.