Chindris: Reverse trend of mid-career teachers leaving profession

I taught Emma when she was in high school, and we have stayed in touch. To this day, I still use her essays as models for my classes. When I told her that one of her favorite teachers recently left because she couldn’t raise a family on her current salary, Emma was gutted. Now in college studying to become an educator, she mentioned another teacher she’d admired and hoped to visit in our school. I had no choice but to tell her that this teacher was also leaving mid-semester.

With so many of her former teachers leaving the classroom, Emma is beginning to have doubts about her chosen profession.

Mid-career educators who are six to 20 years into their careers are being forgotten and they are leaving Michigan’s classrooms. In fact, the majority of teachers in the state leave the profession in years five to 14.

I’m excited that Michigan offers financial support to student teachers through the recently established Future Educator Stipend, but we must pay equal attention to keeping experienced, excellent mid-career teachers like me in the field so future educators like Emma have quality role models. A stable teaching profession where educators stay for the long-term is much more likely to attract talented young professionals. As Michigan’s lawmakers deliberate this coming year’s budget, I urge them to consider ways to retain mid-career teachers in our classrooms.

An important solution is increasing pay, which many districts across Michigan have already done. On average, educators saw a 3.3% increase in their salary; however, pay increases must keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living in our state. The inflation rate for Metro Detroit, for example, is also 3.3%, which means teachers are breaking even instead of experiencing a raise. Additionally, many teachers are on an income-driven repayment plan for student loans. As teachers receive annual boosts to their salaries, the loan amount rises, too. For many teachers I know who have left, increased compensation would have made all the difference. 

Next, we must expand and fully fund leadership opportunities.  Educators should have access to leadership opportunities that allow them to remain in the classroom. In my own building, I am a team lead for my grade’s student learning committee, receiving a stipend for my extra work.

Another example of a leadership opportunity is within Detroit Public Schools, where master teachers provide specific subject area expertise to their colleagues by modeling lessons, helping with plans and providing data to improve teaching. In Michigan’s Teacher Leadership Fund, there is an allocation for qualifying districts to fund stipends for teacher leader positions. These are great, but there needs to be more in every corner of our state.

Providing financial support for certification is also crucial. The state should reimburse educators for renewing certifications every five years. The Michigan Department of Education is offering reimbursements for educators renewing their certificates for the first time; but this is only for a limited time.

Teacher certificate renewal costs start at $160, and the state should cover this cost all the time and for all educators. This would go a long way towards showing educators that they are respected and valued.

I hope that Emma stays on course and becomes an educator. She deserves the privilege of witnessing a student’s sense of accomplishment when they sound out a difficult word or respond correctly to a challenging prompt, both as a new teacher and as one in the middle of her career.  Policymakers need to do everything possible so that Emma sees a bright and long future for herself in our field.

Mid-career teachers serve as a bridge between those entering and leaving, and it is time they receive the support they need. 

Amber Chindris is an 11th grade English teacher at Romeo High School and a 2023-2024 Michigan Teacher Leadership Collaborative member.