According to recent statistics, 35% of teachers are “fairly likely” to leave the profession of teaching, and that number is an improvement from the 44% in 2022. While 35% may be low for your phone battery or your homework grade, make no mistake, this number of 35% is staggering. If you were to walk down the hallways of a public school, every third classroom you pass would contain a teacher who deems themself “fairly likely” to switch careers.

Teacher shortages are at an all-time high, but Rowan students, like students all across the country, are still pursuing their education in educating others. It’s common knowledge that we need teachers for overall culture and society, but the incentives for people to become teachers have gotten so low, which raises a serious issue of what can be done to save education.

So, why are Rowan students still going through education to become teachers?

“It’s so interesting to me,” said Hailey Podlesny, a freshman student studying elementary education. “The way their brains work, it’s just so interesting.”

“They” are a group of first graders that Podlesny student taught during her senior year in high school, an experience that further confirmed what she already knew: that her passion is to become a teacher, and she’d begin that road in Glassboro.

“I really like teaching,” Podlesny said. “I really just wanted to get into it more.”

For fellow freshman Abby Perillo, the teaching industry is a family affair, and that’s sparked her passion to pursue it in school.

“Both my parents are teachers, so I was kind of set up from the get-go,” said Perillo. “Being in a house full of educators has made me want to do that.”

Both Perillo and Podlesny recognize what the field they’re entering fully entails. Rewarding yes, but also taxing. According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers earn 23.5% less than comparable college graduates.

“They deserve more,” said Perillo of teacher’s compensation. “There is a lot of lack of benefits and lack of care.”

Podlesny agreed, and added an interesting point that is perhaps under-looked in the national debate on teachers and education systems; the parents.

“A huge problem today is with parents,” said Podlesny. “You see it with parent-teacher conferences, just the fact that everyone is treating teachers so poorly, it’s why we don’t have enough.”

Podlesny isn’t just speaking from what she’s heard from peers or seen in articles. She’s speaking from experience because she’s dealt with angry parents while working with kids in a part-time job at a daycare.

“I have had to deal with parents before when I worked at a daycare, and because of those experiences, I feel somewhat prepared for what I’m going to deal with when it comes to actually being a teacher,” Podlesny said. “I’m going to put in the effort and try to have the best relationship with these parents as possible.”

She added a great one-liner for teachers and parents to keep in mind all across the nation: “The better relationship you have with the parent, the better it’ll be for the kid.” A message that seems obvious can often get lost in all sorts of forums, not just school.

Any way you look at it, Perillo and Podlesny are two of many that are the future of teaching. The issues we see now affect them just as much – probably more – than teachers today. They are studying to be the next group of change-makers.

When the question “How do you feel about the future of teacher compensation?” was brought up, they both looked at each other with a nervous smile. It took a couple of seconds, but Podlesny spoke up.

“I would like to think that something would change, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t,” said Podlesny.

What didn’t take long was the answer to the question that directly followed, when the question “To you two, the aspect of helping others outweighs the personal gain?”

A resounding yes.

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