The new teachers we've been hiring over the last six years are top-quality people who look at Yonkers as somewhere they want to spend their careers. Until Yonkers raised salaries, Yonkers' teachers left for New York City and surrounding suburban counties. Today, that trend has reversed. Many people I know like to compare teaching to other white-color jobs. It is one of the toughest.
Teaching also is an excellent scapegoat.
Two years ago, I interviewed Roderick McDavis, then-dean of the University of Florida College of Education. That's No. 1. Today, when high school and middle school students look at careers, they look at how much money they can earn. I think that's especially true with men. Young men tend not to look at education as a career path because they don't feel they'll be able to earn enough money to take care of a family.