One of our fourth-grade teachers left in the first quarter. We couldn't find a teacher to fill the position, so our students had a handful of substitutes throughout the second quarter. Students were having angry outbursts. Some did not feel safe and secure, so they consistently sought teachers. One boy didn't do any work during the second quarter, and nothing was done to help him because nobody knew about it.
Students feel the teacher shortage.
They don't have a sense of consistency or permanency when teachers come and go. We need to pay our teachers more so we can keep them here. A stevedore earns two to three times more than a teacher without a college degree because he can hold the public hostage over toilet paper and rice. About 800 more will soon be retiring. New graduates are taking jobs on the Mainland because the pay is so much better.