Thousands of teachers needed in California

There is a teacher shortage not only in California but on the national level. California, however, has been hit the hardest with four out of every five districts experiencing a shortage.

A search on Indeed.com comes up with 8,647 listings for teachers in California. That puts the glaring demand for teachers into perspective.

“I think trying to streamline it more, because in the liberal studies degree, you’re taking a lot of general ed classes,” said Ryan Silveira, a paraprofessional from Turlock High School.

Student teachers say low salaries make the job less appealing.

“I do think that the main reason is the pay,” says Joshua Silveira, an instructional aid at Merquin Elementary.

Even with all of this, the inspiration to teach children is not lost, as students remember what or who got them there. Like Mady DaRosa, a student teacher at Elim Elementary.

“I think also a part of it could be that one of my biggest role models has been my grandmother, who was a teacher, so I had a lot of exposure to that from a young age,” says DaRosa.

While the gap won’t be closed by just these three students, it shows that people still want to teach and lead the next generation.