It is well known that Maine is having difficulty recruiting and retaining educators. History teaches us why.

Importantly, Title IX was ushered in during 1972, which, among other things, prohibited denying admission of a person into an educational or training program on the basis of gender. Later, in 1974, the Equal Rights Amendment was ratified in Maine (though not gender discrimination), and shone a light on gender inequities.

Women could then apply for – and expect – equal treatment when applying to college in any major. With many careers available, we saw talented people who might have become teachers become everything but.

In 1983, “A Nation at Risk” was published by the United States National Commission on Excellence in Education, crucifying public education. Now we had “experts” who had never taught telling professional educators how to teach. Discontent grew among my colleagues.

Federal intrusion and “No Child Left Behind” significantly increased the federal role in student accountability, further decreasing classroom autonomy. The vitriol espoused during this time began a steep, downward spiral of people choosing a lifetime in the classroom. Standards, outcomes and high-stake testing weighed on professional educators who had once shared the joy of teaching.

The “Common Core State Standards” were voluntarily adopted by state legislatures, forcing another wedge between love of teaching and “meeting the standards.”

The “Race to the Top” further exacerbated the federal processes of NCLB and CCSS, adding a layer of competition for federal dollars. Testing became paramount and teachers were accused of “teaching to the test.” We continued to see decreased numbers of students entering college education programs.

Then came the pandemic.

Absenteeism, lack of student accountability, constant criticism, and issues with the internet, weighed heavily on the psyche of teachers and students. Teacher flight escalated.

Teachers returned to schools with significantly more behavior issues being reported. Currently colleagues report being hit, kicked, spit on, bitten, jumped on and having things thrown at them. Parents threaten, harass and use social media to bully educators on a daily basis. Safety has become something teachers deal with each day. Even Maine has seen its share of school emergencies.

Pay and respect, and their impact on the current lack of interest in becoming a career teacher, have become the focus. Teachers in Maine earn the lowest educator salaries in New England and, when adjusted for cost of living, the sixth-lowest in the nation. That’s certainly part of the picture. Negativity, toxic governance, outside interference and safety further discourage education as a career for the most talented graduates.

Now Maine is moving to lower the entry requirements to fill empty positions. At one time, Maine leaders talked about enticing the “best and the brightest” into education. Putting ill-prepared new recruits into academic positions with additional responsibilities for student social, emotional and physical well-being will not solve the problem.

Maine should consider doing the opposite. Change the rhetoric about education, do it quickly and do it loudly.

Raise pay to compete with other professional positions, not in increments, in real cash now. Allow teacher autonomy. Increase teacher voice in decision-making. Adopt the new assessments, and test what is taught in a thoughtful, authentic way. Scale back the standards and make expectations attainable. Ditch the canned lessons that keep all kids on the same page on the same day. Increase adult to child interaction by increasing staffing numbers particularly for children at risk. Engage students and educators in team-building and exploration. Build partnership opportunities for both students and teachers. Let the professionals do their job without interference. Give time to problem-solving, critical thinking and imaginative thinking “outside the box.” Allow the love for teaching to permeate the classroom environment.

Until we recognize that our public education system requires an infusion of support at many levels, we can expect to see a continued decrease of entrants into teaching and an increased exodus of experienced, veteran educators. It’s a loss for Maine now and for our future.

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