SALT LAKE CITY — If you’re a former teacher, Utah’s Board of Education wants you back and the superintendent is asking you how to make that happen.
So far, State Superintendent Syndee Dickson has found that “Coming back, for them, is more about the working conditions than it is the salary,” she said.
“They’ve been in the classroom, and they know what it’s like. They’re also a bit reticent to know what they might be facing in today’s classroom.”
That would include more support from administrators, parents, peers, and counselors.
The legislature and school districts have boosted education funding, including teacher salaries, for three straight years.
At a news conference at the Utah State Capitol, Envision Utah launched returntoteaching.org, a quick questionnaire to match their skills and interests.
Utah’s teacher of the year, Aaryn Burchill, urges former teachers not to remember the bad days.
“It wouldn’t be very fair,” she said. “Would we ever think, ‘I don’t think I can do this for 20 years?’ Of course not, because the next day is better.”
Burchill wants them to remember the rewards of shaping students’ lives.