Michael Zwaagstra: Spending More Money Won’t Fix Ontario’s Teacher Shortage

However, criticizing the premier for wanting teachers to focus on classroom instruction is one of the fastest ways to erode trust in public education. If parents don’t trust schools, their relationship with teachers will deteriorate, which puts added stress on teachers. This stress then contributes to teacher burnout, which leads to more early retirements.
In reality, teachers do need to stick to their knitting, just as Premier Ford said. Instead of defending teachers who push their students into political activism, union leaders should support teachers who put the interests of their students first. Not only would this elevate the status of teaching as a profession, but it would also make the job more appealing to anyone thinking of becoming a teacher.
Simply put, school boards must stop promoting school administrators who prioritize the feelings of violent students over the safety of the other students and their teachers.
To combat the teacher shortage, the Ford government must tackle this problem head on. Simplistic policies such as increasing spending on government schools are not the solution. Real action is needed instead.