why would gen X teachers behave differently from gen Xers in other jobs?

over and over, articles like this one cite very real statistics that about one-third of new teachers leave the classroom within three years, and about half leave within five. okay, yes, this is problematic because in combination with the fact that most teachers’ retirement systems allow teachers to retire after 30 years without substantial incentives to stay longer (22 + 30 = 52), lots of teachers are leaving the classroom at both ends. attrition is something around 9 percent a year, and it has the potential to grow even larger.

now, don’t get me wrong, i know that teacher recruitment and retention is a major problem. but the assumption that young teachers are leaving because there is a problem with the education system seems really stupid considering that changing jobs every 2-4 years is a pretty defining characteristic of generation X in the workforce. we watched our (mostly) baby boom generation parents deal with the aftermath of the conflict between their gold-watch attitude and the volatile business world of the ’80s and ’90s. we learned early on that the only place in the world you can’t be replaced is in your family, so we don’t have the kind of loyalty to our employers that prior generations did. we believe that the way for us to get ahead in our careers is to switch jobs and move up the career ladder because no one is going to do that for us.

i started my career in the classroom, taught for 3 years, left and went into a job at a policy non-profit, kept that job for about 2.5 years, left and went to work for the US department of education. so, yeah, i’m 29, and i’ve had 3 major job changes in the 7 years since i completed undergrad. pretty typical, i think.

it seems to me that rather than whining about young teachers leaving the classroom, we should be changing the pay and authority structures in the education system to meet the needs of modern employees. generation X teachers are not going to behave differently than those in other positions, and we certainly aren’t going to stay in a place that treats us from the get-go like we’re going to leave. if we want them to stay in teaching, we need

1. career ladders that allow effective teachers to be promoted in responsibility and salary while still teaching
2. pay scales based on effectiveness rather than years of service and education level
3. to appreciate the contributions that they are making today, nurture their professional development and wish them well when it is time for them to move on

from my perspective, as a former teacher whose future plans were totally changed by my experience in the classroom, young teachers leaving to pursue higher education, other career fields and family will be lifelong activists for high-quality public education no matter where their career path takes them, and that’s not such a bad thing either.