The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s education team is reflecting on some stories published in 2023. Here’s the latest in this series.
Daniel Garcia, Ku Htaw and Brandon Wyatt opened their classrooms to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to let reporters see how first-year teachers learn to connect with their students and deliver lessons.
They also opened up about the challenges and triumphs of the work — even making recommendations for their districts and offering insight about the next steps in their careers.
Spoiler warning: Htaw stayed in her job. Garcia and Wyatt left theirs.
Across their varied experiences were some constants. They all started and ended the year passionate about education. They dealt with stress and powered through tough days. They shared emotional farewells with their students at the end of the school year.
They also shined a spotlight on the factors that drive some away from teaching — factors that districts across the country are trying to address as some struggle to retain teachers and fill teaching positions.
Garcia, a seventh grade teacher, spoke at length about needing more administrative support and feeling he was being blamed for problems outside his control. Wyatt took on stress as he and his third graders tackled high-stakes testing for the first time. Htaw, a high-level math teacher, had to revisit past topics that some students weren’t able to learn properly during the online-only phase of the pandemic.
Districts have turned to educational opportunities, like free master’s degree programs, as incentives. Some systems — along with the governor — know that money talks and have provided retention bonuses.
The start of the calendar year is typically when teachers decide whether to renew their contracts. Those retention rates may indicate whether efforts by the district and state are working, and if they need to get more creative to keep their teachers happy.
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