Despite the well-known challenges associated with being a teacher, a job fair for prospective teachers drew large crowds Wednesday at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church, Virginia.
The job fair was hosted by Fairfax County Public Schools, which said it was seeking more employees for positions, such as teachers, counselors, instructional assistants and substitute teachers.
“I just really want to give back to the kids,” said Jesse Dean, who went to the job fair to learn more about becoming a full-time teacher. “They really need to know that there are adults around them that hear them, see them and listen to them.”
Kevin Black, who had been a substitute teacher before, wanted to sign up to do it once again.
Black acknowledged that there has been a pandemic hangover among many students. He said some students are used to learning virtually on computers.
Christine Risi also went to the fair to learn about becoming a substitute.
“You can pick and choose the schools you want to work at,” Risi said. “I’m taking the substitute teacher route because I think that being a teacher right now is quite overwhelming coming off COVID and everything.”
Last month, a federal test known as the nation’s report card showed that math and reading scores among 13-year-olds in the U.S. fell to their lowest levels in decades, with math scores plunging by the largest margin ever recorded.
In the national sample of 13-year-old students, average math scores fell by nine points between 2020 and 2023. Reading scores fell by four points.
The test, formally called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, was administered from October to December last year to 8,700 students in each subject.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
