Midsemester teacher changes present challenges

The Clark County School District is the fifth-largest school district in the nation. More than 10,000 teachers are employed here, and more come every year. But, the ones who do arrive are not necessarily going to remain in the teaching profession.

Last school year, 101 teachers left the profession to become administrators, according to Robin Rankow, administrative specialist for the district.

"It can hurt a student, but people do leave and you have to take the good with the bad," Rankow said. "We are losing the best of the best, and it is a lack of consistency for the students."

Teachers are hired and sign contracts in August. Their intention to remain throughout the year is put into writing, Rankow said. But, if a teacher is offered a higher position within the district, he or she has the option of leaving the current position if the required interviews, background checks, training and leadership courses have been completed.

The vacant teaching positions can prove difficult to fill, according to Wendy Weatherwax, a math teacher at Coronado High School.

"It's extremely challenging to find math teachers, especially in the middle of the year," she said. "It's challenging at any point."

Weatherwax said that because of the valley's teacher shortage, open positions often are filled with long-term substitutes.

"This situation happens most often, which is unfortunate, because there is no master teacher available to the students. But sometimes, this is the best-case scenario," she said.

Adjusting to a new teacher can be tough for students, especially when the teacher leaves during the middle of the semester versus during the summer or semester breaks.

"It was hard to learn to trust someone new," said Hannah Faux, a Green Valley High School senior, whose social studies teacher left midsemester. "It was hard to adjust to (a) different teaching style because the first teacher was so good."

Dane Watson, a senior at Coronado whose government teacher was promoted midsemester, said a teacher change hurts students' studies.

"I don't think I am learning as much as I did before. I feel like my learning experience has taken a fall off the curb and into the gutter."

When a teacher leaves a school it is not only the students who have to adjust. The teacher's replacement also must deal with repercussions from the transfer.

"This is the first time I've been presented this type of situation," said Antonietta Meli, who replaced a Coronado teacher. "Though we had a difficult set of circumstances to deal with, I'd be hard pressed to take on such a task in the future.

"Given my experience and qualifications in the subject matter, I don't believe that I was at a disadvantage with the material," Meli said. "As far as the students, I believe making a transition in meeting new expectations and criteria has been a challenge."

But despite difficulties, Meli said, learning to adjust to new, unexpected situations is a good lesson for students.

"That is an important life skill that they need to master in order to be successful."