She became the face of the teacher crisis in the US

USA: – Many people think that being a teacher is easy, and that our job is something anyone can do. We are becoming less and less appreciated.

Hope Brown sits in her classroom at Woodford County High School in the small town of Versailles, Kentucky. 

Behind her, the American flag hangs on the wall.It has been six years since the history teacher became nationally known when she graced the cover of Time Magazine. 

"I have a master’s degree, 16 years of experience, work two extra jobs, and donate blood plasma to pay the bills," was the headline. After 22 years in the job and with maximum seniority, she earns $60,000 a year. 

She has to set aside money herself for retirement, insurance, and healthcare costs. But now, she can no longer supplement her income by giving blood, as she used to.

– I've gotten so much scar tissue that it's no longer advisable. But I still have a side job with my husband to make ends meet.

She and her husband organize history-based tours in Kentucky to make sure they have enough money.

– Every teacher I know who doesn't have a spouse earning a lot has a side job as a server, coach, or something similar. No one can manage on a teacher’s salary alone.

Works on Sundays

The United States, like many other countries, is facing a teacher crisis. Estimates say that the country will have around 225,000 vacant teaching positions by 2025. When the 2022 school year began, Florida alone was short 8,000 teachers. Authorities there asked military veterans to step in.

Hope Brown has no doubt about the cause of the teacher shortage.

– To get more teachers, salaries have to go up. I'm at the top of the pay scale and can't make it on the salary I have. More money is the answer, she says.

– Teachers should also be respected. Everyone thinks they know how the job should be done. They need to understand that teaching and being a teacher is a profession.

Hope’s workday starts at eight o'clock every day. She works until 3:30 in the afternoon. During those hours, she has a 25-minute lunch break. In theory, time is also set aside for preparing lessons. That time is often taken up by meetings.

– It's rare that I get to prepare anything during the week. I end up doing that every Sunday. I also respond to my students' messages in the evenings and on weekends, she says.

Her classes have up to 32 students. Some have Spanish as their first language. Some have Russian. Hope has an assistant who speaks Spanish. No one speaks Russian. Throughout the year, the students take tests and exams, with some results published at the school level.

– When I test my students on a subject, the administration knows how the students are doing. This way, they can see how the Spanish-speaking students are doing, as well as those who qualify for free lunch and come from low-income families.

Don't Say Gay

Before Hope began at Woodford County High School, she worked at a school where they required her to sign a contract stating that there were topics she would not teach. On the list were gender, sex, sexual orientation, religion, and politics.

– I quit my job there. It is nearly impossible to teach history without talking about politics or religion. But many believe that we teachers are indoctrinating students with both. Parents and politicians fear that teachers are influencing students to become "queer."

Kentucky has passed the "Don't Say Gay" law. This means that it is not allowed for teachers in schools and kindergartens to discuss sexual orientation. 

Other states have passed similar restrictions. Take Florida, for instance. There, it is forbidden to discuss sexual orientation in schools. Tennessee bans teachers from talking about certain aspects of race and racism. And Utah has banned 13 books in school libraries, including titles by Margaret Atwood.

The freedom of speech and the ability to discuss what is happening in society has changed a lot during her years as a teacher, Hope says.

– We noticed a shift during Barack Obama's inauguration. In the past, I had always shown the president's inaugural address. Then I got word from the administration that it shouldn't be shown in the classroom.

– Afraid to speak out

Hope says many teachers rarely dare to speak publicly about issues that concern them.

– We have closed groups online, where we can discuss issues and ask for advice. Most choose to remain anonymous there as well.

She also notes more unrest in the classroom now than before. This summer, Utdanningsnytt reported that while 65 percent of American teachers said they had experienced violence or threats from a student before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number is now up to 80 percent.

– It has also become harder to keep students' attention. Cell phones are a big problem, and the students seem directly addicted to them, like a drug. I wish they weren't allowed, says Hope.

But not everything is going in the wrong direction.

–  Today, we are more focused on how students learn and adapt our teaching to that. I use artificial intelligence, among other things, to facilitate students who need individual programs, says Hope.

Despite the challenges, she is happy with her career choice. It was her son's teacher who inspired her.

– One of my two children struggled to learn to read. But in fourth grade, he had a teacher who helped him crack the code. He loved her. That's when I decided to retrain as a teacher, and I haven't regretted it, she says.

– I believe it was meant for me to become a teacher. But I wish it was possible to do my job and earn a salary that I could live on.