JIM THORPE, Pa. — Steve Christ is getting ready for his first full year at Jim Thorpe Area High School. He just started teaching band, choir, and theater at the high school in February and says he never planned for a career in public education.
"I thought I was going to be an orchestral clarinet player. And I thought I would be with an orchestra, and I'm honestly happier," Christ said.
He felt a calling to educate the next generation of students, a calling that isn't as popular as it used to be.
"We get to be the parent in the absence of the parents, which is an awesome gift, and so super fun, but at the same time, that puts a lot on the plate while still teaching Spanish," said Johanna Frey, a Spanish teacher with Jim Thorpe Area High School.
According to Penn State's Center for Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis's most recent study, the state has seen a more than 60 percent decline in teaching certificates since 2010.
That decline is a concern for administrators like Jim Thorpe High School Principal Tom Lesisko when trying to fill open positions.
"Going into the interview, where we used to have maybe five to eight candidates, if we have one to three, well, if we have three, we're lucky," he said.
While staff shortages in public education are hurting schools throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg Area School District has been one of the few to see an uptick in new teachers.
"Since the start of the school year last year, we have managed to recruit and hire 60 new staff members to our district," said Stephen Zall, East Stroudsburg's human resources director.
Their strategy is to incentivize college students on track to get their teaching certificate in a few years.
"Who've gone to school here in the county, they've attended a local university like East Stroudsburg University, and now they're starting their first year of teaching in our school district," said Eric Forsyth, East Stroudsburg's communications director.
Despite the lack of people wanting to get certified, Christ is still optimistic about the future of education.
"A lot of the decisions, I think, why people are leaving education are based off all of these short-term problems instead of playing the long-term social and emotional goals of actually having an impact on your community," explained Christ.
He hopes others will have a calling like he did to be a teacher in the public school system.
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