Even with 6,000 teachers in the 64 school districts across the Texas Panhandle and a few hundred more hired each year, there remains a major shortage of educators.
So, Tuesday morning was time to celebrate. To the thundering chorus of the Palo Duro High School marching band and cheers from Randall High School cheerleaders, about 200 high school seniors marched into the Education Service Center Region 16 Conference Center.
The students were there becuase they all have expressed interest in being teachers, and Region 16, the Texas Association of Future Educators and other partners wanted to make sure they had all the information they needed about the experience of being an educator and the college pathways and financial aid information they need to reach their goals.
Across the Panhandle and across Texas, many rural districts are experiencing major teacher shortages, and all districts are experiencing shortages of teachers in core subjects such as math and science.
More about Tuesday's pep rally:
Mike Smith is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. Contact him at mike.smith@actx.edu, on Twitter at @newsmithm and on Facebook.
Learn Here is sponsored by Education Credit Union.
