A Missouri high school teacher's advice column helps celebrate students — 'and ourselves'
Kem Smith, an English teacher at McCluer North High School in Florissant, Missouri understands why many teachers may want to quit their jobs. Years ago, she did.
More than half of teachers are considering quitting their jobs, according to a survey earlier this year from the National Education Association.
Since 2020, an estimated 600,000 teachers have already left the profession as they face stress and staffing shortages that have worsened during the pandemic.
Kem Smith is an English teacher at McCluer North High School, in Florissant, Missouri. She understands why teachers want to quit because, years ago, she did.
But the joy of her calling brought her back to the classroom. And now she’s helping guide others with an advice column for Chalkbeat called “After the Bell.”
Interview Highlights
On telling teachers ‘you are doing better than you think’
