WAUNAKEE, Wis. — The shortage of teachers in Wisconsin has reached critical levels, affecting classrooms across the state. However, amidst this challenge, some students are taking proactive steps to address the issue.
Avery Tourdot, a determined high school senior, stands out as an example of this initiative.
“I’m a person who doesn’t like to be told no I guess,” Tourdot says.
While many of her peers aspire to careers in business, law, or medicine, Avery dreams of becoming a teacher.
“Every time I talked about being a teacher it was met with negative comments from peers and adults,” she says.
In response to the shortage of teachers and the discouragement she faced, Avery took matters into her own hands. Last year, she founded the Waunakee Future Educators Club, driven by her passion for teaching and a desire to make a difference.
Tom Owenby, Ph.D., from the UW-Madison School of Education, acknowledges the severity of Wisconsin’s teacher shortage, highlighting the alarming increase in emergency teaching certifications over the past decade. He emphasizes the critical need for qualified candidates to fill teaching positions across the state.