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"Commencement"

Music: ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ plays in the background—mixed with voices and outdoor ambient sounds—as if at a graduation ceremony.

McElroy: Across America, graduates are leaving their caps and gowns behind and getting ready to enter the work force. A number of talented young people will become teachers.

I’m Ed McElroy, Secretary Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, the AFT.

Unfortunately, too many of these teachers won’t stay in the profession. Nearly half of entry level teachers leave within five years. The number is even higher in hard-to-staff urban areas.

We simply have to do more to make teaching a desirable long-term career choice. Competitive salaries would help, but that’s not all it will take. Teachers are frustrated with school budget cuts, excessive bureaucracy, large classes and the constant pressure to do more with less.

If we treat teachers as the professionals they are, then our schools will be able to attract and retain the teachers needed for our children’s—and our nation’s—future.

Voice-over: A message from the American Federation of Teachers—doing what works for our public schools.