Positive reinforcement takes control away from the school system.
By Sapphire Perez, Staff Reporter
I’ve worked with children since 2022, and I understand why many people no longer want to become teachers. I believe there are ways we can fix this dilemma.
For the past year and a half, I’ve worked as an after-school educator for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students. I’ve seen firsthand why there is a teacher shortage.
Educational reforms have changed the way teachers interact with students. Although these changes seem good in theory, they often make it harder for teachers to set and reinforce high expectations.
The shortage didn’t begin with the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2016, the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute reported that from 2009 to 2014, there was a 35-percent drop in teacher education enrollments. Five years later, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education found that while educator preparation programs remained steady through the pandemic, at least one-third of programs reported staffing cuts.
Burnout and emotional exhaustion have caused some teachers to reconsider their careers, according to the National Education Association. These feelings are compounded by what teachers describe as a lack of administrative support and rising student behavior issues.
The program I work for discourages us from telling children to put their heads down or tell them “no.” Instead, we are expected to rely solely on positive reinforcement. This means avoiding negative language and suggesting alternative actions. For example, instead of telling a child not to run with scissors, you tell them to walk.
While this method has benefits, the program fails to recognize how mentally exhausting it is to manage more than 30 young children a day. When I ask students to freeze and put their heads down, it’s not to punish them—it’s to give both the students and myself a needed break from the noise and overstimulation.
Many children also need one-on-one attention, which isn’t always possible in a busy classroom. It’s difficult for young students to understand that a teacher’s focus must be shared with everyone, not just one child. When multiple students compete for attention, it can lead to frustration—for both students and teachers.
Sometimes, the whole class needs a brief moment to reset.
Positive reinforcement doesn’t always work, especially when a child repeatedly engages in disruptive behavior. In those cases, occasional phrases like “please stop,” “please don’t do that,” or “no more” are necessary to help students understand when their actions are inappropriate.
Without clear boundaries, how will children know when they’ve crossed a line? We should absolutely praise students when they meet expectations, but we must also correct and redirect them when needed.
California State Senate Bill 291 makes it illegal to take away a child’s recess time, recognizing play as essential for healthy development. I agree with this—recess should not be withheld arbitrarily—but consequences for behavior still matter.
Playtime is deeply important to children. If teachers can’t use it as leverage, they’re left in long, frustrating arguments with five-year-olds. That’s something any parent or educator can understand. If there’s no incentive to listen, some students just won’t. Teachers must balance times for work and times for play.
It’s natural for young children to make mistakes, but there needs to be a better system for addressing those mistakes and helping students learn and grow. Dealing with these situations daily, for hours at a time, is what leads to increased teacher burnout. Reading the statistics is one thing; living it is another.
Often, the only option teachers have is to talk to parents. In my experience, that rarely results in meaningful change. Administrators face their own limitations too. Without structural changes, teachers are left with few tools to manage behavior effectively.
I don’t think this cycle happens because people are bad parents. It’s a reflection of how children experience different environments. What’s expected at home doesn’t always match what’s needed at school.
Still, children need structure and routine. When teachers are stripped of the ability to create that structure, the entire system begins to collapse.