Open Call for Teacher Submissions: The Teacher Pay Crisis

The Teacher Pay Crisis: Why Educators Are Quitting and What It Means for Schools

Across the country, educators are being forced to make impossible choices: stay in a profession they love while struggling to make ends meet, or leave for jobs that offer financial security and work-life balance.

At Teachers in Their Power, we want to amplify the voices of educators who are living this reality. Your stories matter — not just to other teachers, but to parents, policymakers, and communities who need to understand what’s at stake.

Who can submit?

Current PreK-12 teachers.

The word teacher is intentionally used to bring more power to this title and keep the focus on PreK-12 educators who work within school systems. School educators who work directly with students — including paraprofessionals, speech language pathologists, and counselors — are welcome.

Frame your thoughts on teacher pay for maximum impact

We know the challenges are real — but research shows that simply stating “the system is broken” often leads to public disengagement rather than action. Instead of reinforcing frustration, we encourage educators to frame their stories in ways that inspire understanding, urgency, and solutions about the teacher pay crisis:

✔️ Make it personal, but connect it to the bigger picture.

• Share a real moment or experience, but tie it to broader trends in education.
• Example: “Last year, I took on a second job delivering groceries to make rent. I never imagined I’d have a master’s degree and still be living paycheck to paycheck—but I know I’m not alone. Across the U.S., teachers are being forced out of the classroom because our salaries don’t cover basic living expenses.”

✔️ Describe the impact on students.

• Many people care deeply about teacher well-being but feel most moved by how it affects children’s education.
• Example: “When my colleague left mid-year for a corporate job that paid $20K more, her students lost a teacher who knew them, understood their learning needs, and believed in them. It took months for them to adjust — and their progress suffered.”

✔️ Offer solutions, not just problems.

• Show what’s working in schools or districts that are successfully retaining teachers.
• Example: “In my district, we fought for and won a pay raise that kept experienced teachers in the classroom. The result? Less turnover, better morale, and more stability for students. If we invest in teachers, we invest in student success.”

✔️ Avoid “us vs. them” language.

• Parents, administrators, and policymakers are not the enemy — frame them as potential allies.
• Example: “We all want great teachers in our schools, but too many are leaving because they can’t afford to stay. Communities, school boards, and legislators have the power to fix this.”

✔️ Challenge misconceptions with facts and experiences.

• Many people don’t realize how low teacher salaries really are. Use concrete examples.
• Example: “After 10 years of teaching, I make $56,000. With rent, student loans, and childcare, I have less than $100 left at the end of each month. This is why teachers are leaving — and why we need real change.”

✔️ End with a call to action.

• Leave your audience with a clear takeaway — what can they do to help?
• Example: “If we want qualified, passionate teachers in classrooms, we need to pay them like professionals. Ask your local representatives what they’re doing to increase teacher salaries and keep educators in schools.”

Framing your story in these ways ensures your voice is not just heard, but that it moves people to care, engage, and take action.

Explore the process

Guide on filming and uploading your video 

Devices

You can record your video using any device of your choice: a camera, a phone, or a computer. We recommend creating a short test video to check that everything is working properly before recording your full story.

Here are some step-by-step guides and resources you might want to use:

Lighting & Sound

Record in a well-lit space free of ambient noise. If you’re worried about background noise, you can use headphones with a mic. We strongly recommend doing a couple test recordings to check that everything’s working before you get started.

Layout

To ensure your video fits the layout on different platforms, please record in landscape (horizontally). Situate yourself in the center third of the frame.

No Editing Needed

If you’re submitting your video to Teachers in Their Power, you don’t need to worry about editing! We’ll clean everything up and format your video for posting to different platforms. We prefer if the video does not include text or effects.

But if you’re feeling ambitious, you can check out the free version of our go-to editing tool, Descript, and share your Descript file with us.

Ethical & Legal Considerations

Please don’t mention students, parents, or other individuals by name. Avoid any potentially identifying details. And if you’re not sure, err on the side of caution. “I was teaching in a small town in Kansas” instead of “I was teaching in Cottonwood Falls” is just fine.

Submission

If you’d like your video to be considered for inclusion on Teachers in Their Power, you can submit it via this Google form.

Create your story

Having trouble of thinking of what to say in your video? One recommendation is to use the And, But, So (ABS) Framework. The purpose of this particular storytelling framework is to drive people to take an action.

Example:

Teachers shape the future, and our work is essential to every child’s success. We provide not just knowledge, but stability, mentorship, and the foundation for lifelong opportunity.

But across the country, many experienced teachers are struggling to afford basic necessities — some working second jobs to stay afloat, others leaving the classroom altogether. As a result, schools are facing a growing teacher shortage, and students are losing the educators they depend on.

So if we want strong schools and thriving communities, we must ensure that teaching remains a sustainable, respected profession. Investing in competitive salaries, retention incentives, and policies that keep great teachers in classrooms isn’t just about educators — it’s about the future of our children and our country.

You could ask yourself:

• What problems related to this issue are you facing that you wish would be addressed?
  • What do you love that’s at risk because of this problem?
  • Explain this problem like you’re explaining it to someone who knows nothing about education.
  • What should we do as a society to address this problem? 

Or, you could work backwards from the action you know you want people to take:

• What is the problem this action addresses?
• Explain this problem like you’re explaining it to someone who knows nothing about education.
• What do you love that’s at risk because of this problem?

You don’t need to write out your story before recording — in fact, we recommend not doing that. Instead, imagine that you’re doing a casual, conversational interview with someone asking you these questions. In your recording, simply answer the questions the way you would in a conversation. It’s absolutely fine if there are hesitations, repetitions, or moments of silent reflection in your recording. We’ll take care of all that during our editing process.

Once you’re set up, it should take you less than 30 minutes to record your self-interview. Submissions can be anywhere from 3 to 30 minutes, but we find that the ideal length tends to be about 10 (unedited) minutes. If your story is accepted for inclusion on Teachers in Their Power, it will most likely be edited down.

Ready to get started?

Submit your story