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Job market probably not only reason for shortage

Substitute teaching has been opened up to anyone with a bachelor's degree who meets other requirements of the school district in which he or she might work.

Still there is a shortage of substitutes.

Part of the problem was attributed -- by those quoted in today's page one story about the shortage -- to the current job market, with nearly full employment found across the nation.

Hints of other reasons may have been in Wednesday's articles about two principals retiring from Tiffin's middle school and junior high school.

Joe Silardi at the junior high, commenting on changes in children's attitudes, said, "They are a lot more outspoken. They are not afraid of someone in a position of authority, like they were in the past.''

Terry Phillips, after noting that the number of high achieving students has remained about the same, said, "But we also have more of the lower motivated, low achieving students. You used to see more kids fall in the middle range.''

It is possible that it would be easier to find willing substitute teachers nowadays if more parents sent their children to school ready to learn and to respect teachers and other adults.

We can offer no clue as to how this might be accomplished.

But it stands to reason that qualified people, when there are other jobs available that offer benefits and expectations of ongoing work, might reject work as a substitute if equated to frequent days of turmoil.