This Teacher Appreciation Week, Give Teachers Something They Really Want

A year ago, I went out to dinner with colleagues to a cute outdoor restaurant in downtown Manhattan. The waitress came over to get our order, and we struck up a conversation. It wasn’t a few minutes later that she told us she was moonlighting at the restaurant. Her day job: NYC public school teacher. She couldn’t earn enough to support her family, so she waitressed when she could. Including on school nights. She was tired, and she had no choice.

She wasn’t alone. More than half of all American teachers work outside of their full-time teaching jobs, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, with 17% working outside education, including driving Ubers, gardening, retail, and, yes, waitressing.

Read the full article here.

Recent News

2024 was a year of bold strides and transformative collaborations at Beyond100K. Dive into our Year in Review to discover how our network is tackling the STEM teacher shortage, centering equity and belonging, and building momentum toward preparing 150,000 diverse STEM teachers by 2032.
In her latest article, our executive director and founder Talia, offers five actionable strategies to cultivate optimism, building on her exploration of how a shift from “what’s holding us back” to “what’s possible” can transform lives.
Beyond100K welcomes 41 new partners committed to diversifying STEM education and tackling the STEM teacher shortage nationwide.