Thousands of teachers are being laid off all over the USA. Education officials are worried, not only about the quality of public education now, but about the long term effects of these lay offs.

Besides the hardships placed on the teachers who are getting laid off, there is the future of the teaching field at stake. With a bleak future, many young people are choosing to NOT enter the education field. And who can blame them?

Over the next decade, tens of thousands of teachers will be reaching retirement age. The fear is that there will be not enough teachers available to fill those openings. Teachers laid off this year cannot afford to wait for those retirements to arrive. Laid off teachers, counselors and administrators are being forced to enter new job fields. Enrollment in teacher education degree programs is falling due to the current economic conditions.

But come four years from now, it is going to be crunch time. Suddenly there will be job openings and not enough graduates to fill them. Now IS the time to begin earning a teaching credential.

The current administration is addressing the problem in its own way. Events are planned to highlight the importance of the teaching profession as integral to the very future of our country.

But can any event succeed in elevating the teaching profession to a place of honor while pink slips are being handed out to public school teachers across the nation?