Journal Article — Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Personal Conflicts, Social Dilemmas — by P. E. Gracey III

The social dilemma that I explore in this paper has great relevance to my life. I have chosen to investigate the recent shortage of teachers in our educational school systems. I view this to be a major social problem that will affect almost everyone. This topic will also relate to my own life in various ways. First, I will look at the reasons I have chosen to enter the educational field. I will relate my personal career choice to those of others that are in a similar situation. Next, I will look at the problem of teacher shortages. I will look at some of the personal dilemmas that I am facing and link them to the social factors surrounding teacher shortages. Lastly I will explore the ways that society is combating this problem and look at how these solutions connect to my own life. I hope that this exploration will provide me with some answers, or at least some options, as to where my career is headed. Throughout this paper I will look at the issue of teacher shortages in terms of my own experiences, ideas, and emotions that are related to the educational field.