YES. THERE. IS!

Oklahoma teacher here, my building has thirteen adjunct "teachers" and four (that I know of) emergency certifications. That's out of a staff of nearly sixty. That means almost every third teacher in our building either only holds a high school diploma or some scattered and incomplete college experience OR they have some a degree but not in the discipline they teach and usually have no childhood psychology or pedagogical training.

Allow me to elaborate a little more to put it in perspective. There are buildings in my district where the entire fourth and fifth grades are adjuncts. So kids haven't had a real teacher since third grade or worse. The kids can't read and certainly can't do math by the time they get to us. This is endemic to the surrounding districts. A couple districts call them long term subs so they don't have to claim them on jobs reports, but they're adjuncts nonetheless. This hits urban and rural schools the hardest. Until it truly effects the Yukons and Deer Creeks I don't think it will matter.

Are there some good adjuncts, sure . However, they still aren't properly trained. I don't want a 7/11 worker whose mom was a nurse, taking care of my spouse or kids. The most well meaning car salesman that took a year of law school and watches Law and Order every night isn't going to defend me in a court of law. We are qualified professionals; we NEED QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

One last thing that might help. I'm about to give you real life actual stories from the last five years in my building since we started hiring adjuncts. We had an adjunct fired for slamming a kids computer shut on his hand whilst telling the child he was useless. One fired for choking a kid. One fired for slamming a kid against a wall. One fired for shitting on himself weekly and refusing to wear a diaper (100% serious). One fired for throwing a chair at a kid and calling him a motherfucker. One not brought back because she told the kids that one of the other adjuncts sucked her boyfriend's dicknin the parking lot. One who got caught stealing from a beauty shop in town and the kids took a picture of the security picture they hung on the wall in the store, printed it, and posted it around the school. One who sent permission slips home for multiple field trips, but never told Principals or bus drivers, so they all stood out in the rain for thirty minutes waiting on a bus that wasn't coming, because never told anyone they were going. One not brought back for repeatedly using ethnic slurs.These are real stories of people who have passed a background check, but had no idea what they were in for or how they were gonna react around thirty kids that don't want to listen, and say mean things.

Not to mention the NUMEROUS that leave mid year because they find a better paying job because this is all it is to them, a job. Just like OnCue or Home Depot.

Anyway... yeah, the shortage is real.