CA is one of the lowest in the country for how much money each student gets from the state. Our huge district got a businessman superintendent in 1999 and within 3 years 50% of the support staff and teachers were gone, never to be replaced. Who does the work of these people when they are gone? The ones who are left. The pay was already low, then the work load increased 30%. Then the recession hit and for over 5 years we had no COLA increase and rising health insur co-pays and were told that if we strike they would issue more pink slips.
Meanwhile we had to teach and do more in less time as teaching to the test was what we did almost all day, even in first grade. Don't forget all the new tech to constantly learn and teach as well as parents who spoil their kids and administrators who support the parents instead of the teachers. The environment is almost toxic.
When I started teaching one out of three teachers quit withing their first five years in a real classroom. That number is down to the first three years now. I was constantly sick and had to be hospitalized twice since the district was too cheap to hire subs. My classroom had to be torn down to black mold. Kids were always sick too.
I told all my high school volunteers not to become teachers. We all told them this, some of them listened.
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