Teacher shortages are real, but not for the reason you heard

Rochester City School District teacher applicants apply during a recruitment event at the Mercantile On Main, in Rochester, NY, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. Everywhere, it seems, the return to school has been shadowed by worries of a teacher shortage. The U.S. education secretary has called for investment to keep teachers from quitting. A teachers union leader has described it as a five-alarm crisis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson)