After retirement, Memphis teacher reflects on return to classroom; says no regrets

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - In the years following the COVID-19 shutdown, the entire country faced a teacher shortage crisis.

In 2022 Tennessee lawmakers rolled out all types of incentives to get educators in the classroom.

We caught up with one retired teacher who answered that call to see what life in the classroom has been like since she’s been back.

“All of my colleagues who worked with me in school who are still retired. They thought I had lost my mind. I think they thought I was having some sort of breakdown,” said Letha Reed who spent 23 years as a school teacher before calling it quits in 2020.

We featured Reed last year on Action News 5 when she made the bold decision to return to the classroom.

Reed said the biggest struggle was embracing all the new technology and some of the new literature being required for students.

“New stories, same standards, I can teach English with my eyes closed,” said Reed.

Reed came back to the classroom during a push to fill a slew of post-COVID teacher vacancies.

A Tennessee law that went into effect in 2022 offered retirement checks to retirees at 70% value while working and collecting a salary.

It’s not a bad deal, but for Bluff City High School principal Chad Everett, Reed filled another vacancy in the school system, teacher mentorship.

“With the impacts of COVID a number of our veteran teachers left the classrooms, and we were already having conversations pre covid about teacher preparation programs and equipping teachers coming into the program,” said Everett.

Reed says she is enjoying her second year in the classroom, but only time will tell if she returns for year 3 after retirement.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 9% of local public education jobs were lost due to the pandemic.

As of September 2023, that number is below 1 percent returning to pre-pandemic levels.

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