So many Florida teachers have abandoned their profession in recent years that the state is inviting military veterans with no prior teaching experience to lead classrooms while they earn education credentials.
Elsewhere across the United States as school resumed this August and September, districts have beamed virtual teachers into classrooms from several states away and offered bonuses to lure back retirees.
Education experts say teacher shortages they have been warning about for years grew worse during the coronavirus pandemic, when teachers who did not die or become gravely ill faced new stresses such as remote learning or exposure to potentially sick students.
