On the March 8 episode of The Show, we heard about how some efforts to recruit and retain teachers are more effective than others. Now we go inside the classroom, where many in Arizona have been at the center of the debate over everything from masking to vaccines to critical race theory. And teachers are right in the middle of the fray — fielding pandemic measures, virtual learning, low pay, staff shortages and parental pushback.

Now, the National Education Association reports 90% of its teachers say they’re feeling burned out, and more than half say they’re planning to leave the profession earlier than planned because of the pandemic.

Matthew Laskin is one of them. He has been a teacher for more than a decade. He teaches eighth grade social studies in the Deer Valley Unified School District.

The Show spoke with him about all of this, beginning with why he got into the profession to begin with: kids.

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