Teacher shortages during the 1940s were caused by poor salaries and bad working conditions. Most small communities could not afford to pay even minimal teacher salaries; the average pay was thirty-seven dollars a week. This, coupled with the idea that most teachers were usually responsible for additional activities such as overseeing clubs, athletics, or other social events, made the profession unappealing to most people. After the war there were massive shortages in all fields, so the prospect of teaching was unattractive to all but those who felt called to the profession. (Anyone smart enough to learn a skill could earn more money in another field.) This situation led to an educational crisis and general alarm about the poor quality of teachers. As one Harvard University professor noted, he had "yet to find a first-class person who was preparing to teach in the public school system."
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