Hamilton County Teacher Recruiting Fair

INDIANAPOLIS — With over a thousand vacant teaching positions across the state, central Indiana school districts are stepping up recruiting efforts to fill those positions. Lindsey Bradshaw, a 7th grade science teacher for Hamilton Southeastern Schools, said, “I think I have the best job in the world.” Nearly two decades later, her love for teaching has never changed.

“I think I have the best job in the world. I love going to school every day to see my 150 7th graders and teach them biology, rocks, and all of the things that people don't think are interesting at all. But I love it, and I think that's what makes teachers unique,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw explained how difficult it is for teachers to navigate through a shortage of educators. “It really boils down a lot to class sizes, you know, and when you start getting class sizes that are over, what you know, the state average, and what you know, what we feel as teachers are the best to be,” Bradshaw said.

On Wednesday, Noblesville Schools is partnering with Carmel-Clay, Hamilton Southeastern, Westfield Washington, and Zionsville community schools to host a teacher recruiting fair. “Anything that brings new, young and old people to our districts and our profession is fantastic,” Bradshaw said.

A spokesman for the Indiana State Teachers’ Associations says there are currently 1,475 open teacher jobs posted on the state’s teacher job bank. When he searched within 25 miles of Noblesville, there were 807 jobs posted.

Bradshaw hopes interested Hoosiers look past issues brought on by a shortage of teachers to be a part of the good changes that come with the profession. “We are the front lines to everything else like no one does what they do without their teachers. We are the teachers of every profession out there,” Bradshaw said.

The recruiting fair will be held from 5-7 p.m. at the Carmel Educational Services Center on Wednesday.