Crisis in the classroom: The overwhelming response when we asked about the teacher shortage. We received more than a thousand responses from people when we asked the top three reasons behind teacher shortages. Florida leads the nation in teacher shortages, but the national data from Brown University doesn't explain why. Teachers play a crucial role in preparing the next generation and often spend more time with our kids than we do. Lack of pay, hours, stress, and politics are cited as major factors contributing to the shortage.