On the back to school shopping list this year: backpacks, notebooks, pencils, and teachers?

Many districts across the country are on the hunt for candidates to check staffing off their list.

"It takes a very, very special kind of person to be a teacher."

That's what Conemaugh Valley High School graduate Taylor Price told 6 News on Friday Morning.

As she approaches her freshman year at Pitt-Johnstown, she recently had a change in career plans.

"I was considering a lot of other things," she said.

Now, she'll be majoring in Elementary Education, after the teacher shortage gave her the final push.

The teacher shortage definitely, I would say, is on my side with this. When I graduate, I'm hopefully going to be able to get a job fairly quickly compared to previous years," Price told 6 News.

The American Federation of Teachers cites low pay, pandemic challenges, large class sizes, and student disrespect as reasons for the shortage.

With many people going into the career out of the goodness of their hearts.

"I absolutely love helping people, especially kids. I was able to express myself and be creative. The teachers always supported me, and I want to be that for a bunch of kids someday," Price said.

According to a report released last month from the American Federation of Teachers:

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 300,000 teachers were leaving the profession each year, and schools were also facing persistent shortages among the school support staff who play such a vital role in every child’s school day. The pandemic only made things worse."

Research shows it's hard to tell exactly how many classrooms affected by this since there's no national database to track it.

"We need people everywhere -- not only in Johnstown -- but all over the United States. So, if you really have the heart, you love kids, and you want to make an impact on this world, I absolutely encourage to go into the education field," Price said.