Yesterday was the first day of National Teacher Appreciation Week, officially dedicated to say thank you to the extraordinary educators who work tirelessly with students and families throughout the year.

Dr. Jon Turner, associate professor of education and leadership at Missouri State University, spends much of his time advocating for Missouri teachers, especially in rural districts.

This year, he says there are simply less teachers to appreciate as a national shortage continues to plague the profession.

Turner talks about the reasons why and what we can do to fix it going forward.

Read the full transcript