Increased teacher shortage expected after boomers retire
Posted April 27, 2009 at 9:23 pm
The retirement of the baby boomers will be accompanied by many problems, including an increased demand for social security and insecurity in the job market. One sector that will be especially affected is education.
Experts estimate that Baby Boomers make up one-third of the nation’s teachers, and their retirement will leave an increased shortage of educators.
While this is a problem that will affect primarily K-12 schools, college students considering education can be hopeful about the job market in the future.
“Hopefully, that will make it easier for me to get a job and hopefully, that will mean teachers will become more appreciated because right now they’re not,” said Lindsey Waldenberg, a Washington University freshman interested in pursuing a graduate degree in education. “Maybe they’ll be able to have more rights and better pay, so I’m hoping that it will help the teachers in every way possible and help certain states appreciate them more.”
Mary Ann Dzuback, associate professor of education, was similarly hopeful that the lack of teachers would bring about greater appreciation for the job.
“There’s a real possibility that teaching will become a far more attractive profession for American college students than it has been, perhaps on par with its status in some other countries, where school teaching is highly valued,” Dzuback said.
While there will be more jobs available, some students believe the retirement will have little effect on new teachers, who often start out in underprivileged schools that always need teachers.
“I think for a lot of us looking for jobs, especially those planning on actually teaching afterwards, I don’t see a major fear, or at least for me personally. I don’t have any major reservations as far as people going to Wash. U. looking to find jobs as teachers mainly because a lot of the ways that the education system works,” said Kevin Cleland, a sophomore majoring in education.
“It’s very unfortunate that a lot of teachers will start working in public schools, underfunded schools, and slowly work their way up to private schools where they’ll become teachers that are just better paid and get better benefits,” Cleland added.
The Career Center has not seen a huge upswing in students wishing to become teachers, although it is always something students are interested in.
“Quite honestly, a lot of students here are interested in academics, so they might get experience teaching, but they might go back to get a master’s or Ph.D.,” said Phil Gallimore, a career development specialist at the Career Center. “From a personal opinion, I think two things are happening even with the Baby Boomers. They are working longer than the previous generation—they’re healthier, able to work longer. They’ll take retirement, but continue to teach on a part-time basis.”
Cleland was more optimistic about his own job opportunities.
“I think it will certainly have an impact, but considering the economic status and the fact that a lot of teachers are finding it difficult to find jobs nowadays, it may actually be good at this point that lots of teachers are retiring, because lots of new job opportunities do need to be opened,” Cleland said.
Despite Cleland’s optimism, Dzuback said the precise effects that the retirement of baby boomers will bring still remain unclear.
“It’s hard to know exactly when that 33 percent loss will hit school districts with the most force. School districts currently operate without an adequate number of appropriately trained teachers for duties assigned them,” Dzuback said. “This could provide an opportunity, out of necessity, for districts to treat teachers as the professionals they are, even as they require higher standards of teaching competence.”
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