Re: Howard Voss' Testimony

[Karl Trappe <trappe@PHYSICS.UTEXAS.EDU>]

Brian asks:
> If more teachers enter the profession than retire, the average
> age declines, and vice versa.
>  If however, the average age is rising more than one year per year,
> would anyone care to suggest how this could happen?
> (Starting from no entry level teachers, normal retirement levels...)


What happens, is that the young, new entrants, bail out of teaching to "get
a real paying job".  How many public figures do you recall having stated
that "they *were*  school teachers before they..."?

We also add more older entrants because of several "retread" programs
(retirees from industry, the military, etc, are encouraged to become
teachers...its a second career which requires no special training (they are
told)).

So since the old farts don't retire, and the young ones see the futility of
staying, the total is declining, but getting older.  When the oldsters bail
out at retirement, there's going to be one very big vacancy.

But that is happening at colleges, as well, and especially in Physics.
Look around at the make-up of large departments. Sadly, some *very poor
teachers* have been occupying the rungs of the ladder for so long that
students are driven away from a good experience in Physics.  Sadly, the
culprits who drive them off, will retire before we reap what they have sown
(shrinking departments due to shrinking physics enrollments). Karl

Dr. Karl I. Trappe                              Desk Phone:  (512) 471-4152
Physics Dept, Mail Stop C-1600                  Demo Office: (512) 471-5411
The University of Texas at Austin               Home Phone:  (512) 264-1616
Austin, Texas 78712-1081