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Re: [Phys-L] new ACT test results show that few high school seniors want to



I respectfully have to disagree with some of what Anthony wrote. Teaching is not a noble profession any more. Maybe at one time it was to many people when the so-called middle class was rising, but nowadays the all mighty dollar is king and along the way to wealth building, teaching just doesn't cut it. At one time, teacher had a low but decent salary, a pension we could rely on in our waning years, and good benefits to support our senior health needs. This is no longer the case. Pensions are under threat for younger teachers; teachers must fund their own retirements through private plans with deductions from salaries that didn't keep up with the demands of cost of living; benefits are no longer guaranteed,; salaries have not kept pace with the rest of the professions.

Doctors are facing similar threats, but unlike teachers, newly minted physicians can choose from any number of specialties which will pay lucrative salaries with good benefits and hefty 401K's. Just observe the lack of general family practitioners and the abundance of specialists. Teachers cannot make that decision. It's the classroom or the administrative office, and there are fewer of those positions available than specialties are to MD's. Who gets the greater respect: a cardiologist or a physics teacher? (I will allow the readers to choose.)

No, passion and dedication won't make the cut any longer in anyone's choice of a profession. Nobility doesn't pay the bills. Passion won't get you the loan to buy a nice house. "Dear Mr. Mortgage broker. I am a passionate teacher. Please allow me to borrow the money to buy the house in the nice suburb (or newly gentrified center city)."


On Dec 3, 2014, at 4:31 PM, Anthony Lapinski wrote:

Very interesting. While generally agree with what he says, I would never
discourage someone from going into teaching. I personally love teaching,
and it is my passion. Thus, I encourage any interested student to pursue
teaching. I might have a slightly different perspective as I teach in
private school -- so no teaching degree needed, no pension, small class
size, autonomy in the classroom, supportive parents, plenty of
professional development funds, etc. Teaching is a very
demanding/stressful job, and I don't think it is well respected in this
country. To me, it is a very noble profession and rewarding career. I
can't imagine ever retiring or doing anything else. I think young people
would rather have a high paying job and not dealing with kids each day. I
keep telling them that money can't buy happiness. Do something you love,
and the money will come.

Curious what others think about teaching...

Phys-L@Phys-L.org writes:
Colleagues,
On Nov. 21, 2014, I posted to physics and chemistry teacher
listservs, on the terribly low numbers of interested high school
students in teaching science.

In response, a highly-regarded teacher-leader, who is nationally
known for his work, posted the note below (and later gave permission
to share it freely):

------------------------------
I think this is more a reflection of the continued erosion of the
status of teaching as a profession and less a statement on becoming a
science teacher. Becoming a teacher these days is very, very
different than it used to be even as recent as 10 years ago.
Take-home pay has gone down for many teachers over the years as
salaries have stagnated or been reduced and benefits have been
greatly reduced. Teachers who enter the profession now can no longer
count on a pension or enough of a retirement account to be able to
live on. Job security is a thing of the past with many teacher tenure
laws being gutted or abolished and teachers unions legislated to
powerlessness. Districts can easily let go their most senior, highest
paid teachers now for no reasons whatsoever other than cost savings.
Benefits, retirement and job security used to be the tradeoffs that
teachers accepted in exchange for low pay. But these are no longer an
option.

My daughter is a senior in high school this year and she has
expressed an interest in becoming a HS chemistry/biology teacher. She
is exactly the type of role model the teaching profession needs in
years to come. She has been a top AP student all through HS. As a
junior she earned college credit thru AP for Calculus, Chemistry and
US History. She scored a 31 on the ACT. She is active in sports, her
community and with social issues. She is enthusiastic about math and
science. Exactly the type of female role model the STEM education
community needs. I am sorry to say that as she progresses into
college, and many opportunities open up for her, I will strongly
encourage her to NOT go into teaching and to look closely at her
other options. As a caring father, I do not want her to have to be
subjected to the difficulties that lie ahead for our next generation
of teachers.

Hopefully our legislators who have successfully managed to reduce the
teaching profession to such a low level are on this listserv....but
they probably aren't.
Drew Isola
Allegan High School
Physics & Math Teacher
"Those who can - teach. Those who can't - pass laws about teaching"
--------------------------------

REFERENCE:
http://www.act.org/stemcondition/14
From page 3:
----------------------
The proposed federal STEM Teacher Pathways program seeks to produce
100,000 high-quality math and science teachers in the next decade.
Out of the more than 1.8 million 2014 graduating high school students
tested, however, only 4,424 students expressed an interest in
teaching math, while a meager 1,115 expressed an interest in teaching
science.
---------------------

--
peace,
Jane
Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics, ASU, Tempe, AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7565 http://modeling.asu.edu
Jane.Jackson@asu.edu
For 24 years, Modeling Instruction has helped teachers attain
knowledge and skills needed to benefit their students. Modeling
Instruction is designated as an Exemplary K-12 science program by the
U.S. Department of Education. The American Physical Society
recognized it with the 2014 Excellence in Physics Education Award.
The American Modeling Teachers Assn (AMTA) is expanding the work:
http://modelinginstruction.org . AMTA is a 100Kin10 Partner.
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@www.phys-l.org
http://www.phys-l.org/mailman/listinfo/phys-l


_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@www.phys-l.org
http://www.phys-l.org/mailman/listinfo/phys-l