I haven't taken the time to perfect this, but if I try to be a realistic
rather than humorous I might say something like the following...
(1) Those who want to become coaches go into teaching.
(2) Those who are control freaks and/or are driven by social status go
into administration.
(3) Those who understand and "can do" are capable of all kinds of
wonderful careers, although some become corrupted by the desire for more
money or more power or more social status.
More on (1)... Although we have some excellent students pursuing
teaching careers for all the right reasons, I am saddened by the number
of students who are driven by athletics. At a small college like mine
(1100 students) we attract a lot of students who were so active in high
school sports that they essentially live for sports. If they could not
be involved in athletics there would be a big void in their lives.
If they are not talented enough to get an athletic scholarship at a
large university, their athletic lives are indeed going to end at high
school graduation unless they go to a small college where they can
extend their sports lives for another four years. Then, many of them
realize they can extend their sports lives beyond college by going into
teaching, because they can become coaches. If they have any academic
talent at all, they study to become science or math teachers because
they figure those are the teaching areas with the most jobs.
My calculus-based general physics class generally runs about 30
students. About one-third of these (10 students) are seeking teaching
licenses in science. Of these 10 future teachers, anywhere from half to
all are playing one or more intercollegiate sport. Also, of these 10
future teachers, about 7 are seeking junior-high science licensure and
about 3 are seeking high-school science licensure. Those who are
athletes are mostly the junior-high group. Why? (a) Junior high
science jobs are at least as plentiful as high school jobs. (b) Junior
high science licensure requires less, and lower-level, and broader
science training (i.e. it's academically easier). (c) Junior high
teachers can coach at the high-school level as well as the junior-high
level.
Students are not secretive about this. They say the following is common
knowledge: "Want to stay in sports?... become a coach. Want to maximize
your chance of getting a teaching job so you can coach?... become a
science or math teacher. Want to become a science or math teacher even
if you are not a whiz in science and math?... aim for junior high."
I repeat that I have some students aiming for science teaching licenses
who have a genuine desire (and talent) for teaching. But the number of
students who want to teach primarily so they can coach is both
astounding and depressing.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton College
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu