RESOURCES NOT BEING USED IN THE CLASSROOM.

Thursday, March 6^{th, 2008}

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

CANDY STRIPER, MY ASS!

RESOURCES NOT BEING USED IN THE CLASSROOM.

We read almost daily in Louisiana about the difficulties of attracting new teachers in to the public school system. More and more young people are shying away from the teaching profession. And many who take the initial plunge leave after only a year or two in the classroom. It's a major problem that needs to be addressed by the legislature and the new governor.

But maybe we are trying to attract new teachers from the wrong end of the spectrum. What is so special about recruiting 21-year-old teacher kids who have little life experience, and nothing more than degree and a teaching certificate? Where are the programs that focus on luring retired professionals with years of hands-on business experience into the teaching profession? Are these retirees too old?

“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64? Beatle Paul McCartney wrote that song back in the late 1950s when 64 must have seemed ancient. But it's a whole different world out there in this day and age. Today, 64-year-olds are far from elderly and frail, but instead are viral and vigorous, with many seniors who still want to change the world. (Hey, I’m one of them.)

Unlike any previous generation, today’s 64-year-olds have life expectancies into their 80s, have much better health, are better educated, have more disposable income, are interested in public service, and, though retired, often want to continue to work. No knitting sweaters by the fireside, and more interest than just spending a few hours a week as a Candy striper a local hospital. (Fortune magazine characterized this changing attitude a couple of years ago in an article -- pungently titled "Candy Striper, My Ass!") Simply put, there are thousands of Louisianans who are not, as the Beatles song goes, "wasting away."

A number of states are actively recruiting older retirees to go into high schools and include their life experiences as they teach a variety of courses. A national think tank, Civic Ventures, just released a study on states leading the call to attract older citizens in the teaching profession. A number of states were recognized including Alabama Arkansas and Florida in the South. Louisiana was not mentioned in the report.

A major effort has been undertaken in more progressive states to attract military men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a federal program called Troops to Teachers that contract with those servicemen and women who have at least 10 years of military service to transition to careers in public school teaching and administration. Bonuses of up to $15, 000 are given to former military personal that contract to go into the classroom. (As a side note, the member of Congress who conceived and implemented this program legislatively was Senator John McCain.) We have thousands of potential teachers retiring from the military at a young age who could well bring a dynamic approach into our public schools. So far, there have been no inquiries by Louisiana officials.

In Louisiana, the teacher shortage continues unabated and high - need schools waste time and money training teachers who won't last the year. Why isn't the state turning towards retired military and senior citizens to fill this need?

One reason is the archaic requirement that every teacher in the classroom has to have a teaching certificate that takes over a year to obtain. There is little give on this rule, which forces military personnel and retirees to go back to school just to be taught the "rules of the road” in the classroom that are often burdensome and unnecessary. Let me give you a personal example.

I have always had a special interest in Louisiana history. As Secretary of State, I spent a great deal of time in the design of the State Archives building that is the depository for the documentation of much of Louisiana's history. I have taught courses in Louisiana history at both Tulane University and LSU. Yet I am not qualified to teach a basic Louisiana history course to an eighth-grade class in any Louisiana public school.

Simply put, there are unwieldy and burdensome requirements that keep thousands of potentially outstanding older teachers out of the Louisiana classroom. So we see the contradiction. There is a major teacher shortage in schools throughout Louisiana. Yet there is a cadre of older retirees and retired military personal who have both the skills and the time to invest in part-time or even full time teaching. But so far, there is no catalyst involving state educators and progressive legislators to strike the spark and merge the problem with a viable solution.

McCartney wrote “When I’m Sixty Four” in his teenage years. Today, he is 66, and still playing to sold-out stadiums. There is a wealth of older talent available to teach and nurture our young minds. It’s time for those who are elected to lead to embrace those who are willing to serve, and develop a plan in our state to tap this willing resource. It’s time to retire the concept of retirement.

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Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five, I still had pimples.

— George Burns

I'm retired — I'm not dead!
— Unknown wise person

Peace and Justice.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s weekly column appears in a number of newspapers throughout the State of Louisiana. You can read Jim’s Blog, and take his weekly poll, plus read his columns going back to the fall of 2002 by going to his own website at http://www.jimbrownla.com.

Jim’s radio show on 995 fm continues with a break during the month of February. Look for him to be back on the air in March.