Why Are There So Many Social Studies and Physical Education Teachers In the Job Market?

One of the things that educators do is have conversations with students about their future and the plans they may have for a career.  The fundamental purpose for high school is to prepare students for their career, in some instances more directly than others.  A small percentage of students go directly into the work force right out of high school, but most recognize that they have more education to work through before they have the skills and knowledge to enter the job market.  One of the realities of our time is that young people today are going to have to be prepared for more unknowns than previous generations.  The vast majority is going to have multiple careers.  Few will have the same job or occupation their whole work life.  The job market is changing at a rapid rate and the most important qualities graduates are going to have is adaptability and the ability to learn new skills.  That said, they are going to have to be critical analysts of the job market.  This is a must as college costs continue to increase and the decisions that one makes in regard to their career could be worth thousands of dollars over a very short time.

In my field, education, I am astonished at the number of students who continue to graduate from college looking to be either social studies or physical education teachers.  These two content areas have had a glut of candidates for years, yet colleges continue to graduate students seeking jobs in these areas.  In my sixteen years as a principal I have hired at least a half dozen social studies teachers, the first one about twelve years ago.  What I find incredible is that some of the same people seeking a social studies teaching job in 2002 are still looking for that job today, along with an increasing number of other candidates.  A similar situation exists for PE teachers.  I spoke recently to recent graduate seeking a job who had applied for twenty-five teaching positions before even getting an interview!  I continue to see young people come through our school as student teachers in this field and have not heard of one that got a job upon graduation.  Yet there is a tremendous shortage of candidates for teaching positions in other content areas.  My fundamental question is: Why are colleges continuing to accept students into these glutted fields, and why aren’t they directing them to those in shortage areas?  Colleges need money, but where is the responsibility?  Education departments keep track of their graduates and have to know that social studies and physical education teaching candidates are not getting jobs.  But, then again, is it the college’s responsibility?

All of us have heard that we need to follow our passion or dreams.  Some of us have been told that you need to find what you love to do, and if you are lucky, you will get paid to do it.  The cynic in me says that’s a pile of you know what!  Of course we need to find something that we are interested in, and would like to do.  That makes sense.  But if the writing is on the wall and the job market does not project well, why would you choose something where the odds of success are very small?  There are tremendous resources available online, and our guidance counselor has a wealth of information to help with these decisions.  The sad reality is that thousands of young people are graduating from college after building up a great deal of debt and are not finding jobs in their field of study or at their level of education.  There are a number of careers out there that are in high demand, many of them with high pay and benefits.  Students and parents need to take a look at these, because some of the jobs we may want are simply not available.  I was lucky.  I was both a social studies and a PE teacher.  But that was a long time ago.

Too Many Freaks And Not Enough Circuses

I honestly don’t remember where I heard this statement.  It could have been a line in a movie, or maybe something said on a news program by a commentator or someone being interviewed.  I Googled it and immediately saw that I could order a t-shirt with this statement on it, and that there is a blog out there with this statement as a title.  It would appear that at least somewhere, it is a common cliché or one-liner.  Heck, I hadn’t ever heard it before!

My initial reaction to it was “that’s kind of a funny line” and “boy, isn’t that the truth!”  So I wrote it down, as I often do, because I like to keep track of quotes, and then came across it and had a new reaction.  To put it blunt, I am tired of intolerance.  I am tired of some people who express their mean, sick, negative opinions of other people.  The battle of words being waged by people who disagree with a person’s sexual preference, and the actions taken by zealots that prohibit women from exercising their “inalienable rights.”  Our own governor refusing to allow child refugees to come to Iowa, even though there are families more than willing to take them into their homes.  Didn’t he live here when Governor Ray and hundreds of Iowans welcomed families and individuals from Southeast Asia?  Because these kids don’t speak our language and I would guess, come from Central American countries, they are somehow “less” than other children.  These kids are fleeing lives of violence, poverty, and in many cases, and absence of any kind of a family with the hope of a better life in this great nation of ours.  Just like all of our forefathers, they have come here seeking comfort and a new start.  We can certainly deal with this immigration issue better, but the venom coming from the mouths of people like Ann Coulter and other talking heads is disgusting.  It seems that many people that have the microphone have a total disregard for civility and respect.  Why do kids bully?  Because adults can get away with it!

In our school, we still haven’t gotten to the point where we have mutual respect and tolerance for all, though were are certainly closer than other aspects of our society.  Every school is a melting pot of different people.  Teachers and students come in all different shapes and sizes, and a few different colors.  There are different personalities, ideas, opinions, and motivations.  We have students with unique abilities and some with disabilities.  Diabetics, autistics, hearing impaired, musically impaired, athletically delayed, academically gifted, academically challenged, tongue-tied, and vertically compromised are but a few of the characteristics of people in our building. 

There are people that think they are better than others because they are natives, living in this community their entire life, and others who believe they are superior because of their last name or due to the income that their parents generate.  It is difficult for students new to town to be accepted for a multitude of reasons, but in large part it is because they in someway may threaten the status quo.  By the time students reach high school they have unfairly established some type of a pecking order.  That is not totally unique to our school, but there are places where people are welcomed and integrated easily into the school community.

By now some of you believe that I have thoroughly trashed the students and staff at our school.  No, I haven’t.  We have a very good school and we have many great people that walk through the doors every day.  Each person has a lot more good days than bad, and we are all human.  Mutual respect is absolutely necessary in order for any organization to function at its highest level.  Mutual respect is contingent on acceptance and tolerance.  On some issues, that is the ability to agree to disagree, done so respectfully.  In human relations, it is absolute adherence to the Golden Rule, the only “law” consistent in all of the major religions of the world.  Every person that resides in our building for a few hours each day must have the opportunity to leave with a smile on their face because they had a good day, because they didn’t have someone call them a name, put them down, or refuse to let them sit at the same table at lunch.  Tolerance.  Acceptance.  Respect.  Community.  Until we have an environment where 100% of our people exercise those character traits 100% of the time, we have a problem and we have work to do.  We don’t have any freaks, and while there are days when is does seem like it, NFVHS is not a circus. 

Take a Trip

I remember a conversation I had with a little while back with a recently graduated student during softball season and her overwhelming joy and anticipation about an upcoming trip that her family had planned between the end of softball and the start of school.  Adding to her excitement was the fact that her family had never taken a trip like that before.  If I remember correctly, the plan was to drive west through Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, through Utah and Nevada and into northern California.  She was particularly excited about seeing San Francisco and Yosemite, as well as Napa Valley.  I shared some “must see” experiences for San Francisco, and then added more when she explained that they would also head down the coast to southern California and work their way home through Las Vegas.  So much to see and so much excitement!

Traveling is something that both my wife and I love to do, as well as something we have done with our kids.  We have made a point to turn some of our business trips into family vacations when we can, and we have also taken advantage of other opportunities when they have come up.  When our kids were very small we made a decision that we wanted them to see what is out there and to experience all there is in the world, starting with this incredible country we live in.  Yes, there were some miserable moments when they were younger and not too tolerant of long rides in the backseat of the car.  A trip to the Black Hills stands out!  And there were times when my frustrations boiled over as well, as the other three members of my family can attest.  But this part of one of my fundamental philosophies of education: Don’t let school get in the way of your education.  Now I understand that sounds strange coming from a principal, but it is something that I strongly believe and something that was instilled in me by my parents.  You see, there is so many different things out there that we can learn about, but we have to get out and experience them, and in my opinion, we are short-changing ourselves when we don’t.

I get it that not all families can afford fancy vacations, and while it is hard for some people to believe, we have students at NFVHS that have never been to Des Moines, have not been out of the state of Iowa, nor ever spent a night in a hotel.  It is for that reason that I am thoroughly impressed with the travel opportunities we have for students at our school, and I sincerely wish we could make sure that every student has a chance to go on at least one of them.  In fact, in one of those conversations I had with Mr. Willhite late on a Friday afternoon when we apparently didn’t have anywhere better to go, we discussed how we might add even more opportunities than what we currently have for students.  Is that part of our educational mission?  Is that something that would benefit the both the students and the academic program at our school?  Is it even possible?

I always hesitate to make lists because without a doubt, I will leave something out.  But I think I can come close to trips that we offer.  Spanish students go to Costa Rica every two years.  Any student can apply to go to Uberlingen, Germany every other year.  Seniors that take four years of math, science, or art can spend a couple of days in Chicago.  The band and chorus take a trip every couple of years to a city, including Washington, DC, Kansas City, and St. Louis in recent years.  Some FFA kids have a chance to go to their national convention in either Indianapolis or Louisville, and other go to Ames for the state convention.  Some business students took a day trip to Minneapolis this past year.  Yes, each trip has “strings” or qualifications, but for most students, there is one that nearly every student could qualify for.

My parents made a point of including educational aspects to all of our vacations, and we do the same on the ones we take with our kids.  Obviously the school trips do the same.  Yes, they cost money and that can be a barrier.  I would like to think we could overcome that so we don’t have students who have never left Iowa or spent a night in a hotel before they graduate from high school.

I Remember Neal Armstrong

July 16, 1969 I was seven years old.  Earlier that month we had moved from the only home I had known – Oakland, Iowa – to a small apartment in Ames as my dad returned to Iowa State University to begin work on a Master’s degree.  For a seven year old, that was a tough move.  I left the only friends I had ever had, and my first season of organized baseball was over.  My younger brother Jay was the only kid I knew in our new town.  Mom and dad recognized that both of us were pretty down in the dumps, and combined with the fact that it was summer, were a bit more relaxed on bed time.  July 16 was a special evening, and one that I remember 45 years later as the four of us sat in that small apartment in front of our black and white television watching Neal Armstrong take “one giant leap for mankind.”

I do not recall any of the events of the space race prior to this.  I don’t recall John Glenn becoming the first American in space, nor Ed White taking the first space walk, which ended up nudging the United States ahead of the Russians.  But I do recall the competition between our nation and the Russians.  The Russians were evil communists in the eyes of young boys who used to pretend that they were astronauts when they weren’t being cowboys or soldiers.  We know that one result of this era was a huge emphasis on science and math in our nation’s schools.  When we think back to that time, it is incredible what people in labs developed to support the space program, products that we take for granted today.  The motive was to insure that the United States of America was the strongest nation in the world militarily and to prove the superiority of a free, democratic country.

I watched CNN’s series entitled The Sixties and did not realize how fascinated the great Walter Cronkite was with space and flight.  I recall seeing clips when tears came to his eyes as he reported Apollo 11 landing on the moon, as well as the absolute joy and wonder in his voice.  And I vaguely remember a 60 Minutes episode with him in a glider and sharing his thoughts on flying.  But he truly was a champion for the space program at this time, and it was certainly an era of great wonder and possibility, a time for heroes and dreams. 

I fear that we have lost this sense of adventure, of pushing into new frontiers.  Many see continued efforts to explore space as a waste of taxpayer dollars.  At the same time we bemoan how our schools have fallen behind other nations of the world in the performance of our students in science.  With STEM programs growing in schools, there is a renewed emphasis, but when you get down to it, all of the reasons I read about to upgrade science are economic in nature.  Maybe we need another motivator.  Maybe we need to find something else to conquer to stimulate young minds.  Perhaps we need to go back to space, or look to solve problems here on this planet that impact the well being of all people on Earth.  

How Did It Get to Be 'OK' for People to Be Late for Everything?

Disclaimer 1: There are times that I am late and there are times that I provide useless excuses for being late.  Disclaimer 2: I was taught that being on time meant at least five minutes early and I never remember a time growing up when we were ever late. 

At a three-day conference that many of us from NFVHS attended in Minneapolis in June, the main presenter stated up front, among other things, that all sessions would start on time – and they did, at least the ones I attended.  I make a point at meetings that I lead to let people know that we will start on time, and the vast majority of the time, we do.  Being on time, being prompt is typically a sign of discipline and respect for others.  Yet it seems that it is not as important as it once was.  And sadly, there have been times that I have fallen into this as well, thinking “it will be okay if I am a few minutes late.”  Where did this come from?  Why do people think that it is okay to keep other folks waiting? 

One of the interesting dynamics that takes place in our household is that my spouse does not share the same opinion about being on time.  She chooses to distinguish between those instances when it is important to be on time and those when it is not.  The problem that exists in our life is that we define “important” differently.  From my perspective, any time a time is set, it is important.  If it is important enough to set a time, then I believe it is important to be on time.  And, by “on time” that means that you are in place when the event starts, whatever it may be. 

Let me share an example that has caused quite a bit of disagreement in our family.  I have coached softball for the past 10 years in one capacity or another.  As a coach, I expect my players to be on time.  My instruction to them has been standard: “Be there an hour ahead of game time, shoes on ready to go.”  That means that as coach, I need to be there more than an hour ahead of time.  I see that as a hard an fast, line in the sand yet I get disagreement in my household because “it’s just warm up and the game is an hour away.”  So, why are there two such different perspectives or philosophies?  To me, it is a matter of responsibility, priority, and discipline.  Being prompt, being on time is respectful to the other people involved.  When you are late, the message I believe that sends is that “your time isn’t as important as mine.”  In the above example, both warm up and the game are important, and it is imperative to be one time.

There are cultural aspects to the issue of being on time.  A teacher at our school shared stories from numerous trips she has chaperoned with students to Costa Rica over the years and talked about “Tico time.”  Costa Ricans refer to themselves as Ticos and the reference to Tico time comes from time conscious Americans who upon visiting Costa Rica find out that there is a much more relaxed attitude to time.  There is not nearly as much importance placed on being prompt or “on time.”  Perhaps they have it right as my experience when I visited is that there really was not a lot of stress while we were there! 

As I mentioned in the disclaimer up front, I have slipped over the years.  I have tried to become more tolerant of those who do not have the same belief that I do, but at the same time, I will continue to start meetings at 7:15 because that is when I said I would start a meeting, and I will be respectful of the people that got up early to be there on time!