This article was originally published in the September 27, 1999 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer © 1999 Cincinnati Inquirer State to Tap Middle-Aged for Teachers

Schools Brace for Teacher Exodus By CHRISTINE WOLFF, The Cincinnati Enquirer MANY OF AMERICA'S SCHOOL TEACHERS are heading into retirement in the next decade in the largest classroom exodus in history. An estimated 42 percent of the nation's teaching corps - about 2 million teachers - will retire or leave teaching during the next decade, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. "There's an old saying that, "Any time a teacher retires, a library burns,'" said Dr. Helen Buswinka, a veteran who has no immediate plans to retire at Mercer Elementary School in Anderson Township. "It's one of the most powerful vocations there is. It's very daring and bold to want to teach." The exodus involves teachers hired during enrollment booms of the 1960s and 1970s. The prediction is problematic and a windfall, educators say. Schools will lose knowledgeable teachers with classroom confidence and savvy, but officials count off pluses from the large number leaving: lower salaries for replacements, an influx of teachers steeped in computer technology and how to use it to teach, and the vigor and enthusiasm of youth. In Boone County School District, where about one-third of the district's 20 principals have retired recently, Superintendent Bryan Blavatt is concerned about matching the quality of the departing educators. "We often don't get the best and the brightest because of the pay. That's a serious problem," Mr. Blavatt said. "We're a graying profession. ... We all came in at one time. In the '60s and early '70s, a lot of folks went into education, especially minorities and females. They saw it as a great opportunity to be successful." An early sign of the exodus appeared about four years ago, when districts began to run out of substitute teachers, said David Killian, education professor at Miami University. "That means the best subs have been hired back full-time," he said. "Districts were calling looking for students they could put on emergency certificates." In Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), about 7 percent of its 2,885 classroom teaching staff is eligible to retire in 2000, compared to 4 percent who retired this summer, Rosa Blackwell, deputy superintendent, said. Recruiting has been stepped up in recent years to assure the district isn't hurt by the rising retirement rate, especially in the hard-to-fill subjects of math, science and special education, she said. "There is a sense of history that walks out the door (with retiring teachers), and experience brings wisdom," Mrs. Blackwell said. "We need a balance of veterans who are knowledgeable, trained teachers; and we want to have the new thinking from the new teachers." Suburban districts see the same rising retirement trend, with such large districts as West Clermont counting 80 teachers within two years of retirement. Fourteen West Clermont teachers retired in 1999, up four from 1998. West Clermont hired 58 new teachers this school year - up from the norm of about 40. "With hiring replacement and new teachers, we were still able to come up with a savings of $136,000," said John Abegglen, West Clermont's assistant superintendent. West Clermont officials hope a 15 percent pay raise coming for teachers over the next three years will persuade some to put off retirement. In Ohio, where the number of teachers retiring has jumped 14 percent in five years, incentives to stay in the classroom may come from the legislature. In October, a proposal will be introduced to beef up the retirement benefits package for teachers who stay 35 years. If the proposal becomes law, the extra five years would allow a teacher to retire at 88 percent of final average salary, said Herb Dyer, of the State Teacher Retirement System of Ohio. In Ohio, teachers can retire with full benefits after 30 years and 63 percent of final average salary; retirement pay at 35 years now is 76 percent. New teachers arrive in classrooms with field experience and a comfort level using computers to teach and organize work that many veteran teachers never will achieve. The University of Cincinnati's teacher-education program - which earns graduates dual degrees in education and their subject - puts student teachers in the classroom for yearlong internships. Veteran teachers often had only a semester, or less, in the classroom before graduating. Several districts - such as CPS, West Clermont, Forest Hills - use those student teachers through the Professional Practice program. Arriving with the new teachers, too, is knowledge of changes in teaching methods based on newer studies of how children learn, Dr. Markle said. Disappearing is the old stereotype of the teacher lecturing in front of the blackboard - the teacher as the "sage on the stage," Dr. Markle said. "Nowadays, teachers are the facilitators of learning. The idea is to let children discover on their own." The new teaching force also better reflects the nation, he said, with more diversity in race, gender and socioeconomic status. West Clermont is losing teachers like Jim Hilleary, whowill retire in June after 30 years teaching sociology and government at Amelia High School. He's serving as a mentor to Jeffrey Chamberlin, a UC teaching intern. With a booming voice that keeps students riveted and long arms that move in wide gestures, Mr. Hilleary easily controlled classroom discussion on freedom of speech. "He's hilarious," Kelly Throckmoreton, 17, an Amelia senior, said. "He doesn't care about how stupid he looks in front of the class. He makes learning fun." Mr. Hilleary credited his personality and the experience gained working with students as keys to being comfortable with teaching. "You have to make a connection with the kids," he said. "It's not a "you vs. them' situation."" The intern, Mr. Chamberlin, 47, is entering teaching after working as an hourly paid employee in manufacturing for two decades. He took over the classroom for third-period American history, leading students through a reading assignment. Mentoring by a veteran is invaluable, he said. "I ask him questions all day long. What to do if a student hasn't been here the day before - do I accept homework from him, do I penalize him? If a lesson runs five minutes short, what do I do with the time? It's hard trying to remember 75 kids' names quickly, and if you've never dealt with discipline problems before, that's very difficult." Kris Beiting, another UC intern, treasures the classroom time she shares with Anderson Township's Dr. Buswinka. "I look, first of all, at her teaching style," Ms. Beiting said, developed over 30 years, "the way she approaches the curriculum and uses her own style to bring that curriculum to life. And there's the way she just manages every single detail that happens in the classroom, how she assess every child and then she makes the curriculum work for them. "That's not something I can learn at UC. I can't learn that from a book. I have to see that in action." getting a school counselor's guidance to improve assertiveness, social skills or self-esteem.