Teachers are supposed to be the ones with all the answers-however, members of the teaching profession are currently facing an uncertainty of their own.
The question comes as the baby boomer generation ages: How quickly will the baby boomer generation retire, and how will this affect the teaching field?
"People aren't retiring as quickly as rumor has it," said Phyllis Mendenhall, a coordinator of advising in Miami University's teacher education department. "I mean eventually people will be retiring of course, but I don't think it will be happening as fast as people thought. I think a lot of us baby boomers enjoy our work too much."
According to the 2008 American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) Job Search Handbook, a national publication published for all education majors in the U.S., the field looks just as it did five years ago, with supply and demand varying by field and region.
On a national scale, the greatest demand is still for special education, math and science degrees-and elementary education, social studies, and physical education are found most commonly.
Adam Hartigan, who graduated from Miami this past May with a degree in mathematics education and Spanish education, talks about the experience of finding a job.
"The experience was nice because of the Internet," Hartigan said. "Most schools just have links to job applications and openings on their Web site. I was willing to relocate because I didn't have any reason to go to any particular place so I didn't have to worry about that. ... I know some schools were accepting applications for all fields except for social studies so it didn't seem like it would be too hard to find jobs elsewhere."
Mendenhall said the option to relocate is vital when job searching, since demands for specific education majors vary nationally.
"I think the job market is good for teachers right now, but you have to be willing to travel as opposed to focusing on a certain area," said Eric Johnson, a mathematics education major. "You have to be willing to relocate. I am very confident about finding a job, I think some of my concerns would be just where I get offers from just because I could go anywhere from Maine to California-I just have to be open because I really have no idea."
This potentially brings up a problem for some upcoming Miami graduates who are looking to stay within the greater Cincinnati area.
"I'm a little anxious about finding a job, but I'm going into middle child math and science education, and I think that's one of the most needed fields right now," said Heather Corbly, a senior middle childhood education major. "I'm confident about finding a job, I'm just feeling anxious about where because I am trying to stay in the Cincinnati area at least for now."
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Recent graduates who are now in the teaching field say that Miami helped them a great deal with job searching.
"I talked to some of the math-ed professors just asking what I needed to do and they helped me with my resume," Hartigan said. "Another Miami professor told me about these Web sites where you can apply to all of Ohio or all of Dayton with one application."
Hartigan said that Miami gave him a variety of opportunities that have helped him when looking for a job.
"The university helped send me to a national conference several times, specifically the national math teaching conference my sophomore, junior, and senior year," Hartigan said. "That was funded from the College of Arts and Science and School of Education. It was a very valuable experience because you get to go meet current teachers, hear about current issues."
However, if Mendenhall is any example, those from the baby boomer generation are not going anywhere anytime soon.
"I tell you one thing, I'm not retiring anytime soon," Mendenhall said. "I'm having too much fun-I can't even imagine anything being any more fun than what I do."
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