Like the phenomenon of the recession wasn’t enough for the US, now a recent report states that most the school/college teachers will be retiring in the next decade.
Apparently the teachers teaching now are in their fifties and therefore, will reach the retirement age sooner. And the numbers of such teacher equals to almost 1.7 million people. The hitch is that as they retire they will take with them their years of expertise, knowledge and hands-on-experience.
So what you may question? There will be new teachers to fill the gap. Yes there will be. But the same study stated that the new batch of teachers are the people who give up their jobs of teaching within fives years. This is the current scene. The teachers cannot sustain the academic life. It is too hard for them and they cant live up to the expectations.
The study stated that in 2003 most of the K-12 teachers were 45 or more in age. The number of these teachers equals to 1.55 million. Now given the average age for retirement which is 58-59 or 60 maximum, the teachers will be retiring by 2017 or 2018. This is going to be a serious problem in the coming years.
Now if you combine these numbers with the teachers who give up their profession every year, the number is frightening. This is because most of the people who are teaching now were born during the same era. They were all a part of the baby-boomers phenomenon.
Everyone will be affected wit this. Apparently, West Virginia will be worst hit because most of their teachers are already in their 50s. One can only hope for a miracle or give an insight to the new batch of teacher to stick to their jobs and emerge as better teachers.