Earthsky Interviews
Sheila Tobias on keeping science teachers in schools
08-31-2009 - Human World
According to a 2009 report released by the University of Pennsylvania, the current shortage of math and science teachers in the United States appears to be driven by the dissatisfaction of the science teachers already on the job – many don’t stay on.
Sheila Tobias: These secondary science teachers have the best options outside of school for employment. They’re very confident in the laboratory, they know basic science, and they are welcome in the private sector and government agencies.
Tobias co-authored the recent book Science Teaching as a Profession: Why It Isn’t, How It Can Be. She also conducted an online survey of science teachers, finding that their job dissatisfaction was rooted in lack of autonomy and control.
Sheila Tobias: Control over what they can teach, over what pace they can teach, what exams they can use, and professional prestige.
A 2006 study by the National Academies found the U.S. to be declining in its science and technology competitiveness with other nations. Tobias emphasized the beneficial role science teachers could play.
Sheila Tobias: Keeping them in the classroom is a priority for the country, if we want to beef up our math/science competence in our students.
She added that science teachers are nervous about the current method of science instruction in the U.S.
Sheila Tobias They believe that science just doesn’t lend itself to single right answers. They are very fearful that any kind of paper and pencil bubble-type test is going to punish the very students we’re trying to encourage to stay in science.
Tobias said teachers report that low salary is, in terms of overall job satisfaction, not as much of an issue as autonomy, control, and professional prestige matter more.
Sheila Tobias: I am, as is my collaborator, a critic of things as they are, and we are being so welcomed by the organizations that exist. That kind of welcome reveals to me that people involved in our education system are hungry for new ideas and willing to accept criticism and that’s very rewarding to a person who has been critical of the situation as it is.
She believes the best way to retain science teachers is not necessarily by promoting them into administrative positions.
Sheila Tobias: Because that would undermine the goal of keeping teachers in the classroom. But rather to create science teacher councils or science teacher feedback mechanisms so that their voices and their point of view will feed into the decision making process.
She expressed her interest in rethinking the preparation of teachers:
Sheila Tobias: We are interested in the preparation of teachers, but not quite the way the federal government is doing it. They’re focusing on their science and math training, very important, on attracting them to teach with loan forgiveness and scholarships, very important, but we believe they should also be training teachers to cope with the real world, life situations they get into when they enter the schools. They’re not really apprised of how schools function. They’re not told where the decision-making takes place. They’re not encouraged to think of themselves as professionals.
Written by Beth Lebwohl
No Responses to “Sheila Tobias on keeping science teachers in schools”
Leave a Reply
Sheila Tobias
For thirty years Sheila Tobias has been writing books and speaking on teaching and learning math and science. She is respected in both popular and academic circles and a favored consultant on college curricula, education, and women’s studies. Her latest book, ‘Science Teaching as a Profession: Why it Isn’t, How it Can be’, was ... >>
As a history teacher of 41 years, I can echo what has been said about science teachers. The drive to “bubble test” everything is very disheartening. Very few subjects really lend themselves to a “right” answer, even math, the process is more important than the actual answer.
When I was in high school my science and math teachers inspired me to pursue the sciences. I am indebted to them for their enthusiasm, excellence in teaching, and the inspiration and passion for science they imparted to me. Having raised three children (the youngest just finished high school) it became quite apparent to me things have changed in our public education system over the years.
My oldest son was stricken ill in the 10 grade and spent much of the year in the hospital. He had to repeat the 10th grade. In Nevada the state allocates only four years of funded high school education. My son was not permitted to enter the 12 grade to graduate because of this four year funding policy. I paid for him to complete his 12th year through a community college high school degree program. The state counted him as having completed high school (the four years he was allocated) despite the fact he was unceremoniously tossed out without graduating. By state standards he was counted as a success. By my standards, the Nevada school system claimed success for a failure. I don’t know how Nevada managed to excel to ranking 49th in the nation for quality of education.
My hat is off to Sheila Tobias for being an outspoken critic and for her work to prepare science and math teachers to enter the system. Our education system needs clear voices that understand education is a process involving teachers, fulfilled in their vocation and inspired to teach, not an institution that merely trains children from state and federally mandated program manuals then ejects them unprepared and uninspired to excel in the sciences. Perhaps Ms. Tobias will spend some additional time in Nevada? We could sure use her help here.