Family and Consumer Sciences: Are we going to be able to sustain as teachers retire?

Yesterday I had lunch with 4 Family and Consumer Sciences teachers from around Minnesota that I have gotten to know over the years at conferences and through meetings. 

We talked about many things.  One friend started talking about how she has spent much of her summer organizing her classroom.  She has been in her current location for over 30 years.  She was mentioning that she would be retiring in a year and then another said it would be two years for her and another mentioned 4 years for her. 

We all wondered at the same time how jobs and positions would be filled when there are currently such low numbers at colleges and universities with FACS degrees. 

This is a real problem.  We are seeing this trend arise year after year and the ratio of retiring teachers to new graduates only seems to be getting farther apart each year.  We also all agreed that rural areas would be the communities to suffer from the lack of FACS candidates as these small towns are much less desirable for young people. 

I know that I have written about this before but I really feel as though FACS teachers need to openly recruit in their classrooms.  Talk about your career, where students can go to school, the opportunities and the importance of Family and Consumer Sciences.

So many students often talk about wanting to be elementary teachers thinking that it will be easier to deal with young children.  Sometimes as teachers we need to put a little bug in these students ears to just get them thinking about different avenues for their future. 

As we continue to promote Family and Consumer Sciences because of the obesity prevention issue we also need to figure out how to sustain (and grow those that we have lost) each and every program that exists in the United States and other places around the world.  We need to work as a team, focus on the good that we do, hope that our example will inspire others to follow our steps so that they can continue and grow the programs we have developed. 

Happy summer! 

It is my hope that as you enter the school year this fall keep this thought in the back of your mind.



This is Becky.  Former Student now at UW STOUT

"Have I recruited a future Family and Consumer Sciences teacher in the last few years?"  If not, "Get on it!"

With love from your retired FACS teacher,

Jane