11. Bells and Bricks

Bells and Bricks

“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”

(It’s A Wonderful Life)

Angels don’t need wings in order to fly, but humans do.

Every time a human takes flight – or drives a car – or is wheeled into an operating room – or steps into an elevator – that person is putting their survival in the hands of someone else’s STEM education (or lack of it).  Our lives depend upon it.  

Every time you hear a ringtone, or something beeps, buzzes or dings, you are hearing something that required someone to have an understanding of STEM. 

Over the past decade I have become acutely aware of the situation in STEM Education, ever since I found the ad for a Foods teacher in my RD job listings.  That little ad started a long journey through a maze of brick walls – at least as far as a career in education is concerned.     

I now know that a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Clinical Nutrition cannot even SUBSTITUTE in an Oregon Foods classroom, let alone be the permanent teacher.  There is no way to gain the FACS endorsement.  Over-qualified for the university coursework required to get into the classroom.  

Our public schools have systemic problems of multiple unintended consequences magnified over time.  NO ONE wants this!  Of all the people I’ve encountered on this journey, I’ve dealt directly with very few who were destructive.  Everyone else was hard-working, smart, kind, creative, prepared and conscientious. 

Anyone who knew me in my youth is probably surprised that I am even in this situation.  I struggled in Chemistry at first, and it never got “easy”.  Without good teachers, study groups and study buddies (thank you), I would never have made it.  By the time I took college Organic Chemistry and beyond, I was an A student, but it was still rugged.  Who would go through that without a solid career prospect?  The truth is, very few do.

Even so, teaching Chemistry should have worked out.  At the time I got my license, there were fewer Oregon teachers endorsed in Chemistry than there were Oregon high schools.  Can that have possibly improved?  I sadly turned down my Chemistry offer, for which I was the only applicant. 

At WOU I learned that teachers don’t go into it for the money, they go into it for the love of teaching.  They follow their hearts.  I followed my heart too.  Chemistry teachers analyze and apply the scientific method right down to the heart of the matter.   I analyzed the data and the numbers and I did not return to graduate school again to renew my license.

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do, doesn't mean it's useless.  

Thomas Edison

I write.  I develop educational products.  I volunteer.  I blog.  I cook.  I sew (Oh?  Did I not mention that, FACS people?  I have been sewing my own clothes since I was eleven).  Had I been hired when the schools advertised in my RD letter, I could have been teaching Foods and Nutrition for over a decade already – but they probably wouldn't be using my textbooks because I would not have had time to write them.

Personally, I can see that my writing career and my life are better for having gone to Western Oregon University’s Post-Bacc Licensure-Only Education Program.  However, is my personal enrichment the reason WOU has the program?  Is that why I borrowed money to enroll?  No.

When I hear about the teacher shortage in STEM education or in FACS education, I want to laugh, and cry, and put my fist through the wall.  But not a brick wall – I already hit those and it hurt.  I did all the things required, forked-out a lot of money, worked like a mad dog to get through it, got job offers and still hit brick walls.  

I have yet to hear a school bell ring for my class -- I have no wings.