By Marc Ransford
Communications Manager

MUNCIE, Ind. -- A teacher shortage has many school districts hiring non-traditional instructors in growing numbers, says a Ball State University educator.

In recent years, thousands of former military, government and business people have returned to college in hopes of obtaining a teaching degree, said Jim Powell, a secondary education professor.

"Our country is facing a teacher shortage for many reasons," Powell said. "We see an aging teaching force, decaying urban areas and booming populations in several parts of the country where local colleges are not producing enough K-12 instructors.

"The teacher shortage is quite well known and some people are taking advantage of it, including non-traditional students" he said. "At Ball State, we are seeing more and more people who have been in the workforce for eight to 10 years return to seek a teaching degree. For whatever reason, they see an opportunity to do something different and something they will enjoy."

Powell said many people re-entering college for a teaching degree have retired from their first career, creating an opportunity to focus on a new career in their early forties or fifties.

"Most are military or government workers who have all their retirement benefits and are looking for a great second career," he said. "Others are people who have been in the workforce for a few years and found out that they don’t like their jobs. We had a certified public accountant working for a Fortune 100 company who found she liked people more than numbers. She is now teaching math in Florida and loves the interaction with the students."

Non-traditional students make the transition to college quickly, taking less time to graduate and often have better grades than typical college students between the ages of 18 and 22. Those older students, who usually are on tight budgets, are highly focused, Powell said.

"They have only so much time to get in, learn and get out," he said.

Those non-traditional students have little problems finding a teaching position. School district administrators find older first-year instructors initially make better teachers. School officials seem to like older teachers who can bring more life experience to the classroom, Powell said.

"Non-traditional students never seem to have a problem finding a job when they leave here," he said. "When you hire a 22-year-old graduate who has never had a job, there is not much life experience between them and a high school senior, who may be 17 or 18. However, with people in their thirties or forties, you’ve got quite a bit of an age gap.

"An older person has been in the real world and can tell the students what they can expect. What can a 22-year-old tell them about the workforce when teaching is their first job? And, an older teacher is looked on by students and fellow teachers as being more mature."

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Powell by e-mail at jpowell@bsu.edu or by phone at (765) 285-5574.)