NEXT AVENUE SPECIAL SECTION
What Teaching Others Has Taught Me By Aimee Stern
Older Americans who are not yet ready to retire, or looking for a retirement job, are a resource that can help their communities with education.
The demand for substitute teachers is higher than ever. More than half a million people worked as substitute teachers in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average hourly pay for a substitute teacher nationally is about $21 per hour. My middle school tutoring student is working on a 60-second monologue from the point of view of the Cyclops after Ulysses blinds him in the "Odyssey." I put him "on stage" in his family's kitchen. He holds his only eye with both hands and shrieks "You've blinded me." He is in a magnet program and is very bright but has attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder which makes it hard for him to concentrate. I'm learning that acting things out and more physicality can help him focus. Tutoring is a wonderful option if you want to work one-on-one with students and help them master subjects they are struggling in. Start finding tutoring clients by letting people in the schools you've worked in know that it's a service provided. There are classes in high school that teach business skills like accounting, marketing and professional writing, which can be a great option for tutoring. Explore neighborhood listservs and personal contacts to see who might need support.
Bored in retirement? Concerned that your funds will run out before you do? Want to spend time with kids and adults and do good in the process? I teach people ranging from small children to adults and spend my days and some nights in their worlds. Exhausted, happy and fulfilled is the best description of how I am. My life has meaning in these turbulent times, and I'm doing something that matters and makes my and other lives better. To say there is a teacher shortage in the United States is an understatement. According to Statista, a data research and analysis service, 54,000 teachers quit their jobs in the U.S. during 2024. Older Americans who are not yet ready to retire, or looking for a retirement job, are a resource that can help their communities with education.
Read more of this story on NextAvenue.org
21
NEXTAVENUE.ORG
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator