Carisa Corrow of Penacook is co-author of “126 Falsehoods We Believe About Education” and founder of Educating for Good.

For many years, science and math teachers have been in short supply, not just in New Hampshire, but nationwide. At the same time, STEM fields are in high demand.

As schools scramble to fill more positions than ever before, we need to start treating these shortages like some of the war efforts we saw in World War II when all hands were on deck, or even like the short-lived spirit during the first few months of the pandemic when flexibility, grace, and creativity got us through.

As a note, I’m not a fan of war or military metaphors, and this one seems fitting as public education is experiencing a death by a thousand cuts through intentional underfunding and other policies that work to devalue the teaching profession.

Business and school partnerships

As I visit and research schools across the country, I’ve noticed that New Hampshire students, on the whole, don’t have access to experts in the field on a regular basis compared to peers in more densely populated places. Sure, the annual career fair, occasional guest speaker, and career technical center opportunities might give some students the spark they need to get excited about STEM, but a spark might not be enough for under-resourced schools that lack equipment, materials, and teachers to fuel the flame. We need teachers to help inspire, facilitate, and connect.

One solution for New Hampshire might be for businesses to intentionally partner with schools to create an in-kind visiting teacher partnership. A lot of folks might be interested and capable of teaching young people about their passion, yet can’t or don’t want to live on the salary of a public school educator in New Hampshire, especially in our poorest communities where salaries are lowest. They also might genuinely love their work.

So, what if businesses loaned personnel to pick up a biology class or a computer science class for a semester or a year? Or, what if non-profits who employ STEM field experts could share the cost of an employee for a year? The potential benefits are good for the short term and long term. Of course, there will be barriers to consider.

Not everyone knows how to teach

Sure, and if you ask any student, they’ll point to a teacher or two who is not a good teacher for them. Passion and content knowledge are two foundational qualities of a good educator. For folks with the right disposition, quick training is available.

What about unions?

This might blur the lines and honestly, it’s hopefully a short-term solution. Maybe once folks from industry actually get to see the good, bad, and ugly in a school, they’ll advocate for better salaries for teachers and school funding like never before. It will also provide some relief to teachers who’ve had to pick up extra courses to ensure students have access to everything they need for graduation requirements.

What about insurance and liability?

I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s an easy thing to overcome. If it’s that valuable an idea, folks will make it happen.

Despite some obvious questions, there are a lot of positive possibilities. Students build relationships with field experts who use math and science every day. Teachers can build relationships with field experts and get exposed to some new thinking about how to approach certain subjects. STEM fields get a new kind of exposure so more kids will be inspired to pursue that field.

An immediate need is satisfied to ensure all students have access to the programming they require to graduate, and that access is not reduced to software learning.

Foundational skills

Schools can think creatively about addressing other effects of the teacher shortage, larger elementary class sizes.

The beauty of one-room schoolhouses, K-8 schools, or schools that are within walkable distance from each other, is that older students can easily help reinforce foundational skills for younger students by setting up service learning opportunities. Foundational skills that set them up for success later in science and math.

And I’m not talking about the one or two students who already do this, or a guest reader once in a while, but real, regular support. Imagine every day 25 high school students enter an elementary school to serve as reading or math helpers, and the next hour another 25 replace them. What a great community building experience and skill builder for older and younger students.

For some of these solutions, schools, policymakers, and businesses are going to have to be a little flexible and are going to have to give up some ways they do things. But, that’s what a wartime effort is, people being flexible with their time, resources, skills, and expertise to get through.

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