Probably the most valuable resource that will be in short supply this fall is time, time to plan and prepare in an ever-shifting environment, time to meet the competing demands of family and profession. This fall we face the double blow of increased expenditures for technologies and protective measures and the need to cut budgets as taxes and revenue streams diminish.
Resources for PreK-12 education were stretched and teacher salaries had not kept up with inflation. Many universities were struggling with declining enrollments and had already put a freeze on salaries and the replacement of tenure-line faculty. Tight budgets were a fact of life in education before we entered the era of COVID-19. A list of links to resources is included at the end of this column.Īfter discussing the challenges and opportunities that we face, I will conclude with Howard Thurman’s meditation on the fallow time, thoughts that seem particularly appropriate for the era in which we find ourselves. This column will describe some of the biggest issues facing our professions and a few ideas for dealing with them. This past May, at the spring meeting of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, the presidents and executive directors shared their concerns and efforts. More importantly, all of the professional societies in the mathematical societies are gathering and sharing information on common challenges and ideas for dealing with them. Whatever problems and uncertainties you are facing, many others are sharing them. No one is doing much relaxing this summer. Summer is usually the time to relax, catch up, and recharge for the challenges ahead. There is more time to prepare, but also tremendous uncertainty about what we are preparing for and how it will all play out. This summer, in anticipation of the coming academic year, is very different. While the results were far from ideal, there is a general sense that people did the best they could within the constraints that were suddenly imposed. There was an enormous collective effort to meet the challenge of switching instruction to online formats.
This past spring educators across the spectrum were hit by the sudden shutdown of schools, colleges, and universities. The next, on STEM Learning Experiences and Their Consequences, will be held on August 18. AAAS is running a series of five online discussions of Talking about Leaving Revisited.
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