Professional Self-Renewal
It is generally acknowledged that good teachers engage in a process of continual-or a t least periodic, hut regularself-renewal. Such processes are of paramount importance for chemistry teachers, as well as those who teach other sciences, hecause of the rapid progress that occurs in these areas. Some of the prohlems associated with attempts to teach a subject that is rapidly changing have been advanced on this page. Here, we are concerned with the professional ohligations of teachers. It has been estimated that as many as 70% of the scientists and engineers employed in the educational system teach college undergraduates. The addition of science teachers in secondary schools leads to an enormous number of individuals who are faced with developing a response to the prohlems of professional self-renewal on an individual hasis. The majority of these persons teach in non-research settings and therefore cannot teach a t the graduate level, which tends to encourage a teacher to keep closer to the leading edge of his suhject. Attempts to stimulate a mind already exposed to a hody of basic information dictate an awareness of the "state of the art" that is occasionally experienced in introductory courses when teaching the so-called "bright students." Teaching undergraduates in a research setting also tends to encourage an attitude of inquiry in persons who teach undergraduate courses exclusively. The proximity of research in a teaching environment suggests to the young scholar that chemistry is everchanging, and that his teachers are discussing ideas which are important a t this moment hut may he transitory in a longer range. This creates an important intellectual mind-set for the future chemist as well as for the non-scientist. The serious question remains: How can we maintain a high level of continuing professional development for a large hody of teachers in a rapidly changing subject where there exists a very real potential fnr stagnation? Non-engagement with suhject matter on an intellectual level for long periods of time is certain to produce a dormancy and apathy which will surely he sensed by the average student. A general decline in confidence in the educational process has led to declining enrollments, which results in concomitant budget cuthacks. Many institutions are in a process of retrenchment which is partially reflected in maintaining faculty size a t a more or less constant level. The entire process minimizes the infusion of new talent (and perhaps new ideas) and produces an overall increase in
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the age of the faculty; we can expect that science faculty will he more expensive, in terms of constant dollars, during the next decade. Superimposed on all of these factors, which ultimately get expressed in fiscal terms, is the ever-present pressure of nearlv double-dieit inflation. Facultv needs for professional development do not appear to abate, however. In spite of these oressures teachers will he expected to educate and-train the chemists of the next generationifor we know that not to do so would lead to more numerous and serious prohlenis than we perceive now. Superficially there might appear to'he adequate routes for maintaining teacher currency. The National Science Foundation has several college faculty-oriented programs-a Science Faculty Development program and the Chautauqua Short Course program. The former is more expensive per oarticioant than the latter. hut thev address different needs. Unfortunately neither of these programs, individually or together, can accomodate the number of persons who should he able to-and would like to he able to-participate in them. Given that both are quality-oriented and excellent, the relatively small number of is not sufficient to make an adequate impact on the problems of keeping up with a rapidly changing discipline such as chemistry. Substantially greater numbers of chemistry teachers a t all levels of instruction need to he reached. but the orohlem of maintainine professional growth for the number of persons involved is to; overwhelmine" to he addressed hv one aeencv. .. even if it could he well funded. Professional growth is highly individualistic, depending on where the teacher is coming from and what he perceives his future goals to be. Other sectors of society must become more involved in the renewal process than they are now. State and local governments, industry, colleges and universities. and orofessional oreanizations-hard pressed as they may be-must develop creative responses to assist teachers in their continual pursuit of professional renewal. On the other hand teachers of chemistry must recognize that, although the arguments for self-renewal are compelling, teachek have noautomatic claim on the public pocketho0.k to support such efforts. Their case will always be judged against other demands and occasionally will be found wanting. Inevitably teachers will be asked, directly or indirectly, to go the last mile alone. Even after all else fails, we must he prepared to fulfill the promise of our commitment to our subject.
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Volume 57. Number 3. March 1980 1 163
