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Did you know? Half of STEM majors are interested in teaching as a profession, and STEM students of color are more interested in teaching as a profession than their white counterparts. For these students to consider majoring in STEM, it is important to include teaching as one of their career options.Part of the reason for the teacher shortage is a lack of accurate information about career options among STEM students and the faculty who mentor them. To help students and faculty have fact-based conversations about the teaching profession (so that students can make evidence-based career decisions), the Get the Facts Out project (GFO) has developed and disseminated research-based materials and strategies. GFO is led by the Colorado School of Mines and includes four national societies: the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. We’ll dig into some surprising data about the teaching profession and learn about ways to use GFO resources – with faculty as well as with students – to get the facts out about this vital career option. These include ready-made and customizable presentations, handouts with salary and cost-of-living information for teachers in hundreds of school districts, professionally made short videos, posters, and guides for mentoring interested students, advising advisors, and learning about STEM teacher preparation at your institution.
