Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-13
Air Force Has a Plan for Fighting
High School Teacher Shortage

ical engineers who would be suited,
with. perhaps only a little brush
up" for teaching high school SCI
ence ano mathematics.
Besides these people, there are
MANY Air Force civilian employees
with masters and doctors degrees
who could make an additional con-
tributlon to their country
The Air Force wants to help. and
we are contracting educational asso-
Citations to offer our help.
Last week ! sent out a special let
ter to all Air Force installations,
suggesting that Air Force person.
mel contribute during their of duty
hours to teaching mathematics or
science in high schools nearby. I
am now contracting educational as
sociations to volunteer our assist
ance.
Retired Personnel
Retired officers, it seems to me,
should be particularly promising
material for high school teaching
assignments, as are many of our
retired airmen. Many such men
could easily qualify as high school
teachers, perhaps after short pre-
paratory course. Many retired Off
GERS and airmen after a career Of
public service will welcome this fur
Their opportunity to serve in a ca
pacity that would eventually
strengthen the Nation.
To encourage retired personnel
to move into this field. the Air
Force Retired Activities Branch Of
this headquarters can act as a CO.
ordinating bureau. We hope to list
areas where high school mathemat-
les and science instructors are
needed, and to keep tabs on retired
officers and airmen interested in
becoming teachers.
CIossrooms
Another way in which the Air
Force may be able to help. in acute
situations, is to make classrooms
available for night instruction.
Many of our bases have classrooms
which are idle in the evening. High
school students no doubt could
profit from periodic trips to our
air bases, and perhaps at the same
time receive instruction from prop
erly qualified Air Force pilots. radar
engineers, weather specialists, bonn
bardiers and many other techni-
clans.
If one of the principal problems in
high schools is the lack of motiva-
ton in science and mathematics, our
Air Force people perhaps could show
the young men of tomorrow what
they will have to know to live with
the exciting new technology of our
age.
We anticipate that our offers of
instructors help-all voluntary of
course, and without cost to the Gov
eminent, since it will come on Off
duty hours-will take some time to
work out.
I hope that our Air Force people
will respond to this opportunity to
serve, and l see no reason why this
program cannot succeed.
Each base commander has been
instructed, on the other hand. to
work closely with local school au-
thorities, to fit Air Force assistance
into local conditions.
Help Where Needed
We want to make it clear that we
will offer help only where needed, on
a temporary basis, until the teacher
shortage is solved. We want to
encourage more, not less people to
teach. We view the scarcity of
teachers as a situation that could
become a national emergency.
1t is nothing new for the Air
Force to offer its aid to communities
in peacetime emergencies. and this
one could eventually be much more
serious than floods. forest fires, or
storms.
would like to emphasize that if
we are to keep ahead of the Reds
in the air, we must keep ahead of
them In our classrooms. The Air
Force wants to do its part.