I am grateful to Don Rea for his February 2023 letter (Physics Today, page 11), which describes the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s STEM Volunteer Program. That said, he gives no actual data to support his argument that “a consortium of STEM societies is the best approach for implementing a program in support of K–12 STEM education.” The clearest indication of success that he provides is anecdotal: an email from a teacher to a volunteer in which she thanked him, said it was an “absolute pleasure” to work with him, and expressed that she would encourage more schools to use the program.

I have found a way to support STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education that is quite simple and does not require the consortium that Rea describes.1 As a retired physics professor, I have become a substitute teacher in a local high school district, in a city where 80% of the population is Hispanic or Latino, according to the US Census Bureau.2 

To become a substitute in my district, I had to provide my university transcripts, pass a background check, and get tested for tuberculosis. I also had to take online courses that covered topics such as sexual harassment and accident protocols.

For retirees, substitute teaching is an ideal setup. In my district, vacancies are listed on a website that includes the duration of the assignment. Some are as short as an hour-long class, while the longest time I spent covering an individual teacher’s classes was four consecutive days (which was a bit rough for a retiree, since it required me to wake up each day at 6:00am). I take an assignment only on a day I want to work. Sometimes I’ll just work two or three classes in an afternoon. On average I work three to five times per month when I’m not traveling or doing experiments.

In a pre-engineering class for which the author was the substitute teacher, a student uses a drill (left) to create the holes for bearings in a hydraulic scissor jack (right). The students used the jack to lift a cup of liquid without any spilling out.

In a pre-engineering class for which the author was the substitute teacher, a student uses a drill (left) to create the holes for bearings in a hydraulic scissor jack (right). The students used the jack to lift a cup of liquid without any spilling out.

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The website for the district names the teacher, lists the teacher’s primary subject area (for example, math, pre-engineering, or construction technology), and provides the teacher’s email address so the sub can ask questions.

I cannot say that substitute teaching is the “best approach” for supporting STEM education, but I can say that every class has been a fulfilling experience for me, and several students have provided feedback expressing how I have helped them in some way. I’ve heard from some that I’m “the best substitute they ever had.” I’ve received thank-you letters from others, with one saying, “Listening to you talk about the cool things you were able to accomplish, where you taught, and where you got your degrees made me super hopeful and want to study physics further. It was like a spark ignited when you talked.” Now and then I’ve even heard feedback along the lines of “I wish you were my regular teacher.”

As soon as I accept a job, ordinarily I contact the teacher I’ll be filling in for and ask the topic to be covered on that day. That allows me to plan accordingly. For example, in a pre-engineering class, I brought a few small acoustics demonstrations. For one math class, I was told the topic would be graphing equations, so I brought a laboratory notebook that had an average of at least one graph per page and passed it around. One student was really enthusiastic and asked me several questions about the content of my lab book, which also included schematic circuit drawings, photos, and sketches of apparatuses. Not all students will be so eager, but if you inspire even one student per class or one per day, you’re still making a difference.

No matter where you retire, you will find a school district that needs substitute teachers for STEM classes. If you were a physicist for 40 years, you’ll find that you have plenty of material to inject into almost any class. No larger organization is required!

1.
S. L.
Garrett
,
Acoustics Today
, Fall
2023
, p.
69
.
2.
US Census Bureau
, “
QuickFacts: Salinas city, California
,” https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/salinascitycalifornia.
3.