Remember the energy crisis of the 1970’s and its nasty fallout for the economy? How about the double-edged blade of “stagflation” around that time, and the tales of poor people eating dog food? Do you recall the chilling effect of Chrysler’s death spiral, before the government bailed it out the first time, in 1979?
If you lived in Michigan during those years, as I did, you probably remember those hard times better than most southerners do, because Michigan bore the brunt of that “double-dip” recession. It was a tough time and place for a college kid to be planning a future — not unlike Orlando is today.
As I looked at my options at Michigan State during those years, I decided that my first choice, studying to teach English, was out of the question. State unemployment topped out around 15% in that recession. That was high, but not as high as the nearly 100% unemployment rate I saw among the education majors graduating from MSU in those years (except the grads who were willing to move to Alaska!). So, while I longingly pored over the English department’s offerings every term, I majored in the seemingly recession-proof field of economics, moved to Florida, and got a desk job.
But I didn’t forget. When I first created a filing system for all the paperwork that accompanies adulthood, I labeled one folder “Teacher Certification.” In it, I placed a curling, slick thermocopy (remember those, after ditto but before Xerox?) of the Florida English teaching requirements. Over next two and half decades, I added to the folder: evidence of a class here, a test there, a change in state requirements, a letter of recommendation. And this week, I placed into that decades-old folder the real thing: my official Florida Professional Teaching Certificate: English, Grades 6-12. I finally got it.
Can I give a little whoop and holler here, or does that seem silly? Earning this certificate may hardly seem like cause for celebration, what with the local job market for teachers in the same sad shape as that in Michigan those many years ago.
But having lived through that bad Michigan recession, I have the benefit of perspective. The lesson? Things tend to work out! The economy goes up and down, down and up. My teacher-wannabe friends from MSU, the ones who seemed so naïve when they majored in education? Well, guess what? They all eventually got teaching jobs, and without moving to Alaska. It just took a little more time.
I guess this is one upside of living through bad times – you learn that they don’t last. If, like me, you are already convinced of this, then why not share your wisdom with a worried young person who hasn’t yet seen the cyclical nature of things? I’ll be sharing it with some students myself next month, when I start my very part-time job as…oh, my, after all these years, can it be true?…an English teacher.