John Merrow: It's Summertime. Do You Know Where Your Children's Teachers Are? Forbes

It's Summertime. Do You Know Where Your Children's Teachers Are?

It's Summertime. Do You Know Where Your Children's Teachers Are?

One of the most popular Public Service Announcements (PSA) of the 1960's and 1970's had the tag line, "It's 10 PM. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?"   We don't hear that one today, perhaps because we know most children are on their phones.  But what about their teachers?  What are they doing in the summer, now that school is out and they're not receiving a regular paycheck?

Some readers may envision teachers sitting on the beach, fat and juicy trashy novel in hand, but I am certain that very few of our nation's 3.3 million teachers are living that life.  Some teachers do take the summer off, and some study or travel to enhance their understanding of the world they teach about, but a heck of a lot of our teachers are working at summer jobs.

What sort of jobs?  It's a short list: tutoring is a good gig but hard to find.  Working a summer camp seems like a natural fit, but there aren't enough counselor jobs available, and lots of them go to older teenagers. Some teachers work in child care, and others find jobs in retail stores or in restaurants.

A few websites help teachers (and others) find work, like this one, this one, this one, and this one , but I suspect that most teachers find jobs through local contacts.

That's what Harry Chandler did, in Oregon in the mid-1980's.  I met him there while doing my first piece for the PBS NewsHour, then CONTINUE READING: It's Summertime. Do You Know Where Your Children's Teachers Are?