Educational Ageism is Alive and Well in 2023 - Unfortunately (opinion)

Let me start off by saying “I’m old”, and I am aware of how old I am (53). I am also aware that everyone loves to say “Oh you’re 53 - that’s okay, 'cause as you know: 50 is the new 30”. There are even scientific papers, and plenty of magazine articles about how 50 is the new (pick the year here).

However, is this true? Is it real? I have some reservations. Because, you know where 50 is not the new 30? Seemingly in the educational job market!?

So a little bit of truth about me: at 53, I am definitely in better shape, smarter and more active than I was in my 20’s & 30's, and of course, far, far more experienced. This is not only true in my personal life, having now raised 3 kids, bought and sold 5 or 6 houses, and a successful marriage which I am defining as: we got married, and have remained married for 25 years!). This is just as true in my professional life: in my mid(ish) 20’s I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, and started teaching, while pursuing a masters and professional credential. At 53, I now have 28 years experience in education, throughout which 25 were in the classroom, 20 years as Department Chair/Program Coordinator, 8 years as an advisor, 6 years as a grade level advisory team lead, 2 years in senior administration and 18 years as a theatrical director.

In the classroom, I have served as a Choral Director to Middle and High School groups for 24 years, IB and AP music education for 9 years, Director of Musical theatre for 18 years and a general elementary music educator for 6 years (clearly many of these overlap). In addition, during the past decade (or so) I have sought professional development in the form of classes and course work on Leadership, leading change, DEI, Ethical standards, Assessment practices, and creating cultures of thinking, as well as being an Apple Certified teacher. I have also presented workshops on assessment practices in arts education and written numerous articles on the subject of education.?

I don’t say all this to merely “toot my own horn” - I say it to clearly state: there isn’t much I haven’t done in my field of education, and to establish my "bonafides".

So what’s my “gripe”? What "grinds my gears"?

Recently, over the last 4 years or so, I’ve noticed something happening, and I honestly don’t know how to fight it, and in point of fact, I’m not sure I can fight it, nor that anyone can successfully do so. But we can raise awareness. You see, I have been softly in the “job market” for some time. Now this is not due to being unemployed, or even unhappy in my current employment. It’s simply that what I am doing right now is not really my area of expertise and passion. My reviews at my current employer have been all very favorable, I have earned large wage increases from year to year, and have great colleagues. It is simply that my passions lie elsewhere, and there are available positions that pop up once in a while. And when they do, I sometimes apply or send a letter of interest.

But…..

I haven’t gained much traction at all. Now, before you ask - oh you mean you’re not getting interviews? Or, you’re not getting offers? Or, are you just bombing those interviews you book?

I believe those answers are: No, Yes, and I don't think so!

Actually it is, in my opinion, a little more nuanced than these simple questions.

When I was in my 20’s, nearly every interview I went on, created an offer. In fact the truth was, I often had the luxury to choose between several offers. As I progressed into my 30’s, it was rare to not get at least into the finalist stage for every position I applied, and then maybe getting 1, but probably 2, offers. In my 40’s, this continued to remain true. I know this makes me sound like I changed positions, a lot, and I did somewhat, over the last 28 years I have worked in 6 schools or school systems. The changes were sometimes due to desiring to leave for a better paying position, sometimes due to funding issues (remember I am in the arts - we are defunded with astounding frequency). Sometimes it was just not a great fit, but I averaged close to 5 years in each position, and reached a maximum at 8.?

However......

As my 40’s came to a close, and I pushed through into my 50’s, I have noticed a steep drop off in both the rates of the interviews and the number of times I made the finalist round. And, a precipitous drop in offers, to just 2 in the last 4 years! Now, I have remained current, and I continuously take CPEs and attend ProD, as well as presenting some ProD on assessment and use of technology in arts education.?

Intellectually, I know that this could be simply a matter of not being a good fit, an issue of experiences, or concerns with other outside forces I may not be aware of. However, it is within the “rejections” that I start to take issue, and begin seeing my supposition change, and a pattern to emerge. For example: Between Fall 2020 & Spring 2023, I have interviewed for 4 separate High School level choral education and/or director of musical theatre positions, for which I did the initial interview, and then either received no response at all, meaning not even a rejection (this is the basis of another article on professionalism, stay tuned), or a very late response.

Additionally, I interviewed/applied for 5 other positions, and received the responses of:?

• “We are moving in a “different” direction”?

Really what direction? Other than directly away from me?

• “We are looking for someone with more “relevant” experiences”

Honestly, this one boggles my mind. You are looking for someone with more than 25-28 years experience? In choir and music education? Are you looking for Albus Dumbledore? Or are you holding out hope that Eric Whitacre would be looking for a position?

• “We’ve decided to keep this “in house””?

Honestly, considering the stress on both sides of the conference table, if you had an internal candidate for a fine or performing arts position, why on earth did you interview outside people?

And finally:

• ?“We have decided not to move forward with you”.?

At least this is just brutally honest and blunt - I prefer it, but not as much as I prefer getting the offer.

This pattern has remained similar for Head of Fine Arts, or Director of Performing Arts positions: similar rates of interviews, with similar rejections. Either no follow up, or a few on campus finalist interviews only to receive either a rejection, or again no response at all.

• {Can I just say how insanely unprofessional that is: If you bring someone on campus (in town or out of town) to teach a sample lesson, or to meet the students, faculty and staff and have a full day administrative interview process - don’t ghost them. At least pick up the phone and do the rejection “in person” - there are literally schools that I interviewed on campus, who in the last 4 years have already turned over again, and hence I will not resend my resume to for further review, because they didn’t even have the professionalism to actually reach out with a rejection either in writing or phone call. Just uncalled for and completely unprofessional.}

So what do I think is really going on here?

In a word “ageism”.?

Why, you ask? Simple - I used deductive reasoning: I went back and looked at many of the schools that I had interviewed with during the last 4 years, and of course, like most schools they had a faculty and staff page with bios of their teachers. To a school, with 1 notable exception, they all hired people that were significantly younger than I. And I do mean significantly. Not 10 years younger, but more like between 15 and 25 years younger. People who had graduated university between 2005 & 2020.

However, even without this Sherlock Holmes like reasoning I could make a guess how ageism plays into this:

"Relevant experiences?" "Different Direction?"

1. I doubt, seriously, they are finding people who have more significant experience than I do - I’ve been doing this for 28 very successful years. I have taught thousands of young people to sing, to love and perform music and theatre, and I have the receipts to prove it. I have taught choirs to perform everything from Handle to Whitacre, Kuperschimdt to Alstott, from classical repertoire to Jazz Rock to Broadway. I even taught a very grumpy class of 42 high schoolers to dance Broadway style Show Choir routines to "Hamilton". (well not me, the choreographer under my direction)
2. I further seriously doubt that they are finding too many people with more skills than I. As far as performance, I play: piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, saxophone, clarinet, flute, and synthesizer. I’m? a trained singer both classically and for Broadway.
3. I am able, and in fact sometimes prefer, to accompany my own choirs and actors for Musical Theatre. I am a conductor, and skilled at both vocal and instrumental conducting techniques.
4. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of musical theatre, in fact I’m a bit of a geek. I have been the technical director on no less than 15 shows, I have produced and directed somewhere upwards of 75 shows, and worked on many more. I can light up a show, record the show and even choreograph it if need be (the biggest yet was Chicago).
5. I remain current and proficient with technology, recording and digital sound equipment and have even run my own studio. I started a touring show with my best friend in 2004, that’s still going - and I still sub in on that when I can.

To put a not so fine point on it, I’m not finding a large lack of skill.

1. As far as my working culture and reviews/reference base: I have only ever had positive reviews in my files, and even made it into a google/niche review of a school written by a former student. I have many (saved) letters, emails and text messages from students, years later, letting me know of the positive effect I had on their life, love of music, or even career choice. I have only ever received excellent written recommendations. So I don’t think I’m losing contracts in the reference or HR calls.

I could continue on, but I’m actually starting to feel uncomfortably like a braggart, which is not my intent. All I’m trying to say is that when I get the “rejection” emails and calls, or a deafening silence, and then I see that the person who took the said position is between 27 & 40, I do start to feel like: “HMMMM - maybe it’s ‘cause I’m old.”?

Or....

Alternatively, maybe it’s because I have 28 years experience, and they don’t want to have to pay me a salary based on my experience, and expertise?

Maybe it’s because they can offer somebody with 5-7 years experience 30K less than I might ask for?

Maybe it’s because they are looking at my years of service and are thinking: “How long before he retires”?

Or how many years will he be here?

These are all possible, and actually they may even be quite valid. But, regardless, it’s still ageism. You are passing someone over, for the immutable fact that they are older and more experienced. You have chosen to not hire them on the content of their expertise, instead, you have chosen a different candidate based either in part or on the whole, on the age, the cost and fear of their “moving on or retiring”.

But here's an uncomfortable truth: you also get what you pay for! Of course every new educator needs a place to start, to begin their journey along this path. However, there is also wisdom in years and experience. So hiring manager, HR and Principals, don't pass over an older and more experienced person based on their immutable characteristics of being "older" - give them a chance:

If the salary is an issue, be upfront. Negotiate, I for one would accept a lower salary for the perfect school.

If the age is a concern, ask "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" (If allowed by law in your area) If the answer is: "long gone from here" or "Retired in Tunisia" and your expectation is they'll give you a minimum of 10-15 years - probably not a great fit!

However, most educators are in it for the long haul, keep us caffeinated, feed us once in a while, and gives us a Mental Health day or 2, and we are likely to overstay our welcome.