History lessons with Casey Miller

Once upon a time in 1945, the United States came out of World War II victorious and celebratory.

Men and women serving overseas came home to eagerly waiting loved ones. Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters welcomed back the service men and women with open arms. Perhaps more importantly, husbands and wives were reunited after weeks, months, and years apart. It was a happy time for the good old U-S of A.

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!

Did ya catch that last part? Happy husbands were reunited with happy wives and together they celebrated and created all kinds of happiness!! SO much happiness, in fact, that our country experienced what is now referred to as the BABY BOOM. A surge in the growth of population due to the record setting number of babies born from about 1945 until the early 1960's. It was an interesting time in the U.S. The war was over, families were eager to grow and thus.... a population surge. In fact, through out this time period, 78.3 MILLION AMERICANS were born into our country.

Naturally, an unexpected hike in the population caused for a lot of changes. The baby boomers effected nearly every aspect of the average American lifestyle. Think, for example, of the diaper industry. What happens to the diaper company when there is just a few hundred thousand million extra babies born than normal? The demand for diapers dramatically increases!! The need for people to crank out diapers increases, creating an availability for jobs... And thus, industry is succeeding. What happens when an entire generation turns 5 and has to go to kindergarten? Teachers are needed to TEACH all those extra little youngsters. New schools are established. Which creates more jobs for teachers... (Can you tell where I am going with this...)

My favorite analogy, from a historical standpoint, is this: What happens when an entire generation born in say... 1947, turns twenty years of age in the midst of an extremely controversial war (Vietnam) while there is also an emergence of anti war movements and demonstrations, civil rights movements and demonstrations, women's rights movements and demonstrations, introduction of the birth control pill, rise in environmental awareness and protection, and let's not forget: rise in popularity of Rock N' Roll, increase in the availability of drugs both new and old??

You get hippies. Free love. Peace movements. Tye dye. Janis Joplin. The Rolling Stones. Kent State. I Have a Dream. Silent Spring. Woodstock. Nixon. All the makings of the best scenes in Forrest Gump.

Could it have happened without the baby boom????

This history-based rant is kind of all over the place. But I promise you I'm going somewhere with it. One, it feels good just to write about my passion. It was fun for me to introduce you to my favorite time period of study EVER! (The 60's, if you couldn't tell) and Three, I think it's important to understand and analyze that history is bound to repeat itself in many ways. I say that with a twist. And I use the baby boom example for this reason. When the babies were born, there was a need for certain things related to the age of the generation. As they have come of age, those needs change and evolve again, based on the age of the generation.

So now that the year is 2011, the earliest of the baby boomers are reaching the ripe old age of 65. The average age of retirement in America is currently 62, according to the United States Social Security Administration**. That means that in the next twelve to twenty years, hundreds of thousands of MILLIONS of jobs will have vacancies and will need to be filled. Baby boomers are going to retire. You can't work forever.  But I am starting to understand that in today's economy, people have a higher need to continue working. It makes perfect sense. It doesn't bother me. But it does kind of encourage me to take a look back on history to come to a calming realization today that SOMEDAY, I am going to get a real job. As the baby boomers reach retirement age, I am genuinely hoping our economy will be in recovery somewhat, as more jobs are opening to people ready, willing and able to occupy them. All it takes is a little historical research to come to the conclusion :) But at any rate, I wanted to write this little un-required essay to encourage you readers out there who, like me, are unemployed and frustrated with being unable to find full time work. It will happen.

Someday I'm going to teach in a classroom full of eager-to-learn young students, and give them this exact lesson on history*. And I will love my job and be thankful and happy and excited about the retired teacher who went before me. Or maybe those won't be the circumstances at all. But I'm hopeful!! Jobs are going to open up, people. For more reasons than just the ones I gave here. I'm trying to stay optimistic. And I am so pumped that I finally got to incorporate a little historical info into a blog post. WOOHOO.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the Rolling Stones video during the making of this blog post.

*When I was student teaching, I kind of got scolded for the way I told my students the story of the beginnings of the baby boom. I tried to explain as innocently as possible to a room full of 10th graders that the end of the war happiness contributed to a lot of happy reproduction in our country. My coop-teacher kind of gave me a look like I was being inappropriate. Oops. What was I supposed to do, sugar coat it? I remember what it was like to be in 10th grade. Whatevs. 


**One more thing... On the subject of Social Security. As the baby boom generation grows old enough to receive Social Security benefits.. what do you think will happen to this already depleting government fund? When there becomes a need for some 80 million people to receive SS benefits.. it will run out. I guarantee you this will happen. So when you take a look at your paycheck and see that small amount taken out every time for Social Security benefits, act like it doesn't even exist to you. You will never receive that money in your future, ever. I hate to break it to ya. I think that will take my political rant count on this blog to 2. Sorry. See ya!