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Alternate Route Teacher Programs
Posted on 10/15/14 at 2:02 am
Posted on 10/15/14 at 2:02 am
Anybody on here have any experience with any of the alternate route teacher programs like Teach For America? Thinking about going into one if grad school doesn't work out.
6
Posted on 10/15/14 at 7:28 am to Lord of The Vaught
I did what was called Alternative Certification. Had a degree in PoliSci, they made me take about 20 hours of Ed classes to teach Social Studies. That was 26 years ago, retired now.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 8:15 am to Lord of The Vaught
If you're not called to teaching don't do it.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 8:59 am to Lord of The Vaught
I'd be careful of this. If you want to teach, there's nothing wrong with it. But there's some pretty big barriers out there right now. My wife is a principal and she gets about 300 applications for every teaching opening she posts. The market is contracting with stagnant property tax collections and contracting school budgets. Good luck, seriously.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 9:34 am to the808bass
Just depends on where you live, what you teach, and where you're willing to teach.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 11:24 am to Porter Osborne Jr
quote:
Just depends on where you live, what you teach, and where you're willing to teach.
This. I did alternative certification back in the day (I have an MA in English Literature). I lucked out and landed a job right away, but the market was different back then. Our area has a great MAT program (Masters in Teaching) through the UofA, and those kids come out and saturate the job market now. On top of that, most of them have done internships with schools, so they have a foot in the door when it comes to the interview process.
I'd be very hesitant to try to go the alternative certification route around here right now unless I was willing to move to a different area for a job once I got certified.
Your area may be entirely different, though.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 11:25 am to Lord of The Vaught
The wife HIGHLY recommends NOT doing Teach For America. Apparently the pay is less than regular teaching, and the kids are infinitely worse to deal with.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 3:27 pm to Porter Osborne Jr
quote:
Just depends on where you live, what you teach, and where you're willing to teach.
Absolutely.
FWIW, working in a major district I can say you're almost always going to start out in a persistently low achieving school and you're going to have to deal with a lot of pressure to perform well despite the type of kids sitting in your classroom. And you really shouldn't just use it as a fall back because grad school might not "work out". Look at maybe subbing (since you don't have your cert) so you can get an idea of what it's like to be in a classroom before you look at doing it permanently. Or at the very least pick something up part-time working with kids. I think people have this very utopian view of what it's like to teach in America today and I've seen more than my fair share of teachers with alt certs fail as a result.
We've hired some Teach for America teachers and a few have done alright. There have been some have some issues with completing their certifications and can be a real headache. And I know our district is starting to get away from alternative certifications so you'll want to take that into consideration as well.
This post was edited on 10/15/14 at 3:29 pm
Posted on 10/15/14 at 5:50 pm to Lord of The Vaught
I've been through the ABC program (Alternative Baccalaureate Certification) and it worked well for me. I was required to take 12 hours of education classes during the first 3 years but it wasn't that difficult. I had a great support program during the first three years and I teach at a rural school. I'm now in my 8th year of teaching/coaching. I do agree with some of the other posters about substitute teaching before you totally commit. It will give you a good idea about what to expect. Keep in mind that substitutes usually catch more hell from students than the full time teacher when you're trying to decide if teaching is for you or not.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 9:32 pm to BluegrassBelle
I actually subbed on the side last year so I kinda have an idea of what I'm getting into. A lot of the kids suck but the ones that don't make it so worthwhile. Pretty awesome when kids light up when they see you come in. And I also have already completed all my praxis exams so it's really just a matter of picking the program that's best.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 9:46 pm to Lord of The Vaught
If you're still in MS, look into a MAT program. By the time you earn your hours for certification, you're nearly halfway toward earning the entire master's, which will kick in a couple thousand toward your salary once complete.
Posted on 10/15/14 at 10:06 pm to CroakaBait
Definitely looking into that one here at Ole Miss. Just hoping I can get accepted. I hear it's pretty competitive to get into.
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