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re: Alternate Route Teacher Programs
Posted on 10/15/14 at 9:34 am to the808bass
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 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
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