Light at the End of the Tunnel

The cohort experience is… well, intense! Though the courses are bachelor's level, the hours I put into my assignments harkened back to my grad. school days… When I was working toward my MFA, it was not unusual to go to the studio just before dawn and leave under cover of dark hours later. Back then it was exciting! All that creativity! All that adrenaline! …aaalllllll that coffeeeee.

For the Fabric of Man Knowledge is the measurable, accurate, sharp needle. Experience the long silken thread. But it's Creativity that threads the eye and gets the sewing done.

Driving to school in an old beater, hoping the Philly cops didn't boot your ride while'st you were in the studio, chatting with that cute guy in Book Arts—ah, the good old days! It was gritty and real and really… young. Now I get my own kids off to school, then go to campus in my minivan. And the cute guys still turn to check me out!—They're squinting to see if I'm their Mom, and if so, did I remember to bring the clean laundry? Or maybe a pot roast?

I still get that same charge—that electric feeling of really learning and growing—but someone's got to do the laundry, someone's got to keep up the house, and tend to its various occupants, 2-legged & 4. Those all-nighter's are the same intense creative sessions, but who's that dumpy woman in the mirror in the morning?! Bags under her eyes and grey hair sprouting here & there.

I'm at the end of my program—soon I'll get my certification and, more importantly, a teaching job! Was it worth allllll the hours? Yes, I've learned volumes! Drive, you've got to come with. Subject matter expertise & interest, you must provide. DelVal will give you the tools of the teacher trade—strategies for keeping order in class, strategies for engaging young minds, and strategies for shaping instruction into an opportunity for learning & creating for students. I know what I have learned is only the tip of the teaching iceberg, but I have enough to get started and more importantly I have enough to put me in a productive direction to improve myself as a teacher. It is important to know what you know, but my friend, it is ESSENTIAL to know there is so much more to learn, and to embrace that sweet promise. Just do it!

Is Six Weeks Enough Training?

Hello all,

An interesting set of stories on NPR's All Things Considered on Tuesday. Main story contains a fascinating chart of the number of people getting teaching certification through "alternate routes." A stunning jump from 2001. Apparently, alternate route types now account for one-third of all new teachers hired.

Of course, not all fledgling teachers have a nine-month to yearlong gestational period. In this NPR story (see link at bottom for the featured teacher), there's an interview with the president of a nonprofit group's "intense" SIX WEEK teacher-training program.

Is it effective? From the transcript:

BLOCK: And what about training here? I mean, Beverly Harvey was in this intensive crash course, I think six weeks of training and then she's thrown into the classroom. Is that really enough?

Mr. DALY: You know, one of the things that we struggle with in education is that there's no amount of training that's enough. And what we found is that the key is how you respond on the job, during the first year and during the second year. There's this distance between her mentor who has all these skills that she's practiced over the years, and Beverly who's just starting out. And the truth is that Beverly is probably going to close that distance rapidly. But there's no amount of training that can make her as good as that mentor before she's ever been in the classroom.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113278532

Why the shift?

Why are there so many people going into teaching from other professions?

Feistritzer's Best Teacher Prep. Tips Get into real-life classrooms early w/ mentor teachers Intern-Mentor collaboration is key Bone up on learning theory and the psychology of learning Review case studies of classroom situations. WWYD? Review & critique videos of effective & non-effective teachers. Then review tapes of yourself.

The old profile: high school students go to college, major in education and become teachers.

The new profile: mid-career or post-baccalaureate career switchers. This group includes more men (post-military), more minorities, and more older people. They call us "lateral entry" teachers—educated people leaving one white collar field to enter teaching. But this is a trend a decade in the making: According to C. Emily Feistritzer President, National Center for Education Information, "…3 out of 10 people who were prepared to teach in 1999 actually began their preparation to teach at the post-baccalaureate level." The notion that this trend has really grown is evidenced in the fact that 41 states and the District of Columbia have developed some type or types of alternative routes for certifying teachers.

You can read a great interview with her here. It also has her ideas for the best ways to prepare for teaching.

But WHY?!

There's a a german word zeitgeist, which literally means "the spirit of the times," and it refers to climate within a nation or even specific groups. Wikipedia it here. Though this trend did begin in 1999, I'm wondering if it grew legs so fast because of a decade of dangling chads, dot-com boom & bust, 9/11, war in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, etc. Don't know about you, but I've spent a lot of time reflecting on what's going on around me. Though there were no clear answers, our then-president galloped through full speed ahead, leaving us shaking our heads and wondering, "What the heck just happened?" Our national lives and personal lives will have hoof prints of his doing for decades to come. Is the result a national zeitgeist of reflection? Are we starved for nuance, thought, and self-reflection?

How does that relate to teaching? Please reflect on it and let me know.

Fears & Cheers

The great thing about this cohort program is that it's relatively short—CHEERS! The bad thing is that the brevity does not allow for student teaching. While I and my creditors would love for me to get a full-time teaching job tomorrow, I am apprehensive about being fully prepared—FEARS! I'd be grateful for the apprentice-type experience of student teaching.

Instructional Assistants Needed all over Bucks County
I think I may have just found an opportunity to gain a little more experience and earn a paycheck, without being the "teacher of record." You might want to check this out:
The good people over at the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 have many postings for Instructional Assistant positions on their website. Click here to search available positions.
Mind you, as an Instructional Assistant, you won't be developing lesson plans or instructing. My hope is that working with the teacher I can learn from their planning, instructing, and perhaps most importantly, class management techniques. And hey, it'll be a paycheck from the field I'm striving to enter.

To apply, you need to visit this page and fill out their PDF application for a Classified/Support Position. They ask for your resume, letter of interest, completed BCIU Classified Application, official transcripts of degree(s) held, 3 references, and these clearance forms: PA State Police, Child Abuse History & FBI Fingerprint Clearance.

I've submitted my application this morning and so stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of, "Will Jennie get the Job?"

Substitute Teaching

The Process

What is Aesop? Aesop is a computerized system used by schools and potential subs to schedule subbing opportunities. Schools & teachers log in to request a sub. If you're lucky the teacher also attaches their plans so you can see them before stepping into the class. Subs can search for long & short term jobs in multiple districts, accept jobs, and schedule future jobs. Wanna see it? I took a screen grab…

You need $125, security & child abuse clearances, finger printing, a physicial-signed health form, and transcripts from your college to take the training offered by the Bucks Intermediary Unit.

After about 3 weeks after the training, the Bucks IU passes all of this along with your newly issued emergency cert. to each district in the county. (You specify which ones you want).

• If you have an Intern Certificate (which you get after 2 classes in the cohort program) you are listed as "highly qualified" in the substitute finder system. When Aesop (that's the system) looks for a sub, they send out the long term sub assignments FIRST to the "highly qualified" people, THEN to the rest of the available subs. You're in the pool with the Level 1 teachers as far as Aesop's concerned.

You then call the districts and confirm the fact that they got your info. Some districts want you to interview or go to their own little orientation. Then you are entered into Aesop and you can enjoy the 5:00 AM call for a sub like I do!

Competition:
Just to get a sense of the competition, there are normally 80 people in the one & only September training. There were so many that they had to schedule TWO training sessions, and the first one had 125 people! The next one will be in November.
What you get for the $125 & the two days out of your schedule:

• Training that covers some basic teaching tools (graphic organizers, read alouds, puzzles & games) and basic teaching techniques.
• An Emergency Certificate.
• A directory of every public AND private school in Bucks County, complete with the names of administrators & contact numbers.
• Tips on games, reward strategies, favorite books for kids, etc.
  
• A nice little book with more helpful tips on being a good sub.
• A pay scale sheet listing what each district pays their subs.
• An opportunity to shake hands with a good number of HR directors in the district
• A really nice breakfast & lunch
  

Talk to the Bucks IU, the number's (800) 770-4822 or (215) 348-2940. They are really nice and very good about getting back to you. http://www3.bucksiu.org/bucksiu/site/default.asp

BTW, subbing in Jersey requires you have a pulse, clearances, and proof of having take two college classes (degree is not necessary). It is a breeze to get in over there, they're just looking for warm bodies. Jersey also uses Aesop, so all your sub opportunities are in one convenient place.

Happy subbing!

Covorting & Cohorting

What does my cohort look like? In a nutshell: ages 35-50, 50-50 male/female, married with children, college-educated, tech-savvy professionals. Some are older/younger, some are single, but the vast majority are as I described. On the first day of class I noticed we had one other commonality: unemployed due to lay-off or worried about becoming laid-off. As we went around the room, I tallied about 2/3's of us profoundly know what Clinton meant when he said, "It's the economy, stupid" all those years ago.

How do you pay the freight when you're in school… again? I myself continue to freelance in graphic design by night, and substitute teach by day… and of course, there's the Stafford load… and the home eq. loan… and the kindness of strangers (or family members anyway). Many of my cohortees are still working day jobs.

It is possible to do the day job, the night class, and the family (oh yeah, remember them?), but let's just say this will not be the most restful time in your life. Though each class has different demands, I spend about 20 hours a week either in class or doing homework.

In my next post, I will tell you about becoming a substitute teacher in Bucks County PA and in Mercer County, NJ.

Hard day at the Office?

Let me guess? You've been "economized" out of a job that you wanted to quit anyway, Unemployment's good but you know you need to move on, and you'd like a job that allows more family time… and the summers off… and the stability of tenure… and a union that will protect you without requiring you to wear a hard hat or welding mask…

WHAT in the world is a COHORT? That's the group of people entering the program at the same time & location as you. Get chummy, you'll be in every single class together! Believe it or not, it IS very reassuring to go through this process together. Now I know how the folks on Gilligan's Island felt! It may be scary, but at least I have the Skipper & Marianne.

Me too.

Those radio commercials got my ear too: "Live the dream, become a teacher in just a few short months with our cohort-style teacher-certification program!" Got a Stafford loan, a college ID, and began my Teacher-Shift 3 hours at a time, two nights a week, at Delaware Valley College with a cohort of about 30 others.

This blog will chronicle the process & the real-person experience. I'm not blogging to advertise my college. I'm blogging so my neighbor, my new friend at karate, and the rest of the folks in the "Considering the Teacher Shift" boat can get the low down… and because my Professor encouraged me to try it… and so I can get a little experience with tech-savvy instruction that I hope to use in my own classroom someday.