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. |
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.
HEllo. My name is Desiree Smietana. I am in the cohort w/ Jennie. I feel I am ready to take on this career shift, although, I would like a little more time learning the actual teaching. Meaning, getting in front of the class and teaching. I think the other thing about this shift that scares me is that I have to quit my day job to make this career change. I fear have a teaching job for about 5 months in a long term sub position and then not having anywhere to go from there until another teaching job becomes available. Any suggestions, anyone, anyone share my fears??
ReplyDeleteWell put Desiree! I couldn't agree more. I've thought about making this transition for many years--in fact, I first got my NJ alternate route certs. in English & art back in 2004 when I still lived in the Great Garden State. I never found a job in teaching (aside from summer camps, which didn't count for diddly in the eyes of the school administrators who interviewed me). Though it is possible to get a job on that sort of certification, it's not very likely. Schools truly require more in terms of education & experience. I felt I NEEDED to enroll in this cohort program, and I also know I'll need to spend some time in either lower-paying positions (ie. instructional aid) OR commit to spending a couple years teaching in an urban setting. This is one of those things were you just have to jump. I left a comfortable salary in graphics to do this, but I wont't look back. When I started in graphics back in 1996, I was earning top dollar. It was the big dot-com boom, I was making between $75 and $120/hour, life was great. I could hop from job to job, I felt in control, creative, and on top of my game. Two kids and a dot-com bust later, I can barely get $20/hour for the same (if not better) work. I as looking for a new graphics job for over a year before I was economized out of my office. Now the graphics world is very tight and I find I'm competing with kids right out of school. I was rocking & rolling with PhotoShop & Illustrator when they were in MIDDLE school, how can they be MY cometition? All of this boiled down to a lot of self-reflection & soul-searching and I know I made the right choice to leave the web-jockeying to the kids. They can have all the long hours, the secreterial spread, the bifocals by 35, and the carpal tunnel. I need a job with more meaning, and so I am holding my breath and jumping.
ReplyDelete