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.