"Transition" Teachers or "Real" Teachers

Over time there has been a change in the teaching profession. It used to be that in order to be a teacher you went to college and majored in education. You studied for at least four years, spent time student teaching, wrote lesson plans, and in some states HAD to obtain your masters degree within a specified time. Well, this is not necessarily the case anymore. More and more people are entering the educational field and transitioning from other professions.

This raises a few questions for all those involved. Why are these people making this transition? What impact does this have on our students education? Do they offer something to our students that "teachers" can't offer? What are the possible benefits from this transition? What are the problems? (Just to mention a few)

As a teacher for over twenty years and an administrator of four years I have been able to witness the positives and negatives of transition teachers. For a vocational technical high school such as the one in which I work I can see many benefits. For example, obtaining a business teacher who has spent years in the business field definitely has its advantages. However, we always get back to the same old story. Simply because someone is well versed and knowledgeable in a particular area does not mean that he/she can teach it to someone else.

In the state of Florida other things regarding teacher certification has also changed. In some cases you only need to pass a subject area test to be certified in a particular subject area. I truly wonder who thought of this. After spending years in college, student teaching, and receiving my masters degree in special education I could find myself next door to another special education teacher who may have been certified in social studies who PASSED A TEST and is now teaching special education! How is this possibly helping our students?

Yes, there now seems to be a shortage of teachers and transition teachers may be one way to fill this gap. Don't get me wrong, I know some great teachers who have transitioned from other fields and I applaud them. However, maybe if teaching became a more respected profession and if teachers were paid what they're worth we probably wouldn't have a teacher shortage.

Thanks!

One Size Doesn't Fit All

We have often read about battles between public, private, and charter school funding. We have listened to comments others are willingly to share about topics that they really didn't know much about. I, personally, would like to refer to these as opinions, not facts. As educators we are well aware that not everyone fits into a particular situation. Some students may not feel comfortable in one teachers class, but fit perfectly well in another. Similarly, some teachers may not fit well at a particular grade level, in a particular school, or with a particular principal. This does not make them a bad educator.

My point is this; One Size Doesn't Fit All! As individuals life is about choices. As educators we also have similar, individual choices. As a young teacher I was able to spend the first three years experimenting between many levels of education including preschool, elementary, middle, and high school. It didn't take long until I found my niche at the high school level. If you are reading this as a young adult I would ask that you take a look at your life, your choices until this point, and find what it is you really want to do. Don't settle! If you are middle aged or older, ask yourself if you are happy with what you are doing. Are you making a difference? Have you found your passion?

Personally, I believe that it is never too late and I try to encourage everyone to find their right "size". Remember, One Size Doesn't Fit All!

Thanks,
Dr. J

It's Not a Job, It's a Passion!

There are jobs that people go to every day. They try to do what needs to be done, they pay their bills, buy what they need, and even what they don't. But, did you ever wonder if you didn't get paid for your job (and were independently wealthy), would you still get up and go to work every day?

Teaching is not just a job, it's a passion! It is something that you decide to do because you want to make a difference. Yes, a paycheck is necessary for most of us, and salaries are a little better than they used to be. However, teaching is definitely not a nine to five job! As a teacher we spend numerous hours staying after school, grading papers, designing lessons, working on new technology, and all the other thousands of things that teachers do. But, most importantly is the reason behind the passion.

I would love to hear from other educators to find out why they have made a career out of teaching. Please respond and tell me why teaching is a passion for you!

Thanks,
Dr. J

Thanks For Recognizing Me!

I believe that I am one of those people who tries to acknowledge people every day! I get to work early to greet my staff before they start their day, I take time to tell someone how nice they look, that I've noticed their new hair style, or just simply thank them for working so hard day after day. I am in no way bragging about myself, only trying to treat people the way I would hope they would treat me.
Well, I guess one day last week was boss' day! Unfortunately, I am also known for forgetting most of these "special" event days and view every day as special. However, two of my staff members emailed the school administrators and arranged a special meeting for 7:30 in the morning. No one knew what this was about, only that it was important and we all needed to be there.
To our surprise the two staff members had prepared a beautiful breakfast for the school administrators in recognizing boss' day! I really appreciate this recognization and hope that we can all take something from this and as they say "play it forward".

Thanks,
Jeanette

Teaching Isn't For Everyone!

The old saying used to say, "Those that can't.....teach." How totally untrue that saying is. I have had the opportunity to work with some brand new teachers this year, some seem like naturals to the profession and others, well.....need a lot of work. The big question, however, is when do you reach the point to share your discovery that "Teaching is not for everyone" and let someone go?
As a parent of a teenager, and a high school administrator, when observing teachers I always try to ask myself, "Would I want my son in that teachers classroom?". If the answer is "no", then it is my job to work with that teacher to improve. However, when is enough, enough? When do you determine that it actually might be better to have a substitute in the classroom instead of the teacher you currently have?
As a professional I believe that all things have a time and a place, but I also believe that you can't fit a square peg in a round hole. I believe that it is our job and place, as administrators to educate our students to the best of their abilities with the best teachers we can. However, this country seems to be having problems recruiting "great" teachers. Where have they all gone? I agree that "Teaching Isn't For Everyone", but where do we find the replacements?

Things You Didn't Know.....Until Much Later!

We seem to go through life, day after day, not necessarily noticing how many lives we touch. As a classroom teacher for approximately twenty years I never really calculated how many students came in and out of my classroom. I can't help but wonder what type of impact I had, or could have had on their lives.
However, I have recently found myself in a wonderful situation. After twenty years as a classroom teacher and a special education coordinator I became a high school administrator. I originally began teaching in upstate New York, but relocated to Palm Beach County, Florida in 1993. To this day I still remember a very special class I had in my first job in Boca Raton, Florida. I knew then that those students were very special to me, but exactly how special I was yet to find out.
Ten years have passed since that day in 1993. Occasionally I will run into a few of the students, or receive an email or two updating me on their lives. However, just last week I was called to the office of my school because there was a visitor there who had been trying to track me down. As I walked to the counter I quickly recalled the name of a young student I had in my class ten years ago. I look much different now then I did then (actually much better), my name had changed too, but this student and I had a connection! We spent some time together talking that afternoon. Most importantly, she wanted to tell me that I made a difference in her life! She reminded me of all the help I gave her, the support, a sense of caring, and even her first job as a babysitter to my two young children. Well, today my children are sixteen and nineteen. This "old" student is twenty-eight and has a young son of her own.
I was lucky. I knew when I was five years old that I wanted to be a teacher. But, boy, I never knew until much later how I touched a life! Remember, something you do or say today could make a difference in someone's life tomorrow!