Teachers, come in please

[Deleted]

I'm thinking of going back and getting my teaching certificate. I have a BA in PR and advertising but have always wanted to be a teacher.

But,I digress. Would it be possible for me to go back to school and get either a BA in elementary ed or my certificate or whatever I would need and still work full time at my 8-4pm job?

My job would allow for some flexibility maybe, but I'm not sure how much if they knew I was going back to school for something that would cause me to leave the company.

[sugarbear]

There are lots of ways to do this, some of them more legit than others. I believe you can get an online education degree from a number of institutions.

However, you need to student teach, and that is a full time job. I'm working with someone right now who got a degree online and the program didn't require any student teaching --typical of online schools, and I assume, night programs-- and it shows.

So, yes, you can do the work at night, but you need to quit your job at some point and find a student teaching placement.

[Deleted]

Online schools make me squeemish. I don't really know why, but they just don't seem as legit. I considered one called Western Governors University that seems kind of legit, but like I said, I don't really know. I also wouldn't want to spend a ton of money and then have my resume laughed out of a job interview because I didn't do any actual teaching.

I think I'll have to wait until H is done with school in the fall and we can consider my quitting my job a few years down the road when I get the initial course work done. How long would it be until I would be put into an actual classroom?

[Deleted]

Also, I don't know if this makes a difference but WGU (The online school) is actually accredited by National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

[Jalapeñomel]

Jul 18, 2012 17:19:16 GMT -5 @utahlove13 said:

Online schools make me squeemish. I don't really know why, but they just don't seem as legit. I considered one called Western Governors University that seems kind of legit, but like I said, I don't really know. I also wouldn't want to spend a ton of money and then have my resume laughed out of a job interview because I didn't do any actual teaching.

I think I'll have to wait until H is done with school in the fall and we can consider my quitting my job a few years down the road when I get the initial course work done. How long would it be until I would be put into an actual classroom?

Accelerated programs are 18 months.

[Deleted]

One of my coworkers had a BS in Business, but went back to school for her Master's in Education. That might be a route to look into because it's 2 years vs. 4.

[hubes]

Don't do online. You might be able to do online from a brick and mortar school, but I doubt it.

i'm sue it can be done, but I don't know. Most of my teaching classes were only offered during the day, and we had to do quite a bit while regular school was in session.

Depending on what courses you have finished, it's going to take a while, I think. I had all my gen eds, and some of my special interest classes done, and it was still going to be 5 sememsters before I hit the classroom.

[catwithspots]

check into the local colleges that have bridge programs that allow use to use the undergrad and simply take the ed courses and student teaching time. There are programs out there...once upon a time I considered this option.

[Jalapeñomel]

Here is some information from Indiana: www.educationdegree.com/programs/alternative-teacher-certification/indiana/

and from one of my alma maters:http://www.teach.purdue.edu/programs/ttt.html

Both give good information.

[danie004]

WGU is a legit school so that would be an ok route. But make sure you go somewhere that requires student teaching. It would probably be next to impossible to get hired without it.

[sugarbear]

Jul 18, 2012 17:21:47 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jul 18, 2012 17:19:16 GMT -5 @utahlove13 said:

Online schools make me squeemish. I don't really know why, but they just don't seem as legit. I considered one called Western Governors University that seems kind of legit, but like I said, I don't really know. I also wouldn't want to spend a ton of money and then have my resume laughed out of a job interview because I didn't do any actual teaching.

I think I'll have to wait until H is done with school in the fall and we can consider my quitting my job a few years down the road when I get the initial course work done. How long would it be until I would be put into an actual classroom?

Accelerated programs are 18 months.

I can't answer this question universally, but my program was 12 months to get the post-bac certificate (all you need in WA state) and another three months for a masters.

I do not think that all online schools are bad, at all. You just have to find one that has a local set-up for student teaching. You might check your local universities to see if they offer an online program. That way you can do it at night. Future employers will never know; all they'll see is that you received a degree from XX College.

[murdock]

Another possibility-
Some states have a system often called 'alternate route' if you hold a college degree. The thing is you could only apply for jobs teaching...possibly marketing and advertising based on your degree. (it depends on what schools in your area offer)

call your county education office (these are often the best place for info
on this). Alternate Route in my state is when you send the county your transcript and they issue a 'provisional' ( labelled differently by state) certificate which only allows you to apply.

If you are hired the state will then issue an emergency certificate, send you to a state run night class for the year, and provide a mentor.

By the end of the year you will earn your certificate. If you really want to earn your elementary certification this may be useless info, but it could work depending on the need in your area.
I just doubt it.

[Deleted]

Jul 18, 2012 17:26:42 GMT -5 danie004 said:

WGU is a legit school so that would be an ok route. But make sure you go somewhere that requires student teaching. It would probably be next to impossible to get hired without it.

Sorry I posted and ran!

I know WGU has a student teaching program and it's full time for ten weeks. I think we'd have to get into a position financially for me to be able to quit my job before I could consider going back to school. Sigh.

Thanks everyone.

[Deleted]

Jul 18, 2012 17:45:11 GMT -5 murdock said:

Another possibility-
Some states have a system often called 'alternate route' if you hold a college degree. The thing is you could only apply for jobs teaching...possibly marketing and advertising based on your degree. (it depends on what schools in your area offer)

call your county education office (these are often the best place for info
on this). Alternate Route in my state is when you send the county your transcript and they issue a 'provisional' ( labelled differently by state) certificate which only allows you to apply.

If you are hired the state will then issue an emergency certificate, send you to a state run night class for the year, and provide a mentor.

By the end of the year you will earn your certificate. If you really want to earn your elementary certification this may be useless info, but it could work depending on the need in your area.
I just doubt it.

That's a really good idea! I'll check it out! Thank you.

[pierogigirl]

I got my master's degree in ed. at a local college with a program designed for people with full-time day jobs. All of my classes were from 6-10 at night. Of course, this had to change when it was time to student teach. This program was also for people without a bachelor's in education - you did extra credits to do the basic ed courses you would have taken in undergrad. It was a three year program. It was convenient for me, but probably also a way for the college to charge more since the master's classes were more expensive.

[balletofangels]

I did a similar program to pp. I have a BA in journalism. Did a program that was all nights and weekends at a local school. Just had to take time off to student teach. Several local schools do this so I'd assume there is one in your area? We also have an alternate route, but that is only for high needs area and elementary is not high needs (there is a surplus of us..woo hoo!)

[Deleted]

I don't know if this varies by state, but where I am private schools don't require licensure. You might be able to start as an assistant teacher at one and work your way up, or get a masters and switch jobs without doing unpaid student teaching coursework. Something to look into, anyway.

I'm at a private K-8 with no certification. I'll probably go for a masters at some point but it's not required by my school.

[nsl]

Before you do anything else, search the local districts for job postings. Is there even a demand for teachers? Once upon a time I know it was very easy to get hired to teach in Utah, but I'm fairly sure that's changed now. Speaking as someone with an alternative certification (though my BA was in English, so I had to do minimal graduate coursework to be eligible for my certificate) I would not recommend anyone go that route today without doing some serious research into local job prospects.