Fellow Warriors, one thing about being Active is the job security. Let's face it, one has to screw the pooch pretty bad to lose this job! The article linked below high-lights one of my greatest fears about needing to transition back to the world. I leave it for your perusal...
SpeEdChange: Teachers, Tenure, Transformation
More to follow...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
JROTC Follow Up --> I'm Certified
Fellow Warriors, a short follow up to a previous post...
I'm in! Well, at least the door has been opened to me. About two weeks after the review board met, I sent an email to the home office asking when the results would be available. I was told 14 to 21 days. So I gave it some time, in hopes a letter would soon follow. One month after the board, and still no letter, I sent another email. The response was that I have been "certified"!
God said to Evan Almighty, "If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?" Well, I am certainly making very good use of this opportunity to practice my patience; still no letter!
What does the certification letter mean? It does NOT mean that I have a job! It only means that I can officially apply to those schools who support a JROTC program from my service. It also means that I can apply to DoDEA, my dream job. My dream job because I would get to go back overseas to live and travel for a while longer, I would also get to pay back for all those teachers who taught my own children, and I think it would be a peace of mind for our fellow warriors stationed overseas to know that someone who has gone before them are now there to help their children through the frequent separations. But I digress...
I'm Certifiable ;)
More to follow...
I'm in! Well, at least the door has been opened to me. About two weeks after the review board met, I sent an email to the home office asking when the results would be available. I was told 14 to 21 days. So I gave it some time, in hopes a letter would soon follow. One month after the board, and still no letter, I sent another email. The response was that I have been "certified"!
God said to Evan Almighty, "If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?" Well, I am certainly making very good use of this opportunity to practice my patience; still no letter!
What does the certification letter mean? It does NOT mean that I have a job! It only means that I can officially apply to those schools who support a JROTC program from my service. It also means that I can apply to DoDEA, my dream job. My dream job because I would get to go back overseas to live and travel for a while longer, I would also get to pay back for all those teachers who taught my own children, and I think it would be a peace of mind for our fellow warriors stationed overseas to know that someone who has gone before them are now there to help their children through the frequent separations. But I digress...
I'm Certifiable ;)
More to follow...
Saturday, April 3, 2010
A Bachelors Degree Does Not Equal a Teaching License
Fellow Warriors,
It sure felt like a rejection letter to me! I recently applied for a teaching certificate in the hopes that having one prior to completing my master’s degree would help me to get hired somewhere. “That’s a negative, Ghost Rider!”
Somewhere along the way, I had stubbornly embedded the idea that having a bachelor’s degree would automatically qualify me for a temporary teaching certificate. If that had ever been a fact, I just don't know. I do know now that this is a MYTH! Yes, you do need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution for the Board of Education in the various states to even consider you as a teaching candidate. However, there will be more requirements you will need to meet to get that coveted license.
Let’s take two states for example:
In Florida, all I need to do for a Temporary Certificate is pass their state approved test, the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE). Passing that will get me a temporary teaching certificate that is valid for only three years. Within those three years, I will need to complete further education (which I already have) and take a couple other tests. Then I will be granted a Permanent Teaching Certificate.
In Virginia, I need to pass the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VLCA), Virginia Reading Assessment (VRA) and the PRAXIS II tests. Plus all the other schooling I've accomplished.
The "other schooling:" Here’s how I found out what I needed. I know that I ultimately want to wind up in Florida. During a Troops To Teachers (TTT) briefing I attended a while back, I found that the FL TTT office will provide military members with an unofficial review of their unofficial transcripts. You will need to contact the TTT office in the state you want to teach in to see if they provide the same service. From that, I was given specific course areas (what the school systems call "core" courses). For me this included a passing a few more English, history, and science courses at the upper level. This gives the prospective teacher a deeper background in the (core subject) areas they are going to be teaching.
Anyway, there is still time for me to make this decision about which avenue to pursue. You, on the other hand, probably need to get crackin’! Do you want a good head start? Contact the TTT office in the area you are stationed or are looking to “retire” to. They should be able to talk to you about formal and alternative routes for licensure, and possibly get you headed in the direction that makes the most sense for you. http://www.dantes.doded.mil/dantes_Web/library/docs/ttt/state_office_listing.pdf
More to follow…
It sure felt like a rejection letter to me! I recently applied for a teaching certificate in the hopes that having one prior to completing my master’s degree would help me to get hired somewhere. “That’s a negative, Ghost Rider!”
Somewhere along the way, I had stubbornly embedded the idea that having a bachelor’s degree would automatically qualify me for a temporary teaching certificate. If that had ever been a fact, I just don't know. I do know now that this is a MYTH! Yes, you do need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution for the Board of Education in the various states to even consider you as a teaching candidate. However, there will be more requirements you will need to meet to get that coveted license.
Let’s take two states for example:
In Florida, all I need to do for a Temporary Certificate is pass their state approved test, the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE). Passing that will get me a temporary teaching certificate that is valid for only three years. Within those three years, I will need to complete further education (which I already have) and take a couple other tests. Then I will be granted a Permanent Teaching Certificate.
In Virginia, I need to pass the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VLCA), Virginia Reading Assessment (VRA) and the PRAXIS II tests. Plus all the other schooling I've accomplished.
The "other schooling:" Here’s how I found out what I needed. I know that I ultimately want to wind up in Florida. During a Troops To Teachers (TTT) briefing I attended a while back, I found that the FL TTT office will provide military members with an unofficial review of their unofficial transcripts. You will need to contact the TTT office in the state you want to teach in to see if they provide the same service. From that, I was given specific course areas (what the school systems call "core" courses). For me this included a passing a few more English, history, and science courses at the upper level. This gives the prospective teacher a deeper background in the (core subject) areas they are going to be teaching.
Anyway, there is still time for me to make this decision about which avenue to pursue. You, on the other hand, probably need to get crackin’! Do you want a good head start? Contact the TTT office in the area you are stationed or are looking to “retire” to. They should be able to talk to you about formal and alternative routes for licensure, and possibly get you headed in the direction that makes the most sense for you. http://www.dantes.doded.mil/dantes_Web/library/docs/ttt/state_office_listing.pdf
More to follow…
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