This will be my second year in a school tutoring. Though this year I’m spending 50% of it as a co-teacher. Tutoring will be with grades K-3 but I’m not sure of my mentor’s room. I’ll be getting my initial license this year. Any advice for the following few years? My license will be ECE.
What country are you based in? What’s involved in getting a teacher’s licence there?
I’m based on the US. I’m doing a non traditional path, with the program I’m in. I will be primary by the end of the year but I start by just shadowing and finish the coursework.
I got a chance to work with a person going down a similar alternate route last year. She had a degree in journalism and found that she hated it, so she was transitioning to education. I really liked how it was a slower pace than the student teaching boot camp I had to endure.
Oh this is still very fast paced. But it’s good.
So in US, you can get a teaching qualification in one year (assuming you have an undergrad degree already)? In Australia you need to complete a two year Master’s degree to get a licence (although you can get a conditional licence in your second year that allows you to do casual work, which is a great way to pick up more hands-on experience).
So, how are you enjoying teaching so far? Is it like you thought it would be?
I am not sure of the specifics, but that seems to be the case. If you have a bachelor’s degree in some other field, you can go through an alternate route program to get your teaching license. It also probably varies by state.
This will be my fifth year of teaching. My first year was the year that COVID hit, so no, it hasn’t quite been what I thought it would be, to say the least. I do enjoy it most of the time, but I also was not on anti-anxiety meds until I started teaching. I am thankful for the schedule it allows me to have, and I do enjoy actually teaching when I am able to do so. Paperwork, meetings, and discipline problems (with a lack of support from admin) I enjoy far less.
Yes, I have my undergraduate but it is possible to get your initial license in one year, in this program. You still need to pass state exams.
So far I’m enjoying it. I’ve learned a lot.
That’s interesting – you’re saying the state regulator runs exams to get your licence? I wonder what sort of things these exams assess?
In Australia, for a teaching degree to be recognised by the regulator, the university needs to get their programme accredited by the regulator, where they demonstrate that their programme meets certain professional teaching standards. One condition is that teaching candidates need to sit and pass a national numeracy and literacy online test run by an independent third party. This seems a bit strange, as there is no way that someone should be be able to even qualify for a degree at a Masters level without having basic literacy and numeracy skills.
Glad to hear you are enjoying it. There is more to teaching than most people realise, so there is indeed a lot to learn.