Knowing the Craft and Facing the Crowd are Very Different Beasts
I really admire those who get into teaching. After scouring all the teacher jobs that are out there some will be bold, courageous, or ignorant and pick a school system that screams for help. I was reading an account on Scholastic’s School Jobs Now section and one story stuck out in my mind.
Jonathan Halabi, who previously was a transportation analyst for New York City, came into teaching by the alternate route. He was totally out of the teaching industry and then was thrust in the limelight of teaching by his own accord through the state’s alternate teaching certification — which has been especially popular within stated due to the overall lack of teacher jobs.
The account showed how terrifying it was and tough is can be jumping into a completely new landscape where you have to pour your knowledge out to kids who were basically non-receptive to your attempts. But also it was good in the sense that Halabi described it: “a trial by fire.”
Luckily Halabi found some teaching mentors and veterans in the school system to model and glean his technique on. A transportation analyst to a math teacher is socially a complete 180 and it is amazing that he made the transition (now on his 10th year teaching).
It’s examples like this that make you wonder if the alternate teaching certificate system can be successful. Although there are those who feel it’s a flawed end around. Yet something tells me that this will be a key component to finding teachers and filling more teacher jobs in the future.