EDUCATIONAL ALTERNATIVES: Post-Graduate Teaching Opportunities for Non-Education Majors By: Rachel North Prepared for: Liz Jenkins June 27, 2007
Introduction This pamphlet was compiled in order to provide information to Liberal Arts majors about alternative routes into employment in education without teacher certification. Some of the programs listed hope that their teachers will stay in education, while others look for graduates wanting to give back and teach in high-need communities for a small period of time. There are countless possibilities and career choices for Liberal Arts majors. These options are a handful of opportunities for us to use our well-rounded education in a rewarding job that requires critical thinking, an open mind, creativity, and enthusiastic dedication day in and day out.
The New Teacher Project The New Teacher Project (TNTP) is an enormous non-profit organization that aims mostly to create better public school teachers. TNTP sends qualified individuals into low-income or high need schools that have some difficulty finding employees and provides a more supportive and innovative teaching program for them. A teaching position with this project is most similar to a Teach for America position. The New Teacher Project s goal to increase teacher quality for all public schools sets it apart from the majority of other teaching opportunities in that it focuses on making teaching fellows into career public school teachers in the state of their fellowship. TNTP provides an alternative venue for attaining a teacher certification and a Master s Degree. The New Teacher Project offers teaching fellowships in 14 different locations and the affiliated schools range from elementary to secondary. The following example is of the New York City Teaching Fellows.
New York City Teaching Fellows http://www.nycteachingfellows.org/ http://www.tntp.org/index.html (The New Teacher Project home page) Location: Mostly high-need schools in the Bronx and Brooklyn Grades: Elementary through secondary education Position Available: Teaching Fellow Training: All Teaching Fellows are trained extensively through programs provided by The New Teacher Project (TNTP). The program is a full-time five week commitment in which Fellows will be taught instructional design and classroom management by a veteran teacher. They will also observe and assist NYC public school teachers. The training is rigorous and demanding, and no portion of the training can be missed by any Fellow. Master s Program and Benefits: Each Fellow receives a subsidized Master s Degree that will allow him or her to be certified to teach in their subject of expertise. The degree usually takes two to three years to complete and Fellows are required to maintain full-time student status during the summer. Fellows receive a starting salary of $42,517 and are eligible for the same benefits as any NYC public school teacher including pension and health insurance. Application Process: Personal statement, resume, online application form Interview includes a teaching sample and discussion with other applicants. Unofficial transcript is required at the interview.
Nativity Miguel Network The Nativity Miguel Network is an umbrella program that includes a number of smaller networks, including the Nativity Preparatory Schools, The Neighborhood Academy, San Miguel Middle Schools, St. Andrew Nativity School, and a number of other private schools for low-income students. The aim of the schools within each grouping differs mostly in religious affiliation and attachment to the state. Some schools do not require state certification because they are independent from state funding. Others, such as The Neighborhood Academy, require a state teaching certification for employment. The opportunities within this network include volunteer teaching programs similar to that of Nativity Prep of New Bedford, (on the following page), that require the same amount of time and dedication while others implement a more traditional teaching approach. More information can be found at the following website: http://www.nativitymiguelschools.org/
Nativity Preparatory Schools The Nativity Preparatory School model is one that prides itself on selfless dedication to low-income middle school boys in areas all over the country. The private schools provide not only a daily class schedule from 7am-3pm, but the students are also required to play sports, attend evening study sessions, participate in school activities, and go on school field trips. The right candidate for this type of experience is willing to commit the majority of his/her time to the worthy boys enrolled in this program. Nativity Preparatory Schools are not only dedicated to teaching material and academic principles, but also to molding these less fortunate students into strong, dedicated, intelligent, and poised young men in all aspects of life. There are over 50 Nativity Preparatory Schools nationwide, some of which are coed or all-girls schools. Some have a stronger religious affiliation and require more non-secular education than others. The following example, Nativity Preparatory School of New Bedford, is a school that follows the original Nativity Preparatory School model.
Nativity Preparatory School of New Bedford www.nativitynb.org 66 Spring Street New Bedford, MA 02740 Phone: (508)-994-3800 Fax: (508)-994-3434 Grades: 5-8 Number of Students: About 50, 60 being the goal; no more than 15 students per grade Position Available: Volunteer Educator Duties: Educators teach four classes, each in a different grade level; one teacher might teach 5 th grade math, 6 th grade reading/language arts, 7 th grade English, and 8 th grade social studies. Teachers are coaches of one sport per season, (baseball, basketball, cross country, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, swimming, etc.). Teachers also run evening activities which take place one evening per week, (chess team, school newspaper, robotics, etc.). Twice a week each teacher is required to supervise a two hour evening study session at the school. Twice a month each teacher is required to supervise weekend field trips. Compensation: Each teacher gets a $125 food stipend per month during his/her first year and $200 per month payment. The following year the payment grows to $400 per month. Teachers receive a $5,000 Americorps grant upon completion of each year of the program. The parents of each student are required to make lunch for the teachers on a rotating schedule each week. Housing and health insurance are paid for. Housing: All teachers live together in a large house behind the school. (Motor vehicle transportation is not needed to get to school). Each teacher has his/her own bedroom, kitchenette, and bathroom. A living area is on the first floor with a large T.V. and couches. Internet and cable is available in each room. Application Process: Applicants are required to fill out a small form, write a short essay, and provide two letters of recommendation. If qualified, the applicant will be invited on a visit to Nativity Prep where he/she will teach a class, meet the other teachers and students, and interview with the principal and executive director of the school.
Phillips Academy Andover Phillips Academy Andover is an independent boarding high school offering a program that prides itself on its diversity, academic intensity, and unique community structure. Andover s main goals are to build high school students into morally responsible, culturally informed, intelligent individuals. Not only is its campus racially and ethnically diverse, Andover seeks out young men and women from different socioeconomic statuses and aims to teach the importance of embracing difference in all aspects of life. A fellowship at this Academy is a one-year introduction to teaching in a guided and progressive environment that allows new graduates to ease their way into the field of education. The amount of assistance from other teachers varies depending on the needs of the individual, making this opportunity one that molds to the individual as much as he or she does to it. This distinctive program requires a 24-hour commitment to the job, the students, the school, and the team of faculty at Andover.
Phillips Academy Andover http://www.andover.edu/personnel/teachingfellowinfo.htm 180 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810 Tel: 978-749-4000 Fax: 978-749-4123 Grades: 9-12 Number of Students: 1,080 Position Available: Teaching Fellow Duties: Fellows have a smaller number of classes to teach and sometimes coteach, depending on the individual needs of the fellow. The fellow teaches two sections of a departmental offering The fellowship could also be offered in a non-academic field such as community service. Fellows live in an apartment in the dormitory and acts as a house counselor to the students. Athletic coaching is required during at least two terms for either interscholastic or intramural sports. Frequent department, faculty and committee meetings are required. Compensation: $20,000 teaching stipend. Medical, life and 50% of dental insurance is paid for. Food in the dining halls is provided. Housing: Fellows live in the dormitory or school house, which is also paid for. Application Process: Application form College transcript Three references with letters Two-page essay describing why the applicant is interested in the fellowship and in secondary education.
Thurgood Marshall Academy Thurgood Marshall Academy is a public charter school founded on the principal taught by Justice Thurgood Marshall that all children deserve an education. Charter schools, as described in the Thurgood Marshall website, are "independently-operated public schools that are open to all District residents, regardless of their neighborhood, socioeconomic status, academic achievement, or ethnicity. There are no admission tests or tuition fees. Parents and students choose to attend a particular charter school because its unique focus, curriculum, structure, size, environment and other features meets the needs of those students." This Academy offers teaching opportunities to college graduates without a teaching certificate. Although those with certifications are strongly encouraged to apply, it is not required. The Academy also has Teach for America corps teachers. This school enforces a law theme that works to integrate law principals such as problem solving and critical thinking into everyday teachings. The curriculum is competitive and intense, and requires a longer school day and school year. The following example is of the Washington, D.C. Thurgood Marshall Academy which boasts a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate for the 2005 and 2006 school years.
Thurgood Marshall Academy http://www.thurgoodmarshallacademy.org 2427 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20020 Tel: (202) 563-6862 Fax: (202) 563-6946 E-mail: info@tmapchs.org Grades: 9-12 Number of Students: 360 Position Available: Educator Duties: Educators teach in one subject This public charter school is on an extended schedule: students are in class from 8:45-3:40 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8:45-4:25 on Tuesday and Thursday. The school year starts after Labor Day and runs through the middle of June. There are frequent Saturday activities for students which teachers are required to chaperone. Compensation: Teachers at Thurgood Marshall Academy receive a competitive salary and benefits package. Application Process: Applicants are required to send a resume and cover letter describing qualifications and interest in teaching. (Applications are also accepted via email).
More Information A great site to find opportunities in the nonprofit and volunteer sectors: http://www.volunteermatch.org Boston College s Career Services website provides an excellent compilation of volunteer and fellowship opportunities: http://www.bc.edu/offices/careers/jobs/volunteer/ http://www.bc.edu/offices/careers/jobs/strategies/fellowships/ http://resource.bc.edu/career/volunteer/fmpro?-db=volunteer2.fp3&-lay=main&- format=search.htm&-view (This is their Post-Graduate Volunteer Opportunities Database-it s great) If you re looking to teach internationally, these are some great websites to look at for opportunities: http://www.teachabroad.com/search.cfm http://teach.studyabroad.com/ http://internationalcenter.umich.edu/swt/work/options/teach-no-main.html (University of Michigan s international page) http://www.linguistic-funland.com/tesljob.html (A Craig s List-type website for jobs teaching English abroad)