Apparently, it's very busy down at the GCS HR office. Yesterday's News & Record reports the number of applications for lateral-entry teachers has skyrocketed, more than 11,000 recently applied. The article also say about 40 percent of them do not have any teaching certification.You've got a couple of situations going on here:
1. Things like this get headlines because of the current economic situation and the sheer number...more than 11,000 apply for teaching jobs. And yet, you have teachers with credentials...out of work, some of whom have been clamoring to get jobs with GCS, only to get the runaround downtown. My sister-in-law, who's fully math-certified, continues (to the day) to get the runaround, despite her file being squeaky clean. She has been even told to apply for jobs in other counties.
2. Many of these applicants have no idea what they're in for. I should know...not long ago, I was a lateral-entry teacher...until the sheer reality of No Child Left Behind crept in. Can't get the kids to pass the test? Can't get enough of them to pass the test? There's the door...
I'm hopeful that things have gotten better since I've been out of the classroom full-time for a couple of years now, but I wasn't given that much support at all. And these later-entry folks need every bit of support they can get. Trust and believe.
3. Some out there, who went to school to be a teacher, may raise an eyebrow or two about this. See this N&R comment from Brian Ewing's story from "ncf88":
I feel that this lateral entry program is a bit unfair to those of us who have chosen teaching as our profession. I am in college now to be an Elementary school teacher, and when I graduate, I am going to have to contend with these lateral entry candidates who have far more job experience than I do. Beside my love of children and education, I chose to be a teacher because North Carolina has traditionally had a teacher shortage. I felt that I would have job security in this field, but now I am not so certain of that. With all these lateral entry candidates being hired, there will be no jobs for those of us who are coming fresh out of college with our teaching credentials. Luckily, I am not on a NC teaching scholarship, but many of my fellow education majors who are may have difficulty fulfilling their obligation to teach in a NC school after graduation.
The numbers are impressive, but I'd say lets pick some applicants out of the pool, follow them, and see where they are in six months to a year.
E.C. :)
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3 comments:
I'd much prefer a lateral entry teacher teaching my child as opposed to a new grad. my kids have had new grads and it's miserable. Lateral entry can bring a lot of life experience to the table. This is what our kids need.
I disagree with the new grad comment. My child had a new grad teacher for first grade and she was fabulous! Her love, energy and positive attitude is just what our students need. As a classroom volunteer, I saw all the students in her class make great strides academically, especially in reading.
We need the best possible people teaching. The more applicants there are the better chance GCS have in hiring the best available teachers, whether they're lateral entry or new grads.
I once made it to the interview stage as a lateral entry candidate in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County district. During that same time, I was a substitute teacher.
I understand being a substitute and being in the classroom full-time are two different things, however, that first time I stepped into a class had me a tad nervous.
Anyway, didn't this program start out as a stop gap measure? Then, let's fill in the holes with lateral entry candidates after the certified pool has been depleted.
Also, there should be clearer expectations how the lateral entry program works on the DPI Web site, such as lateral candidates will be looked at once the ones with certification have been considered.
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