Hello. I am a new member of Menteach.org, and am seeking information re: How to obtain an expedited teaching credential for the state of California. I have PhD. in psychology from Harvard University (1980), and over 25 years of teaching experience at the doctoral level. Any information you might have about this process would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
William Nasby
wmnasby@gmail.com
Hello, William,
I've sent you an e-mail but I also wanted to post a reply here.
Great to hear from you.
The first thing I suggest is that you look at this page - it's a great summary of wanting to be a teacher:
http://menteach.org/resources/how_to_become_a_teacher
It's likely to be easier to be hired to teach high school students then earlier grades (more people are more interested in working with younger children because they believe they are easier to manage).
I'm sure you can appreciate that there are similarities and differences with teaching high school versus college - but - good pedagogy is universal.
An important approach is to do an information interview with a male teacher in the city or region you want to work. Ask around, men are out there teaching.
Another resource is The New Teacher Project go to: http://www.tntp.org to see their work around career changers and alternative certifcation.
I'm not certain about California but the links in our Resource pages should be useful as would reviewing the Dept. of Education in California.
From my experience - I also teach teachers at a university - the difference is that there is many more requirements to teach in high school than in the university. In the university - once you secure your PhD or EdD then you are struggling with securing tenure. In high school you have to have, as you obviously know, a license AND then you also have to struggle to secure tenure.
It's a great career change - it has it's challenges - but - truly - children need men.
I've seen hundreds of men make the career change and know you can do it to if you are persistent.
Keep in touch and let me know you process - we like to let others know how others make the transition.
Regards,
Bryan
Kitt Cox
Gloucester, Massachusetts, US
Bryan wrote "It's likely to be easier to be hired to teach high school students then earlier grades (more people are more interested in working with younger children because they believe they are easier to manage)."
Not to contradict Bryan, but by way of providing another perspective -
If you're interested in working with really young kids and their families, I think you could find a home in the zero-five sector. Although you may encounter suspicion and poor wages (oh boy) it's worth it to a lot of us. Want to make an impact - get them young and get their parents on board to. At times, I think I've benefited from a pro-male preschool teacher preference some people have (despite the "diaper issue").
I believe the California AEYC has a very active male teacher group - check them out. Good luck,
Kitt
Yes!!
Kitt is so correct and I appreciate him sharing his perspective.
In fact, I loved working with young children.
Bryan
Supervise Student Teachers
Great to work w/ younger children...I did it for 33 years and really liked it esp. the 16 years in kindergarten!!! Now I supervise Student Teachers (most in early grades...) at ASU and it's a great way to share my expertise (??) and past experiences with the new teachers-to-be. Sadly, only1 male in this group but lots of hard work and dedication on the part of all the student teachers.