A Florida Teacher Explains Why The State Needs More Teachers
Dr. Grant Tedaldi has been teaching in public schools for over 10 years. Below, he explains why alternative teacher certification is a necessary and impactful method to certification, especially in the state of Florida.
2017 is here, and I know each New Year I make a resolution and try to follow through with positive changes in my life. I’m not too worried about watching my diet or getting to the gym in January though, because my year actually begins in August. I teach, and therefore I follow a calendar that everyone may remember from being young. Those two summer months give me a lot more time to finalize my New Year’s resolutions, but I implore those thinking that their big change this year might come with a new career, to consider how becoming a teacher may be the most impactful resolution you can possible make.
Look in any newspaper here in Florida, and you’re likely to read an article about our growing teacher shortage. With new schools being built each year and more and more teachers closing in on retirement, it’s no doubt The Sunshine State is struggling to put an educator in every classroom each coming August. Teaching is a noble profession with exceptional benefits, and a profession that you may have considered as a career change. Did you know that the Florida Department of Education provides a pathway that can get you state certified to teach in your very own classroom in less than a year? It’s called the American Board and it’s a way that hundreds of teachers in Florida started their careers in education… all online, from the comfort of their home.
Some of the largest school districts in the country are in Florida- including Orlando (Orange), Tampa (Hillsborough), Jacksonville (Duval), Miami (Miami-Dade), Ft Lauderdale (Broward), and Palm Beach. Each hire and staff hundreds of new teachers each year.
Think about how your experience in the business world could translate into teaching a youngster math so that it is meaningful and relevant to their future. Was memorizing state capitals and teaching reading to your children a wonderful experience? With a comprehensive online program, you can deepen your subject knowledge and be fully certified to teach Elementary, Middle, or High School in under a year. The American Board has been helping certify educators for 16 years; so consider that new career you’ve been thinking about for 2017 and make a resolution to make a much needed difference in young students’ lives by helping to fill much needed vacancies in Florida’s public schools.
