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Along with a series of very urgent requests for me to become involved in the transferring of funds from various Nigerian bank accounts and pleas from the enigmatic Michael Vincent to take the New Job that he has carefully selected for me, I also found this in my e-mail: "Teachers Needed." It's a simple enough sentiment, and the offer inside seems much more likely to pay off in some way compared to the fund transfers and make-money-with-your-own-website schemes. So what is it doing in my spam folder?
The most obvious answer is that I have already earned my teaching credential. Not only that, I have successfully renewed it and and am currently the holder of a multiple-subject credential from the State of California. This is the most important part of being a "highly qualified" teacher in the eyes of the No Child Left Behind act. That and an ongoing series of professional development opportunities that both broaden and focus my abilities as a teacher. If you ever wondered what teachers do during those "retreats" or "work days," instead of jetting off to Acapulco. They are sitting in libraries, cafeterias, or classrooms developing professionally. It's part of the plan.
Then there's the part about how I received my credential in the first place. My wife had heard of a program that allowed working stiffs such as myself to get their teaching degree as they worked in their own classroom. It was an intern program, and it came with the same nervous insistence that my e-mail asserted: Teachers Needed. I went from running a warehouse to working in an elementary school in four short months. This wasn't student teaching, where a master teacher could slowly hand the reins off to me as I got my bearings. It was just me and the kids, from day one. It's not like I didn't have any support. All the veteran teachers were there to give me tips and point to the curriculum and even make copies from time to time. But when the bell rang and the door closed, it was just me and the kids.
If I had it to do over again, I would find a way to take a full-blown credential program, one that allowed me to practice my skills with the safety net of another experienced teacher in the room. I would have liked to have experience in a few different settings before choosing the school where I wanted to teach. That's not the way it happened for me. Hindsight tells me these things. In reality, I am grateful that I have been able to create a relationship with the community where I teach. This is a place where teachers are needed.
When I started, I was one of ten new teachers in a staff of twenty. As the experienced teachers retired, changed schools, or moved out of teaching altogether, most of us interns stuck it out. It is always satisfying to see the number of faces I recognize from my credentialing classes when I attend those professional development opportunities. We stuck with it. Now I'm the only one left at my school, but I still see those friendly faces from time to time. The ones who got that call, before e-mail.