Career Changers

After working for 21 years as a design consultant for a major architectural firm in Manhattan, Ben decided that he was ready for a major career change. He read about a fast track teaching certification program for people with a Bachelor’s Degree where he could earn an M.A. degree in education, along with a teaching certificate, in less than one year. Acceptance in the program was contingent upon a rigorous academic-based entrance test, plus at least 15 years of success in the business community. The program included an abbreviated student teaching component compared to the typical experience of an undergraduate student.

“It all seemed like a dream come true. I always wanted to be a high school math teacher, and this seemed like the ticket. The courses were offered at a time and location near my home and architectural firm. I could continue to work at my profession and earn the degree at the same time.  The student teaching was completed during a six week summer school program at a local school. Even before I completed the program, I had numerous interviews at several area highs schools and ended up with three offers. Needless to say, things were moving at a breakneck pace.”

Ben met his mentor, a fellow math teacher, during the new teacher orientation program. His mentor, Venessa, had 12 years of experience of teaching high school math at five different schools across the country. She was excited to explore the possibility of co-teaching some classes during the year, especially knowing that Ben’s rich background in architecture could be a real-world example to students of how math was used in a career.

Ben reflected, “I was looking forward to bringing my career background as personal testimony to the students in my classes about the need to study math. I checked out the district’s curriculum and state goals for learning and felt there was, in fact, room to accomplish the objectives and bring in my rich background of experiences, including inviting some of my fellow colleagues to be guest speakers.”

Even though Ben’s experience working with high school students and teaching in general was rather short, his first semester took off with very few glitches. The students took a liking to him and the typical first year teacher issues such as discipline, classroom management, and keeping up with the seemingly endless piles of paperwork did not bog down his day to day lessons. He enjoyed going to school every day, and he was almost beginning to wonder, “What’s the big deal about being a first year teacher?”  His ease with teaching did not go unnoticed by other staff members and especially his mentor, Venessa.

“Although my relationship with my mentor was great, I actually felt very little need to sit down and discuss many of the typical first year concerns that new teachers often experience. In fact, I found our intended roles reversing as she began asking me if I had any teaching tips on how to spice up her math lessons. I, of course, obliged, and I gave her numerous teaching ideas that I had picked up by searching the internet for cool ideas as well as from my past experiences at the architecture firm. When I had guest speakers, we combined classes as often as possible. To my surprise, several of her students asked me if they could transfer from her classroom into one of my class sections.”

In early December, Ben was surprised to find a letter in his mailbox stating that he was nominated for the city “Best First Year Teacher” award. The letter asked him to complete a form to help complete the application process. One portion was a few questions to be completed by a colleague who best knew his teaching methods and successful strategies. His first thought was to ask Venessa, but he thought that would be quite awkward.  After all, he was supposed to be the “new kid on the block” and not the go-to person. Since the application was not due until after Spring Break, he had some time to think it over before deciding who to go to in order to complete the application.

Questions

1) Should Ben have asked Vanessa to complete his teacher award nomination form? Or is it better to ask another colleague?

2) Would it have been better for the two to have a frank discussion about how their relationship should progress given the fact that the mentor/mentee roles were clearly reversed?

3) How should Ben handle the fact that students in Vanessa’s room want to switch to his?

4)  What are the pros and cons of various fast track and/or alternative certification programs?  Do they have pretty good track records?

Another Look

Consider Vanessa’s approach to helping Ben transition into a career in education; she knew that it was important for him to bring his previous experiences as an architect into the classroom.  Although it seems like Vanessa was not able to provide all of the mentoring that Ben needed, she approached her relationship with him as an opportunity to expose students to a person successful in a field that greatly relies on mathematics.  She respected the unique perspectives that Ben would bring from his previous career, and she recognized his teaching talent immediately.

Ben’s success may seem atypical to experienced mentors.  But consider that many career-changers have already achieved high levels of achievement in their previous careers.  In order to have been successful in other professions, they already possessed personality qualities that would make them fantastic teachers: time management skills, passion for subject matter, and internal motivation.

A common misconception about career-changers is that they are failures in their previous careers.  Not only is this grossly inaccurate, but it is dangerous for any mentor to judge a new teacher in this way.  If a mentor has this preconceived notion, it immediately impedes building a positive relationship with a new teacher.

It is important to understand why people change careers into teaching.

Recruting New Teachers, a non-profit organization, provides five reasons why people change careers into teaching:

1. To give back. Successful mid-career professionals often want to "pay back" that great teacher or the educational community that helped them achieve academically and personally.
2. To put experience to use. Mid-career changers want to bring various experience to the classroom, such expertise developed in another career, maturity, negotiating skills, or parenting experience.
3. To change the meaning of "work." Mid-career changers often go into teaching for the opportunity to mentor and interact with young people, to get closer to their community, and to awaken young minds.
4. To follow one successful career with another. Individuals with experience in the military, the Peace Corps, and other careers have the drive and commitment to be successful teachers.
5. To share knowledge and passion. Mid-career changers combine the enthusiasm and dedication of new teachers with deep understanding of subjects such as mathematics, science, literature, or technology.

Recognizing the potential of career-changers is the first step for a mentor in giving guidance.  By embracing the previous experiences of the new teacher, mentors can encourage mentees to tap into a knowledge base that has the potential to transform their teaching.  Ben’s accolade as a new teacher is an example of how his previous career has had a positive impact on his classroom and also the classrooms around him.