NEWPORT, Vt. (WCAX) – A new program seeks to fill much-needed teacher positions by offering qualified local workers seeking a second career a pathway to teaching credentials.
North Country Union High School students had to take health class online during the 2022-2023 school year because a teacher wasn’t available.
“A couple of them would routinely rag on their online health program,” said Liz Alexander, who was teaching under an emergency license when she heard the complaints. That’s when she says she decided to commit to the career change. “I knew in the back of my mind that teaching was something I wanted to try, so I went for it. And now, a little over two years later, I’m still in it, and now I’m fully licensed.”
A pilot program from the Vermont Department of Labor pairs people like Alexander on a pathway to teaching credentials. Participants work in classrooms under a provisional teaching license to gain the experience and portfolio to lead to full licensure.
It’s something school leaders say is needed in rural areas. “There’s no doubt that in the last 10 to 15 years we’ve seen a marked decline in the number of people going into teaching positions,” said North Country Supervisory Union Superintendent Elaine Collins. She says a combination of people not choosing to go into the field and a lack of housing makes recruiting tough. Investing in local workers, she says, helps the long-term health of the schools. “Really helps to make it more clear, and less of a puzzle for the workforce, so they know the steps they need to take in order to become licensed.”
Helping schools and helping people who are interested in teaching, but might feel overwhelmed by the process. “I think I had been toying with the idea of entering the classroom and was not someone who was maybe ready to jump into a four-year degree program,” said Paul Chambers, a Derby elementary teacher.
The apprenticeship program was initially rolled out across the Northeast Kingdom in seven school districts, but leaders hope to expand to other parts of the state.
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