<p>EK…I’m behind you all the way! You’d make a great teacher. I would like to help you with some suggestions. Just so you know, I am a former elementary school teacher and have taught Education on both the undergraduate and graduate levels at five colleges. Two of the college programs in which I have taught were aimed at people JUST LIKE YOU…adult learners who were looking to become licensed teachers but who had not gone to college at the traditional age or didn’t have a degree. These programs were considered Adult Degree Programs leading to BA degrees and teacher licensure. </p>
<p>I would like to tell you about both of these and urge you to consider either one because they both FIT YOU. </p>
<p>One program I taught at has since changed its name and affiliation. At the time I taught there, it was called Vermont College Adult Degree Program. However, the program was bought and is now run by Union Institute and University. They still maintain the Vermont College campus site, but that is not their only site. When I taught there and I just checked and both these options still exist, these were what are considered “low residency programs”. One option was to come to campus six weekends per semester (I taught in that program) and the other was to come to campus one week per semester. However, now there is an option where you do not have to come to a campus site ever in person. Each student is assigned an advisor. The advisor supervises their entire studies. These are independent studies but can have many different components to them. Study plans are drawn up and agreed upon. The student has deadlines and such. The student communicates online (these days) but back when I did it, it was all in snail mail, and there is “discussion” and then there are assignments. I would write back a lot of feedback on the discussion and the assignments and guide their studies. The residencies involved small group advising and seminars, etc. I see that a new program option is to do it entirely online without the one week per semester or the weekend option at the Vermont College campus. By the way, students came from around the country for the residencies (more so for the one week per semester option, not the weekend option). Now, I see that they have some other centers, the closest being Sacramento, to you. But you do not have to meet face to face and can do it all online. Most of it is done online anyway. The in person one week residency was just a nice way to gather with other learners in the same field, etc. I believe at Sacramento, you can have one on one meetings in person with your advisor who otherwise communicates online with you.</p>
<p>The other program I taught in of this nature was through Goddard College which is also located in Vermont. Goddard’s program is similar to Vermont College- Union Institute (one was patterned after the other), but Goddard, I think, only offers the one week per semester residency and adults come from around the country for that one week and do the rest online supervised by their advisor. This program also leads to teacher certification, like Union Institute’s. </p>
<p>Both these programs are geared to people just like you who have families and jobs. The studies are flexible and highly individualized and you get one on one faculty attention. For education majors, there are obviously requirements to be met for teacher certification. There is also student teaching. I have supervised student teachers in my state in this program and I am sure you have to line up a supervisor in your state for this part of your study. </p>
<p>While I have been an elementary school teacher and college teacher training teachers, my career is now as an independent college counselor, advising HS juniors/seniors applying to college. However, the style of my work now reminds me of my work when I taught at Vermont College’s Adult Degree Program and Goddard College’s program because I now work with students long distance and have very very frequent emails (often daily!) with “discussion” and accompanying that are “assignments” and they send tasks and get feedback, much like the process with adult learning degree programs. Back then, I was not online but now it is all online. My kids have also done long distance learning through John Hopkin’s Center for Talented Youth and that also works like this…emails with discussion and then sending along assignments and getting feedback. The teacher education program, however, will involve drawing up a plan of study. By the way, there are no foreign language requirements for these college programs. Your plan of study might involve taking a local course…however, you draw up what you will learn, how you will go about learning it, and how you will show what you have learned. For teacher education, of course, there are some required facets of that plan.</p>
<p>I also advise you to look into the paraprofessional jobs in your local schools because those jobs will be good to have on your teaching resume for after you get the degree and try to get teaching jobs. You will have classroom experience under your belt beyond volunteering. Further, sometimes, a paraprofessional can move up into a teacher’s job at a school that likes the person after seeing their work in the classroom. With a paraprofessional job at a school, you could likely also manage the long distance teacher education BA program through one of these two colleges I just mentioned. Your job would end by 3 and you would not have outside preparation to do for it. </p>
<p>Just yesterday, I was subbing in a local elementary school, and my friend who is the K teacher there, got her college degree in the Vermont College adult degree program (now the one through Union Institute). She earned this while holding a job as a waitress and with two kids my kids’ ages (still at home at the time). She has a good job now. I know many who have done this. I look at the adult college students whom I had in these programs at the time, many just like you, and I am in awe of how they managed families and jobs, while earning these degrees. I applaud you. Go for it! Do look into these two programs as both suit you well. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
~berurah</p>