In the News

April 28, 2009

Light at the end of the classroom

Amidst economic turmoil, more and more people are leaving their seemingly uncertain career paths to become educators instead. Fortunately, there are plenty of occupations ripe with opportunities for teaching. In the DC area, one Internet start-up employee left his cubicle to teach computer science, while a tax accountant left his profession to teach algebra, and a makeup artist found fulfillment teaching high school chemistry in Texas. These educators bring direct experience and relevant knowledge of their subjects to their curriculum, to address what they feel is a duty to nourish the teaching work force while helping students as well.

Career-switchers make up about one-third of the ranks of new educators. Interest has surged in becoming a teacher as the recession deepens, and more pathways are emerging to get people there quickly. In the DC area, the New Teacher Project helps people switch from other careers to the classroom. Nearly 30,000 people have applied to its teaching fellows programs this year. There has been similar interest in Teach for America, an organization that recruits new college graduates, not career-switchers.

The flood of applications from sources like these is encouraging to the Obama administration, which plans to substantially increase the number and quality of teachers in America. Career-changers are an important part of this plan.

Source: The Washington Times