When students at Franklin Regional return from summer break, they are rarely surprised by additions to the faculty, teaching staff and administration.
Sometimes, however, new faces occupy familiar rooms, and vague memories of past student teachers are jarred loose by their sudden returns. But even though some students are happy to see their former student teachers in front of their classrooms, the lengthy process that prospective teachers must complete is rarely considered.
Daniel Casebeer, newly hired to replace media teacher Becky Magness, who is on maternity leave, recently completed his Pennsylvania teaching requirements.
At Franklin, a majority of the teachers have a master’s degree in the subject they teach, as well as some form of degree in secondary education.
While this level of qualification is outstanding, such extensive graduate work is not required by law.
To date, Casebeer has completed eight years of college, during which time he earned a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in English Literature and a master’s in Secondary Education.
At the bare minimum, teachers in Pennsylvania need to hold an undergraduate degree in a particular field and teacher certification.
“It took me about two years to complete all of the requirements for certification,” said Casebeer.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the certification requirements are three-fold, including state-approved certification courses, an internship, and standardized tests.
These tests are the Praxis I and the Praxis II, the former assessing basic academic knowledge and the latter assessing subject-specific material.
“The Praxis I covers the general areas of writing, math, and reading,” said Casebeer. “The Praxis II, the one I took, anyway, focused on high school literature.”
Ironically enough, the Praxis tests, as well as a majority of the teaching requirements, excluding student teaching, never broach the topic of, well, teaching.
How a subject would be best approached or how a topic would best be taught is rarely addressed by the testing, only learned through the student teaching experience.
Casebeer explained, “I learned more about teaching in the first week of my internship than I did throughout my undergraduate and graduate work combined.”
Though the certification process is time consuming, technology has made applying for jobs more efficient.
In order to expedite the whole process, Pennsylvania implemented an online database where teachers can maintain a profile that aids in the job search.
Every applicant is required to register and fill out proper forms at PAeducator.com, an online registry that has all the necessary forms for prospective teachers.
Those students who are in the midst of applying to colleges can relate to the tedious and repetitive nature of the application process.
The process for teachers, however, is much longer and convoluted; the sheer volume of required forms is tremendous.
As with any job, it is advisable to apply to as many places as possible. Oftentimes, triplicates or more of the same forms must be completed.
Criminal background and child abuse forms, letters of recommendation, and supplemental forms for individual school districts are just some of the requirements.
In many cases, Human Resource Directors, those in charge of hiring new teachers, have their pick of qualified applicants.
“Teaching jobs are very competitive right now,” explained Casebeer. “Pennsylvania knows how to take care of its educators.”
During the interview process, the interview board dredges through an applicant’s entire educational career, many times extending all the way back to high school.
Where an individual does their student teaching can greatly affect where they will apply, as well as their chances for getting the job.
Many current teachers at Franklin have done their student teaching at the high school, or in the area, consequently having an advantage in the application process.
The amount of work a teacher must put in, through post-secondary schooling, certification and the application process, is a true testament of their dedication to their job.
In many areas, teachers receive minimal pay for performing such a crucial and necessary service to our nation’s youth, accumulating thousands of dollars in student loans, but still are blamed for a generation’s worth of ignorance and laziness.