SIOUX CITY -- With an acute shortage of substitute teachers in the region, the Northwest AEA is making it easier for individuals in other career fields to become certified to temporarily lead classes.
The Northwest AEA has been offering virtual substitute authorization courses for at least eight years, but, now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those with paraeducator certificates can now take the substitute teacher course. Partially as a result, enrollment has increased, the AEA says.
Megan Swanberg, a teaching associate at Le Mars High School, has seen first-hand the impact of substitute shortages on teachers and staff.
In February she decided to take the Northwest AEA substitute authorization course to help alleviate the substitute teacher shortage. She sees being able to substitute as a way to work with kids and have an impact, without needing a teaching degree.
Prior to the pandemic, the AEA's substitute authorization course was limited to those 21 years old with a bachelor's degree, associate's degree or 60 college credit hours.
People are also reading…
Sue Chartier and Carla Lee have been leading the courses in Sioux City. In a five-day course, the participants learn about ethics, diversity, learning strategies and behavior management.
"We want to make sure they get all of that," she said.
The last few months of courses have been at capacity with 32 each month and people ranging from 21 years old to 70 years old with a variety of different career backgrounds.
Chartier said area school districts have helped interested candidates sign up for the course, especially smaller districts with severe substitute shortages.
Even though everyone has been in a school before, people who take the course learn how substituting has changed, Chartier said.
"(People think) all the kids are just sitting in the desks really quiet and the sub just comes in and babysits, and that's not it at all," Chartier said. "Going through these four modules and really arming them with different strategies they can use ... they can keep learning going forward."
Lee said people cannot be experts in every education area so when they go into a class where they don't know what to do, the course provides strategies to keep the education moving forward. Chartier said kids cannot lose a day of learning anymore.
After five, three-hour courses - and some homework - the participants can move ahead with substituting process.
Sioux City School Board member Perla Alarcon-Flory took the course in January. She said it was an exciting and informative course. She added the homework was helpful and allowed self-reflection to determine it one is fit to be a substitute.
The course is eye-opening to the needs and diversity of the students, Alarcon-Flory said.
There was an aerospace engineer, nurses, a psychologist, students, educators and a retired attorney in her section of the course.
"The variety of life experiences were so priceless," she said. "The conversations were really enriching."
For students, Alarcon-Flory said all of these different people becoming substitutes offers unique opportunities for students to learn from a variety of professionals - for example, having a nurse teach a science class or an aerospace engineer talk about physics
Swanberg said the course was informative and not too difficult.
She said the course taught lessons on how to address behavioral issues, keep the class on task, read lesson plans and if necessary, create their own.
She plans on substituting all around the area at different districts.
Because the course is $125, Alarcon-Flory is offering to sponsor two people to take the course. One individual must be a teaching or future teaching student, a Sioux City schools alumni or a Sioux City schools employee, the other is for a person of color. Those interested can email alarcop@live.siouxcityschools.com.
The next course offered is April 3 through 11 through the Mississippi Bend AEA.
"course" - Google News
March 20, 2022 at 07:00AM
https://ift.tt/Plg8xGL
AEA substitute course helping train more to enter classrooms - Sioux City Journal
"course" - Google News
https://ift.tt/XyGUZn1
https://ift.tt/4p7K6Af
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "AEA substitute course helping train more to enter classrooms - Sioux City Journal"
Post a Comment