2008 Woodie Awards
Bredesen revisits teacher licensing rules
Matt Cook
Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: Campus News
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Dr. Mary Lee Hall, Dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and Interim Chair of the Department of Education, is the UTM contact for the Transition to Teaching program. She said in an e-mail that UTM has played a large role in the alternative methods to obtain a license.
"UTM, as a member of the Tennessee Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, was involved in the mentoring piece for Teach Tennessee during the 2005-2006 academic year. We assisted with recruiting, training and monitoring retired teachers and principals hired to work with Teach Tennessee fellows. We have recently secured the Transition to Teaching grant and will be accepting applications until April of this year for the program. We will also offer the fifteen to eighteen hours needed for the candidates to complete requirements for licensure."
Hall also said the she did not feel the alternate methods detracted from the department's goal of equipping future educators to teach with the traditional method.
"Due to the dire shortage of math and science teachers, we hope to recruit some of our best undergraduate math or science majors who might be interested in teaching.
"Math and science majors sometimes are offered other better paying opportunities for employment. I heard a statistic the other day that is frightening in light of the push for four years of math and science in high schools: the State of Tennessee licensed [only] 11 physics teachers last year."
Hall, and many educators like her, hope that the alternative options for getting a teaching licenses will prevent those statistics from becoming the norm.
"UTM, as a member of the Tennessee Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, was involved in the mentoring piece for Teach Tennessee during the 2005-2006 academic year. We assisted with recruiting, training and monitoring retired teachers and principals hired to work with Teach Tennessee fellows. We have recently secured the Transition to Teaching grant and will be accepting applications until April of this year for the program. We will also offer the fifteen to eighteen hours needed for the candidates to complete requirements for licensure."
Hall also said the she did not feel the alternate methods detracted from the department's goal of equipping future educators to teach with the traditional method.
"Due to the dire shortage of math and science teachers, we hope to recruit some of our best undergraduate math or science majors who might be interested in teaching.
"Math and science majors sometimes are offered other better paying opportunities for employment. I heard a statistic the other day that is frightening in light of the push for four years of math and science in high schools: the State of Tennessee licensed [only] 11 physics teachers last year."
Hall, and many educators like her, hope that the alternative options for getting a teaching licenses will prevent those statistics from becoming the norm.
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