WGU MA in Education

[sanantone]

I think there is some confusion here. It looks like LadyLearner is looking at the program for licensed teachers. Lindagerr is looking at the program for non-licensed teachers. LadyLearner, are you interested in becoming fully licensed through WGU's program? I know it doesn't work for a lot of people because it requires a semester of student teaching that, you not only have to pay for, but it makes it difficult to hold a full-time job.

[ladylearner]

I don't understand. This is from their site about the MA teaching English 5-12

Who the Program is For:

Individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree, with a major in English or the equivalent, who want to become certified middle grades or secondary school teachers and earn a master's degree.
Unlicensed teachers, substitute teachers, career changers, retired military personnel, school paraprofessionals, and others with bachelor’s degrees who feel the call to teach.

So is it that you wanted to teach other than 5-12 or esl that was the problem. The degree I was interested in was the Masters in teaching science. They had evaluated my BA and I had conditional acceptance but I needed a couple of prerequisites like speech and a fine art.

If you decide to go alternate method in NJ make sure you read and understand all the work and courses needed. It took me several readings because some things are ambiguous and you need step 1 then you find out what is entailed in step 2. Also look into where the classes you will need are offered they are (or were) not offered online must be in seat and are only offered at certain colleges. Also when you work it all out you are probably not spending less time or money than you would for a masters and these courses don't count towards that. I just want to make sure you understand all you are getting into before you start, because for me it just seemed to creep up on me that every step I took seemed to only lead to 2 more I needed.

Have you considered leaving NJ? I am not sure it is still so but Vermont used to have a peer reviewed competency route to a teaching license. Also are you sure there will be job opportunities in your field? I had a friend that taught esl in California but she couldn't find work in western NY.

I wish I had started on my path when I was younger, then I would have been able to justify the cost benifit ratio for the WGU MAT.

Teaching Spanish and esl in the k-12 system is just something I'm considering. I'm really interested in teaching those subjects in a community college setting. The community college jobs are usually part-time and I'm fine with that. However, I need a master's degree and some full-time teaching experience under my belt.

I signed up for the intro to teaching class at TESU and I'm going to do my observation hours at a high school. The hours are few but I can see if this is something I could get into. I wouldn't relocate for this since I have a full-time job and a family and I'm just exploring right now. I live in Jersey City now and work in Manhattan. ESL is huge here. More so than Spanish. But I'm still planning to pursue the certificates of eligibility in both. NJ offers a seal of biliteracy to high school students graduating with in-depth knowledge of a second language. So you get a lot of students doing more extensive study in their heritage language which, for many, is Spanish.

There are three colleges in my city that offer the teacher certification classes and more in the surrounding areas. But you're right, it does look like a big undertaking. If I get a certificate of eligibility and a teaching job, how soon would I have to start the next phase? What if I got a master's degree instead? It's confusing. I am a member of the NJ branch of the TESOL organization and that's where I found a teacher to observe. But it looks like I'd have to pay for mentoring as well.

Oh, and I should add that I don't want to teach English, just esl & Spanish.

[ladylearner]

I think there is some confusion here. It looks like LadyLearner is looking at the program for licensed teachers. Lindagerr is looking at the program for non-licensed teachers. LadyLearner, are you interested in becoming fully licensed through WGU's program? I know it doesn't work for a lot of people because it requires a semester of student teaching that, you not only have to pay for, but it makes it difficult to hold a full-time job.

Sanantone, you're right. My preference was a program that didn't include any teacher certification and didn't require it for admission. Lots of programs exist but none that are self-paced or have WGU's pricing structure. I think I'm going to go back to my earlier grad school ideas.
However, I'm still pursuing the certificate of eligibility for teaching in my state. Just not sure when I'll go with it.

[Lindagerr]

The certificate of eligibility means you can get a job in NJ. But you have to have a fully certified/ licenced teacher mentor you for 2 years at your job. As far as teaching at a CC they usually just need a masters. But getting a job as an adjunct professor can be difficult, work is usually part time and not very stable.

[ladylearner]

The certificate of eligibility means you can get a job in NJ. But you have to have a fully certified/ licenced teacher mentor you for 2 years at your job. As far as teaching at a CC they usually just need a masters. But getting a job as an adjunct professor can be difficult, work is usually part time and not very stable.

I have a full-time job and I would be OK being a Spanish adjunct. I would be more than OK working in a self-contained language institute at a college, which is different from an adjunct position. These programs are pretty common in colleges nowadays and some areas with large bilingual populations have bilingual programs in the colleges as well. I'm pursuing the NJ Certificate of Eligibility because I would also be OK teaching ESL and/or Spanish in an adult high school, a technical high school, a language program for parents, etc. Many of those jobs require the K-12 certification in the subject area because they're part of the NJDOE system, even though you're not teaching those grade levels.

If I needed full-time employment right now, I would definitely approach this differently.

Can you tell me if you get a job with the CE, do you have to start the rest of the alternative certification right away? And would getting a master's degree in any way satisfy that requirement? I agree this is confusing.

[Lindagerr]

First you are in the city so now I understand the esl. I was/am a country bumpkin. Hunterdon county is mostly very country. Also I don't think any of the classes are offered in Hunterdon I would have had to drive about an hour minimum to take classes.

It has been a while, but I think you had to at least start the classes within a year of your getting the teaching job. If I remember right you did need to take 1 20 or so hour class be for you can even be eligible. Usually I think it is a couple of hours over several weeks to finish. I found a program near AC that did it in 4 or 5 longer days in a row. I took a week off rented a cheap hotel on the out skirt of the city and stayed down there. You will also need to take at least 1 PRAXIS II exam. I tried taking one without much study and failed an exam for the first and only time.

I am almost positive that a Masters without License will not be allowed as a substitute for the classes. They want to be sure you understand common core and how to use it when writing a lesson plan which they also want to teach you how to do.

[ladylearner]

First you are in the city so now I understand the esl. I was/am a country bumpkin. Hunterdon county is mostly very country. Also I don't think any of the classes are offered in Hunterdon I would have had to drive about an hour minimum to take classes.

It has been a while, but I think you had to at least start the classes within a year of your getting the teaching job. If I remember right you did need to take 1 20 or so hour class be for you can even be eligible. Usually I think it is a couple of hours over several weeks to finish. I found a program near AC that did it in 4 or 5 longer days in a row. I took a week off rented a cheap hotel on the out skirt of the city and stayed down there. You will also need to take at least 1 PRAXIS II exam. I tried taking one without much study and failed an exam for the first and only time.

I am almost positive that a Masters without License will not be allowed as a substitute for the classes. They want to be sure you understand common core and how to use it when writing a lesson plan which they also want to teach you how to do.

Hiya Linda. I start the 24-hour class at TESU on Monday. I've got a teacher/class to observe. I sent an email to the NJTesol group and lots of nice teachers responded. I'm actually excited about the class since there's lots of stuff in the materials that can help me as an educator in general. I need to take the two Praxis exams next month. I don't know how long it takes to finish this process. And I'm still not sure if I'll ever use this certificate. But here goes.

[Lindagerr]

It seems like you are pecking away at those pesky requirements. If I remember correctly once you have all the requirements done you send transcript and praxis and class info have required health info and send it all to the state with application (I think it can all be done online) it did not take more than a couple of weeks to receive Coe in the mail.

[ladylearner]

It seems like you are pecking away at those pesky requirements. If I remember correctly once you have all the requirements done you send transcript and praxis and class info have required health info and send it all to the state with application (I think it can all be done online) it did not take more than a couple of weeks to receive Coe in the mail.

I am glad I signed up for the class. It's actually a good self-exploration exercise for someone who's considering teaching as a profession, whether K-12 or not.