001Very good. We're going to do one more. You ready? Mhm. >> Cats. [music] So, the I teach program, think of it as an alternative lensure pathway. For those individuals who already have a bachelor's degree, they're interested in becoming a teacher. They didn't complete the traditional education teacher prep program. This is their route for them. I worked in corporate communications for 20 years and then I stayed home with my children for a while and I love the energy and the feeling of the schools. So when I returned to the workforce, [music] I did some substitute teaching and I really liked it. I was at the elementary school level [music] and then I became an instructional assistant for special education. So I worked for 10 years at Barrett Elementary >> [music] >> um doing special ed support
002which I really loved. Um, and I had always wanted to get my teaching certification, but because my husband and I have our own three children and we had colleges to pay for, it was never really the right time to borrow money to go get a master's or a teaching certification because while I have a bachelor's degree, it was not education. So, there's needs to be some steps to kind of fill in. So, it was really a great opportunity for me when APS started offering um a program for assistance to get that training and certification to become a certified teacher, [music] including the financial piece of paying for that. So in Arlington outside of the traditional pathway you have the assistant to teacher, you have sub to hire [music] and then you have the I teach
003program where teachers are actually in the classroom as a teacher in that position working on their credentiing [music] through the I teach program through the state of Virginia. I started out in extended day many many years ago about maybe 12 years ago and [music] um I would work with the kids after school and I realized I wanted to do [music] more. They gave me the tools that I needed to apply for the I teach program [music] and that allows me to go to school while I'm learning and also teaching at the same time. Very good, Flynn. Let's do that together. You ready? >> B >> The flexibility is great. Everybody has been wonderful. HR has helped me along [music] every step of the way. So, there was a seamless process. Some people want more experience
004[music] in the classroom, but they don't want the full responsibility of being a teacher quite yet. They feel like they want the opportunity to learn from teachers, to work with [music] teachers, and a lot of them will be instructional assistants. Some people just want to get used to the students in the school environment, and so they'll start off as a sub. [music] So, when I first came, I didn't have as much background with classroom management or how to help students with challenging behaviors. So over my course with APS, I got a lot of different trainings and professional development opportunities and it kind of let me hone my craft and get the experience in the classroom while watching um more experienced teachers. I started at Swanson um and I was there for 10 years. Those 10
005years at Swanson really helped and the teachers that I worked [music] under really helped me too because they gave me more and more things to do. Um they tend to come from a workshop model background. [music] So every strategy that I implemented here, I learned from those teachers [music] at Swanson. And it was one of those teachers that thought I would make a good math teacher. We recognize in human resources [music] that retaining and growing the staff that we have is so important, which is why we have these grow your own programs. We have people who are ready. [music] They just need some additional support. Some need financial support. And so we have cohorts specifically for special education, which is a really high need for us. and where [music] we're offering financial support as well.
006>> I never thought I would get here. I never thought this is where I would be. I thought I was going to be in the classroom as an assistant going forward and I was fine with that, but this is just leveling up and helping the kids in another way. I think APS is a great place to um put [music] your foot into education. We have such solid schools and an excellent system and APS sponsoring the I teach program. It's been a really easy [music] program for me to get in. It's all online. It's totally flexible. I can do it in the evenings. I can do it on the weekend. And it's at your own pace. [music] And I think APS gives really nice options for especially assistants that come in or if you're [music] coming
007from another career and they're always interested to talk to folks if they want to make it a more permanent situation.