The program was introduced in New York City this year, luring more than 300 first-time teachers away from other fields, Frey said. "It's the hardest thing I've done in 30 years." "It has not been easy," said Charles DuBois, who left a job as a systems analyst two weeks ago for a teaching job in Middletown. The program was built on the widespread belief that caring, civic-minded people who are disenchanted with their professions can be lured into teaching under the right circumstances.Įxpected to be linked with colleges throughout the state, the program will allow New Yorkers with undergraduate degrees in English, math, social studies and history to teach while earning their certification. The Regents this summer approved an "alternative teacher program" to make it easier for professionals to make the leap from office to classroom. "They are a real asset," said Bernard Cohen, principal of the school, who said second-career teachers often bring a heightened level of passion and commitment to the profession. In Middletown alone, four of the 31 high school teachers hired this fall came from other, higher-paying fields. Brian Howard, superintendent of the Liberty School District in Sullivan County. It is the passion and determination of second-career teachers that really thrill administrators. "I'm happy for the first time," says Claire Cortwright, who five years ago left a legal career to find fulfillment as a teacher at Middletown High School. Statewide, thousands of professionals have traded power lunches and cell phone deals for chalk dust and starting salaries averaging $30,808.īut why would someone leave the promise of high social status, a big house and fancy car for a roomful of kids and a paycheck right in the middle? EDUCATION: These new teachers didn't just fall off the turnip truck.įaced with a looming shortage of 100,000 teachers over the next five years, state education officials are luring accountants, lawyers and others to the blackboard.
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