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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2000
Our View
A new option
Our county is rich in retired professionals.
They could teach our kids.
Like many communities, Rappahannock County
faces a continuing shortage of teachers. The
available pay scale, competition from larger school systems nearby and difficulty attracting recent college graduates to live in our unique, rural environment all contribute to this situation.
One recent piece of legislation that recently made it through the Virginia General Assembly this session offers some help.
Senate Bill 113, patroned by our friend, Sen. Russ Potts (R-Winchester), has been passed by the Senate and is currently going through the House. Actually an amendment to the Code of Virginia, SB 113 “establishes a mechanism for local boards to issue five-year local teacher licenses.”
The effect of this bill is to establish a program by which localities could recruit qualified retirees and other experienced persons who may not have formal teaching education to become “probationary” teachers in the local school systems.
With the large number of retired military and corporate leaders living in our community, we may be able to tap an untried resource. These folks obviously “know their stuff,” and many are already proven motivators.
Of course, there are many checks-and-balances before even the most qualified former engineer could teach math, or a retired medical professional could walk into his or her first biology class.
In addition to the required background checks, an applicant must pass a professional teacher’s examination prescribed by the State Board of Education. Also, additional training in classroom instruction and how to deal with special students’ needs must be completed before the first day in class. ; SB 113 is unique in that additional requirements come into play over the next five years — adding new Communications skills, involvement with the Standards of Learning, and increased technical proficiency to what the probationary teacher must master.
Persons who choose to take this path can only serve as probationary teachers for a total of five years; at that point, they must apply for a regular teaching license from the Board of Education, or drop put of the program.
Would this work here? It certainly warrants our Serious consideration.
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