It takes a little RESPECT

There is a new movement within the education profession to uplift and transform the teaching profession. An article on ED.gov titled, “Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching (RESPECT),” outlined seven components of this program. Chief among these components is the need to develop more effective teachers.

According to the article, “Preparation should include significant clinical opportunities that involve highly effective teachers or principals to oversee, mentor, and evaluate aspiring educators (preferably in the school environments in which the candidates will ultimately work).”

Not only are teachers expected to have strong knowledge of their content, they are expected to be skilled in using a variety of instructional strategies, be continuous learners themselves and excel at planning and analyzing student learning outcomes.

Teaching fellowships

How can an aspiring teacher fulfill the many requirements for career preparation? Teaching fellowships can help new teachers to work and learn in an environment that encourages continuous improvement. Two such programs are The New Teacher’s Project’s (TNTP) Teaching Fellows and the TNTP Academy. Created in 2000, TNTP has trained more than 26,000 teachers in what has been called by Education Week, “one of the best alternative teacher-preparation routes out there today.”

The program is active in more than 25 cities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, New York, and Phoenix. Of its programs TNTP says, “Working in collaboration with urban districts, TNTP prepares new teachers to make a profound, long-term contribution to the district and its students. Each of TNTP’s 14 programs trains teachers to meet district needs in key subjects, such as math, science and Special Education.”

If you are interested in participating in a TNTP training program check out the links to the various programs located across the US.

Be a pioneer

Another organization with a mission to develop high performance teachers is EducationPioneers.org, which offers two types of fellowships:

• The Graduate Fellowship: graduate students of business, law, policy and education can choose either a 10-week summer placement or a 12-month placement.
• Analyst Fellowship: this 10-month consulting assignment places professionals who possess strong analytical skills in an assignment for a data-driven education project where they will have access to successful leaders and have the opportunity to make an impact on education.

Applications for 2013 fellowships have closed, but those who are interested can join a mailing list to stay updated on events and information.

STEM needs you

For those who wish to teach in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships offer the opportunity for eligible applicants to earn a master’s degree, prepare for teacher certification, receive a stipend, and benefit from support and mentoring throughout a three-year teaching commitment. Programs are located in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and New Jersey. The application process is explained on the organization’s web site.

Education Internships

The best way to build your skills in any profession, especially teaching, is through personal experience. An education internship will give you a chance to immerse yourself in the classroom teaching experience. Go to TeachForAmerica.org to explore the many possibilities including internships, campus-based programs, and summer programs.

Teaching internships include Idealist.org, the Interfaith Youth Core and the Breakthrough Collaborative. Repeatedly named a Princeton Review Top Ten Internship, Breakthrough Collaborative teacher positions are located in 25 US cities and Hong Kong.

Summer workshops and other adventures

If you’re still looking for ways to fill your summer schedule, you’ll want to read Meris Stansbury’s May 15, 2013 article for eSchoolnews.com titled, “32 summer professional development opportunities.”

Stansbury provides descriptions and links to summer programs that are sure to build your skills and enhance your CV. Programs listed include:

• Conference on Teaching Excellence in National Harbor, MD June 28-30
• Language workshops by the Foreign Language Resource Center
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Next Generation Instruction Summit in Denver, CO June 26
• Museum Institute for Teaching Sciences is offering STEM courses throughout Massachusetts
• Vernier Software & Technology offers 25 training institutes throughout the US this summer to help science teachers integrate data-collection technology into their science curriculum

The teaching profession is faced with challenges as never before. Those who embrace the teaching profession will need every resource available to help them prepare for these challenges and meet the expectations that are placed on them.

Who decides to be a teacher?

The kind of person who wants to give back to the community, to work with children and enlighten their minds might choose to be teachers.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the typical college graduate will change his career field up to three times. Commenting on the way today’s students want a more fulfilling career path, Wendy Libby, Ph.D., president of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, remarked in “Stephens helps students spread their wings,” for Columbia Daily Tribune, August 17, 2008: “All the research on this generation of millennial students points to their emphasis on life above work, on causes that are important to them, on their interest in making the world a better place…This is a great starting place- for students to ask themselves what they value, what they are competent in and how this matches existing or emerging career options.”

Qualities needed to be a teacher

Teaching a classroom of young children, unruly teenagers, underserved kids or even adults who want to continue their education takes a certain kind of person. According to La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, the qualities and skills that an effective teacher should possess are:

• commitment to the students and the profession
• compassion and empathy for students as they learn
• creativity, versatility and ability to be innovative
• flexibility with lesson plans and ways to motivate people
• knowledge of the subject and the desire to always quest for knowledge
• organizational skills and ability to make effective use of time
• positive and enthusiastic attitude
• a good sense of humor.

Teach for America

For a taste of the teaching profession, college students can check out Teach for America. The company has a program for underclassmen that offers opportunities with prominent non-profit organizations. Participants can choose between volunteer programs, internships, campus-based opportunities and summer programs. Of the many organizations in which college students may participate:

• American Chemical Society – teach elementary and middle school students basic science concepts.
• Breakthrough Collaborative – teach your own academic courses to middle school students from underserved areas in 25 cities.
• Jumpstart – work one-on-one with preschool children for a year. Help them build skills crucial to school success.
• Sponsors for Educational Opportunity – a chance for young people of color in business, law, banking, technology and philanthropy to contribute to black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American communities.

Tom Van Riper in “Best first jobs for college graduates,” a June 13, 2006 post on Forbes.com reported: “The teaching profession, through the fast-growing Teach for America program, is attracting students from the best schools who aren’t yet sure of their long-term career plans and don’t mind deferring a big paycheck for a couple of years.”

AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps each year places 80,000 people in public service positions in schools, nonprofit organizations and public agencies in the areas of education, public safety and health. AmeriCorps hands out the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which pays education costs up to $5,500 at qualified institutions of higher education for additional educational training or to pay student loans.

For a list of community, education and government programs and fellowships for teachers, visit Grinnell College’s “75 great opportunities” for social commitment that includes positions helping underserved, inner city, religious, Native American, overseas, middle school and young adult students.

Do you think teaching is for you? Leave your comments below.

What are the highest paying jobs in the US?

Let’s cut to the chase. Jobs in the medical field are the answer to this question 90% of the time. According to a Yahoo! News article written by Danielle Kurtzleben on March 29, 2013, “The 10 highest-paid jobs in America,” anesthesiology tops the list with an annual salary of $232,830. Other professions that made the list include:

• Surgeons
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• Orthodontists
• Psychiatrists

According to the article, “The only non-medical workers that make it onto the list are chief executives, who come in at No. 10 with around $177,000 in annual wages, or around 24 percent less than the anesthesiologists.”

Although it is obvious that medical careers compensate nicely, remember that these numbers are not starting salaries, but a general average of all the workers in the field. You should also remember that these careers require more than just a Bachelor’s Degree. However, if science or medicine is your cup of tea, it may well be worth looking into these fields, since even family practitioners average $180,850 a year.

But I don’t want to wait years for a decent salary

Although medical professions are worthwhile, it can take a significant amount of time to build up a salary base. If you are looking for more instant gratification, consider reading an article posted on Scholarships.com titled “Top 10 highest paying college majors.” A few that made their list include:

• Computer Science
• Finance
• Information Sciences and Systems
• Engineering (in a number of fields)

In fact, it seems like Engineering might just be the hot new job trend, especially for graduates in the near future. Meghan Casserly describes “The 10 best-paying college majors — and why business isn’t one of them” in her January 25, 2013, article for Forbes. According to Casserly, “a STEM degree could be the fast-track to financial and professional success every new grad is dreaming of.” Meaning that if you have a talent or passion for science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics, you may have a better chance of landing that dream job post-graduation. And a number of colleges are picking up on this trend.

Your major should highlight your skills

Although it would be great to aspire to become an anesthesiologist, if you faint at the sight of blood, you should probably consider a different career. Yes, it would be fabulous to earn a six-figure salary, but it’s also important to do something you love. So, when declaring your major, take some advice from an article titled “Pick a college major with the tight information why should you go to college?” written for the Daily Herald on March 24, 2013.

According to the article, “if you want to open up a wealth of opportunities for yourself as you begin your career, it is important that you make yourself as marketable as possible — by choosing a major in college that best suits you.”

Have you declared a major yet? If so, which did you decide on and why? If not, which ones are you leaning toward? Remember, giving others insight into your decisions may just help them make up their minds!

Volunteering for town beautification

Didn’t get a job this summer? There are still plenty of ways to gain work experience and build your resume! We’ve compiled a helpful list of 10 ways college students and recent graduates can constructively spend their free time this summer.

1. Volunteer:  Whether you have a charity or cause close to your heart, or a community event is in need of additional hands, volunteering produces a feeling of self-worth and fulfills civic duty. Regardless of the capacity in which you choose to volunteer, it will certainly promote good will.
2. Conduct scientific research:  Research isn’t just for science majors or medical students. A wide array of subjects, like communication, political science and anthropology, call for scientific research and studies. Not only will the experience allow you to reflect on your personal interests and curiosities, it will hone your analytical and critical thinking skills.
3. Write a business plan:  If starting your own business venture is something you have considered, writing up a business plan is the first step to putting your plan into action. A well thought out plan can give employers insight into your decision making skills. Check out the U.S. Small Business Administration’s guide for writing a business plan to help you get started.
4. Contribute to a political campaign:  Whether on the local, state or federal level, working on a political campaign is a great way to learn about political issues and policies as well as becoming informed on where candidates and constituents stand on various issues. You can choose from a variety of ways to get involved in a campaign, depending on the skills and areas you want to develop.
5. Write a blog:  Besides being a therapeutic outlet for sharing your thoughts with others and improving your writing skills, a blog is a great way to find your voice. Both business and personal blogs are commonplace and can range in topics from fashion to finances. Blogging platforms such as Tumblr will host your blog free of charge.
6. Plant a garden:  There’s no time like the present to embrace nutrition and start a healthy lifestyle, and what better place to start than your own backyard? A garden requires minimal equipment, and everything from vegetable seedlings to fertilizer can be purchased at a hardware or grocery store. You may even find that gardening will become a lifelong hobby.
7. Take an online class:  As you were reading through job descriptions, you may have been intimidated by the skills and software experience listed as requirements, of which you may be lacking. It often takes on-the-job experience to pick those up, but you can also take online courses to gain the skills you need to match those job requirements. For example, you can take classes in project management, HTML and technical writing at sites like www.ed2go.com.
8. Mentor an underprivileged child:  Big Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit organization that helps shape the future of children by empowering them to achieve with the help of a mentor. Participating in an organization like this will not only help a child reach their full potential, but it is also a rewarding way to give back to the community and may teach you a thing or two about yourself as well.
9. Clean a park:  Cleaning up your neighborhood park is a rewarding project that doesn’t take a large time commitment. Whether you spend a few hours on a Saturday morning or decide to start a volunteer group, cleaning a park has immediate and tangible results that will build community spirit.
10. Take a trip Eat, Pray, Love style:  Visiting foreign countries is a one-of-a-kind experience and often a life changing event. It allows you to experience different cultures and try new things, as well as letting you get in touch with yourself on a more spiritual level.

Who knows? You may find that one of these experiences is just the thing to make you stand out among other candidates at your next job interview. For more ideas on how to spend your summer vacation, check out our recent blog post, “Questia’s summer reading list and other ways to keep your mind sharp over summer break.”

Entrepreneur Erin Heale sells ice cream (© Jim Cole/AP Images)

Summer brings sunshine and a break from studying, but it also brings an opportunity for summer employment. You have a chance to begin building your resume and establishing your first steps on a career path. Not to mention, you’ve also got a chance to earn some much-needed money for expensive tuition bills and book costs.

Our team at Questia tracked down the most-talked about summer employment opportunities that will mean more than just a paycheck.  Read on to learn how you can land one of these top jobs this summer:

1. Freelance Writer: Working as a freelance writer will teach you invaluable research and writing skills. You’ll learn how to write concise, readable and enjoyable copy, as well as how to edit and streamline your articles for maximum viewership. Typically, you’re able to take on as many or as few assignments as you choose. Best of all, freelance writers have a far more flexible schedule provided you meet your deadlines. To find freelance writing opportunities, check out resources such as The Barefoot Writer.

2. Server: Serving tables is one of the hardest jobs out there, but it can actually be very rewarding. You’ll learn how to keep calm under pressure and increase your memory and multitasking skills. By exposing yourself to high-quality fare and teaching yourself new abilities, you will develop interpersonal skills and broaden your mind. Visit Jobs2Careers to find available serving positions across the country.

3. Internship: Interning at a company is one of the surest ways to have an “in” if you want to apply there after graduation. Having an internship on your resume will help put you above the rest of the applicants. Not only will it show your drive, it will also show you have experience and hands-on knowledge. A college education is crucial, but most employers are looking for proof that you’re a good worker. Check out Work for Students to find internship opportunities in your area.

4. Nanny: Parents will often pay great rates for a good sitter over the summer. Good nannies spend their days doing fun and creative activities with kids. Whether you want to be a teacher, a therapist or a doctor, having experience with children is an enticing skill to put on your resume. Nannying is also something you can fall back into if you have a hard time finding a job after college or if you want to do something part-time during the school year. You can search for nannying positions near you at SitterCity, one of the most trusted resources out there.

5. Entrepreneur: If you’re having trouble finding work or just want to launch your own paid pastime, summer is the time to do it. Mow lawns, walk dogs or paint houses—whatever you’re interested in—and learn a lesson in business startups while you’re at it. Get valuable tips on growing your own business by visiting Entrepreneur.com to network and read success stories from people in your field of interest.

Job competition may be fierce, but a little hard work can go a long way. For even more coverage on summer jobs for college students, check out our featured article for Forbes.com. And, for advice on how to get started on your job hunt, check out our recent blog post, “Job hunt study guide: Tips for writing a cover letter.”