The value of teacher professional development is vast and ongoing. As the job market becomes ever more competitive, professional development is becoming vital to securing and keeping a teaching position.
Every professional, whatever their vocation, must find ways to improve their credentials by enrolling in professional courses or registering for advanced degrees. The teaching profession is no exception.
In fact, an additional certification is probably more critical among teachers than it is in most other career areas, given the pivotal role teachers play in shaping their students’ minds in preparation for the future. Teachers must stay abreast of developments and changes that will significantly impact the content of what they teach and how they teach.
Even teachers who boasted exceptional credentials when hired can quickly find themselves tottering on the brink of irrelevance if they do not actively take the steps necessary to polish up their knowledge regularly.
What’s more, the widespread use of the internet means students are savvier than before and have access to the latest information on their areas of study. Students can now tell if teachers stay current on new techniques, trends, research, and policy.
When you go for additional teaching certification, you not only increase your knowledge base – you demonstrate to your employer and students you are committed to delivering relevant, fresh, and innovative information to your classes. Teachers who are well versed in their teaching area are more likely to stir up interest in their students.
But with budget cuts in many schools leading to hectic schedules for each teacher, is it possible for one to continue teaching while at the same time attending classes to further their education?
The answer is yes, even though there is little doubt that it will take substantial sacrifice. However, the availability of many flexible web-based courses has made it easier for teachers to continue working while enrolled in a certificate course or graduate program.
As a teacher, you no longer have to make the difficult decision of taking a leave of absence from work to study – which is something that, in the past, had the potential to impact one’s career negatively.
The availability of online training programs has also seen the overall cost of certificate programs go down substantially. Not forgetting, as well, the direct savings you experience due to the lack of travel costs.
Teachers with more than necessary certification are usually more efficient and are more likely to be multi-skilled. Additional certification also improves job security for teachers – because of the difficulty in finding teachers that are well-rounded and are certified in more than one area, schools will not easily let go of personnel that have more than the minimum credentials.
Certification lays the groundwork for promoting a head teaching position such as a head of a department.
There are now many options for how teachers can choose to pursue professional development opportunities and the subject areas they want to study.
This allows for extreme flexibility with one’s career, making it much easier to update and enhance your credentials. In an incredibly competitive job market, you can increase your marketability by earning extra certifications.
