A science class saved

We toured Missouri last week to let state leaders know how well we are doing with teacher recruitment. We have been approved there as a route to teacher certification for only 6 months and we have over 900 people enrolled with 450 focused on math and science. This is an amazing success story. Obviously this was very well received in the capital and it is great, as a non-profit, to let people know that we are living up to the expectations set for the ABCTE program.

But to bring it down to the personal level, we received an email from Keria Morton who has already completed her Biology certification through ABCTE. I urge you to read through her profile because it perfectly demonstrates why our program is an essential part of making sure that every child has a great teacher.

The highlights:

1. She is already teaching science and has become an integral part of her school but had no way to get certified unless she drove 3 hours to take college courses
2. She passed the Praxis without studying, but failed her first attempt at our Professional Teaching Knowledge exam – she had to study (thus improving her knowledge) before she could pass
3. In rural schools, having a great person trumps having a certification
4. Taking courses while teaching does not work – there is not enough time in the day for grading papers, lesson plans and your family

Our schools need more people like Keria Morton teaching science. Not only is she teaching but she is totally involved in her school. Without a program like ABCTE, the students in her small school district would be without a great science teacher.