Friday
Feb272009
« Need a job? Can you teach? »
Friday, February 27, 2009 at 10:22PM
Ok, so it is not that simple. But if you are a certified teacher seeking a job for next year, then Gwinnett County would like to talk to you. Granted, if you are seeking a such a position, you probably already knew of tomorrow's event at Gwinnett Center well before you found it on the Buzz. Thus, I am posting this not so much to notify job seekers as I am to urge Gwinnett County Public Schools to turn the economic downturn into an opportunity.
With so many professionals having lost their jobs in recent months, the degree of talent, knowledge and skills that has been idled from the economy is much higher than usual. Gwinnett should available itself of this talent pool to hire, especially in critical areas like math and science, experienced professionals from non-education backgrounds. Such individuals could bring a unique perspective to the classroom that many teachers simply cannot provide. This is not to say that career educators are not effective math and science teachers; many most definitely are. However, personal observation has shown me that many career teachers cannot relate to world of corporate America and, as such, cannot provide the insight into the business world that would be so rich for so many students. One of my most effective teachers in high school was a chemist in industry prior to becoming a teacher. I think it would be fair to say that she was the best chemistry teacher at Central Gwinnett High School at the time. (She certainly made my transition to the rigors of Chemistry 1101 at Georgia Tech very smooth!) Thus, I urge Gwinnett County school officials to avail themselves of this rare opportunity to broaden the breadth of career experience in their ranks. Gwinnett's students will be well served if they do.
With so many professionals having lost their jobs in recent months, the degree of talent, knowledge and skills that has been idled from the economy is much higher than usual. Gwinnett should available itself of this talent pool to hire, especially in critical areas like math and science, experienced professionals from non-education backgrounds. Such individuals could bring a unique perspective to the classroom that many teachers simply cannot provide. This is not to say that career educators are not effective math and science teachers; many most definitely are. However, personal observation has shown me that many career teachers cannot relate to world of corporate America and, as such, cannot provide the insight into the business world that would be so rich for so many students. One of my most effective teachers in high school was a chemist in industry prior to becoming a teacher. I think it would be fair to say that she was the best chemistry teacher at Central Gwinnett High School at the time. (She certainly made my transition to the rigors of Chemistry 1101 at Georgia Tech very smooth!) Thus, I urge Gwinnett County school officials to avail themselves of this rare opportunity to broaden the breadth of career experience in their ranks. Gwinnett's students will be well served if they do.
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