A long overdue post… This post is about professional development. Part of the reason it has taken me so long to post anything is because I have been hard at work creating my own professional development opportunities — holding down a full time job, getting a doctorate, and teaching 2 nights a week. So here’s the latest in my life…
I had a wonderful time attending the 3rd Annual Montgomery College AELG Professional Conference For Teachers By Teachers on Saturday, March 13th. It is the first professional development conference I have EVER been to that was designed specifically for classroom teachers. Most of the professional conferences I attend are a mixture of teaching, administration, and policy — with the conference topics driven by what administration view as priorities.
I started teaching ABE language and math classes twice a week at Montgomery College in February 2010. The conference was a great place to meet other teachers, a handful of whom have been teaching in the program for 10 to 15 years (gotta love the dedication to the profession!). Among the topics of conversation professional development needs. Some of the teachers did not have graduate level training in teaching (I am speaking anecdotally; I don’t have any stats on the education of the teachers at the school.). However, many of the teachers worked as volunteer teachers in ESL and GED classrooms for a number of years before venturing out to teaching at the community college. Those that did have graduate level training were interested in opportunities that would bring some new life to what they have been doing for years.
The problem with attending professional development is that it is SOOOO expensive — particularly here in the DC metro area. There are several wonderful graduate programs in ESL and other courses related to adult education (instructional design, educational technology, etc.). Private schools like American University and George Washington University can cost as much as $1000 PER CREDIT! I am paying about $950 per credit at George Mason University, a state school in VA, but that’s only because I’m an out-of-state student (I plan to make that $$$ back after graduation by working overseas once I finish my classes…). Many of the teachers would love to participate in these classes, however the life circumstances of adults may not make that a feasible option. Many of them have careers in other fields and teach in the evenings out of the sheer joy. Some teachers are taking care of children or elders ON TOP OF TEACHING — try fitting professional development into that crazy schedule! Others are retired, or close to it, and don’t see how paying tens of thousands of dollars for professional development at a university would be a worthy investment. That’s why I appreciate the graduate certificate in adult education at the University of the District of Columbia run by Dr. Maigenet Shifferaw. It was free for me to attend (and perhaps still is) for all adult educators working in DC. But programs like that are rare…
The problem with the high cost of professional development for adult educators is the fact that the need for teachers of non-credit ESL, ABE, and GED classes is that the need is increasing — particularly as the skills needed for even the most entry level positions requires postsecondary education. Dean Donna Kinerney talked of how the AELG program serves about 12000 students a year , a number funders cannot ignore. The image of workforce development departments in community colleges is that they are fun, leisure classes that do not lead to a substantial credential — and this is partially true. However the ESL, ABE, and GED courses are a necessity for many adults who desperately need basic skills to gain entrance into college and job training programs that will lead to a self-sufficient wage. Community colleges across the country are focusing on pushing these students through to college level courses. But can that really happen with teachers who don’t have the appropriate training? How can we make professional development available for teachers to make that push to college level courses a reality for more students? Are teachers the only ones who are responsible for this? What do you think?
