I admit it. I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to higher education, and I’ve never really considered the adult-oriented “universities” that have popped up during the last few years to be real schools. To me, a university is a place with dorms and quadrangles, not in a business park in the middle of town. So I didn’t really even consider doing my credential through one of these schools, and applied to my local state university.
What I’ve discovered over the last couple of weeks is that my local state university is overburdened with students and bureaucracy that almost certainly will sink my chances of getting my teacher credential paperwork in place before teaching jobs are posted in the coming few months. Administrators in the teacher credentialing office sigh when I ask about alternative programs and tell me that they have no idea what I’m talking about (and aren’t particularly helpful about getting information about it). I’ve corresponded by email with a few professors who have good intentions about helping me out, but are also hamstrung by bureaucracy.
The details are that my local state university will let me do the Early Completion Option teacher internship without hassling me too much. The bad news is that they are requiring me to take a general computer technology course that is only offered in one section in the summer that is impossible for me to attend since the early afternoon time conflicts with when I would theoretically be teaching in early August, without any option of testing out of this class. With a background in engineering and computer science, I could probably teach this class. But, not wanting to rock the boat, and only really wanting them to give me a letter I can show to potential employers that I am “intern-eligible”, I requested that they allow me to take this class in the fall, but generate the letter now. Much back and forth communication over this, and since I haven’t heard anything back, I’m assuming that this is impossible. My lesson learned is that trying to do anything out-of-the-ordinary at a large state university is next to impossible.
So, getting frustrated with this process, I applied to my local “Adult Ed U.” last week because they also offer a teacher credentialing program. Their tuition is a lot higher, but my thinking is that if they will work with me, it will be worth it in the end. After all, time is money, right? Already in a week, I’ve had personal contact by phone with their teacher credential advisor, who was familiar with the Early Completion Option and also told me it should be no problem to test out of the computer technology class. Also, since they offer new terms starting every month, there’s a chance I will be totally clear for a Preliminary Credential by the end of the summer. What a contrast with local state U., where I wouldn’t have even started classes by the end of the summer! So, I’m meeting with them in person on Monday morning and going through all the paperwork to officially enroll in the program. By the way, they said they would give me an employment eligibility letter on the spot after reviewing my paperwork. So, it looks like I’m going to be a student at “Adult Ed U” and am going to have to change my opinion about them. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen so far.
