When the coronavirus shut down the country beginning mid-March 2020, it negatively affected multiple industries, and adversely affected teacher candidates, as well. Not only were in-person college classes suspended, but student-teaching was cancelled or relegated to remote instruction, and teacher licensing exams terminated, at least temporarily. College students who had waited for four years to realize their dreams of being a teacher were left not knowing what to do to ensure that they would be able to land their first teaching positions for fall 2020.

Universities, national testing companies, and school districts are all working diligently to ensure that our newest educators are prepared and have the necessary qualifications to teach this fall. In states or districts where there is a teacher shortage, some requirements have been adjusted or waived to ensure that there will be enough teachers for their classrooms.

The Educational Testing Service and other testing vendors are also modifying some of their guidelines concerning the Praxis exam, which is a required teacher licensing test in about 25 states in the U.S. Since testing centers are closed, there will be options to take the exam at another location with the same strict proctoring guidelines or even taking an online version at home.

Eighteen states that use the edTPA licensing test by Pearson altered their portfolio submission dates to accommodate teacher candidates during this challenging time. Students who registered prior to April 6, 2020, now have their deadline extended to December 5, 2021. Portfolios may now be submitted via a virtual learning environment alternative rather than the traditional in-classroom mode.
Teacher education candidates who feel they may not be adequately prepared to take licensing exams because of the pandemic do have options. Take an online class or two from PrepForward to ensure that all skill sets are covered before taking the accrediting assessment.

The situation continues to change daily as the United States adjusts to new and unprecedented guidelines for safety and disease prevention while ensuring that children receive the same quality education as they did pre-Covid-19. Classrooms may look quite different when the new school year starts. Thankfully, we can help each other prepare the best we can and adapt accordingly.

Even if you are just beginning your teacher education journey as a freshman, it is wise to think about your portfolio and how it will look by the time you graduate. Your portfolio is the collection of documents that demonstrates your educational proficiency and experience that you present to principals and/or the human resources department at your local board of education when you apply for a teaching position. As you take college classes or add professional development sessions to your repertoire, think about what to include in your portfolio.

A basic portfolio should have:

• A professional cover.
• Table of contents that outlines what is included in the portfolio.
• Your original, personal philosophy of education.
• Comprehensive educational resume. Unlike a traditional resume, there is no need to limit it to a single page. Many teaching resumes are three or four pages long.
• Supporting items or artifacts like photographs of bulletin boards you designed, unit and lesson plans you created, copies of awards, certificates of completion for professional development courses, classroom and extracurricular experiences, teaching-related community involvement, student work samples, etc. Emphasize items that demonstrate your skill or knowledge in critical thinking, interest in continuous learning, classroom management, technology, and different teaching methodologies.
• Unofficial transcript from the college or university you attended.
• At least three letters of recommendation from individuals like your student teaching supervisor, a college professor, principal, etc.

Generally, school administrators look for teacher candidates who are:

• Committed to reaching all students and recognizing their achievements.
• Able to monitor student learning and effectively manage the classroom.
• Understand and appreciate the subject matter – arts, humanities, natural and social sciences, and mathematics.
• Capable of utilizing technology in a variety of ways.
• Knowledgeable about the subject matter.
• Committed and willing to learn.

There are many options available for developing your portfolio. Check out some samples online. Dedicate a file drawer or plastic bin at home to collect items that relate to your teacher education portfolio. At the end of each semester, sort the documentation and discard what is not relevant. Re-evaluate your collection each school year and begin to organize the information in a systematic way. When you start your last year of college, it is time to develop an inclusive resume and start gathering letters of recommendation. Sometimes these can take a while to accumulate, so start early.

When you are ready to begin applying to the school districts you choose, you will already have what you need to create a professional, organized, and comprehensive portfolio that is designed to impress and get you that teaching position you want.

Most elementary and secondary institutions around the world are closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year due to COVID-19. Hopefully, between now and the fall, things will hopefully get back to “normal” in terms of everyday activities like eating out, shopping and educating young people. However, it is a little too soon to tell what will happen over the next few months.

If you are completing your requirements for a teaching degree, it pays to be prepared for any eventuality for your first teaching job in the 2020-2021 school year. This includes being familiar with remote learning platforms in case they are needed just a little longer than previously anticipated.

Researching, studying and practicing with a few different remote learning resources, particularly those currently being used in the district you want to work in, look great as an addition to your resume and can give you an edge over candidates unfamiliar with them. Developing a remote learning lesson plan to add to your portfolio can also be quite beneficial.

School districts and private institutions are using a variety of online learning models. Select a few of the most popular programs in your area and dig in. Here are some of the dozens of models from which you can choose:

• Zoom – Virtually meet with others through audio, video, or audio-video platforms
• Google Classroom – Integrates G Suite services with G Suite for Education
• Kahoot! – Game-based learning tool
• Buncee – Share multimedia presentations
• 3P Learning – Promotes reading, literacy and mathematics skills online
• Microsoft Teams – Collaborative chat tool for a group
• Skype in the Classroom – Communication tool for individuals or groups
• PlusPortal – Class pages, share data, engage with students and parents

There is no telling what next year will look like for educators or students. Without question, current teachers would have been grateful for a little prep time prior to being “thrown” into the remote learning scenario. Completing a little bit of extra preparation now can only help you and your future pupils.

Hopefully, by Fall 2020, our classrooms will be back to “normal.” We will be in our traditional school environment, standing in front of our students, teaching standard subjects and encountering daily challenges and joys.

While many schools across the country have suspended classes for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year or are finishing up in an online setting, now is the perfect time to brush up on skills that we may have been neglecting due to lack of time or inclination.

One area where many educators struggle is how to handle an all-inclusive classroom. Conventional learning situations often do not apply to individuals with special needs. Take the opportunity now to develop strategies you can implement later for students in your class who are on the autism spectrum, have attention deficit disorders, or other learning disabilities.

Children of all ability levels will thrive when you utilize these simple yet effective tools.

• Post the list of class rules in a prominent location and review them often. Keep them simple and easy to follow with clear consequences outlined.
• Utilize visual aids that include images, graphs, charts, computer programs, and videos.
• Follow a daily schedule and announce changes in advance whenever possible.
• Peer tutoring has benefits for special needs students and the tutors.
• Incorporate social skills into daily learning.
• Focus on everyone’s strengths rather than their weaknesses.
• Take short breaks between subjects. Sing a song, do some exercises, have a chat session.

For comprehensive preparation for running a strong inclusive classroom with children who have intellectual, behavioral, emotional, or psychological disorders, consider taking Prepforward’s online inclusion course. This state-of-the-art program includes classroom management, teaching strategies, tools for technical support, assessment, and lesson planning. Work at your own pace to determine what you can do to provide additional support to students in your general education classrooms. Use this time to add a continuing education class to your resume.

Now that you finished college and have your teaching certificate, don’t just expect a teaching job to land in your lap. There is a lot of competition out there, especially in certain geographic areas and teaching specialties. You need to take the necessary steps to market yourself as you would with any other employment opportunity.

It takes more than just sending in your resume to your ideal school district. Here are a few tips to help you get the teaching position you want.

1. Since you probably don’t have much teaching experience, you need to highlight your other attributes to impress potential interviewers. Ensure that you have your college transcripts, results from exams like the Praxis, certificates, samples of lesson plans and student work from student teaching, a testimonial about your personal teaching philosophy and anything else you feel that is pertinent to your teaching qualifications.
2. To gain valuable experience in your school district of choice, think about signing up to become a substitute teacher. This is an excellent opportunity to meet and work with other educators and administrators and provides insight into your unique teaching capabilities. Although there is a significant lack of consistency and benefits to this type of job, substituting often gives you a foot in the door in both the district and certain schools.
3. Ensure that you are marketable as a teacher. If your certification specialty is not in high demand, think about taking some online classes to beef up your resume and increase the opportunity for you to get hired, even if it’s not in your preferred field. Adding professional development experience to your portfolio is never a bad idea.
4. Don’t expect a teaching position to come to you. Aggressively market yourself. Visit the board of education in one or more districts, inquire about open positions, and request an interview. Network with teachers and browse job feeds. The time to start look for a job for the fall is the spring before.
5. If you’re willing to relocate, consider looking for a position in certain areas. Some cities and districts throughout the country are eager to recruit qualified teachers and offer incentives like relocation assistance and bonuses.
6. Practice mock interviews beforehand. Have thoughtful answers for common questions and learn how to relax and be yourself. Knowing a few key pieces of information about the district you interview for can also be beneficial.

Becoming a teacher doesn’t stop with getting your degree and certification. Design a plan to showcase yourself and your abilities and implement it. You should have little trouble getting a teaching position with some advance preparation.

Most students in elementary, middle, and high school today use some form of technology in the classroom. Computers and iPads are pretty much commonplace. Are they worth the hype or do they inhibit learning?

Education reform over the past decade or so has taken the form of school choice or improving teacher quality. While there has been some progress in these areas, many educators feel that utilizing advancements in instructional software and the one-on-one benefits of online tutorials can help students even more.

Most teachers are enthusiastic about using technology in class. There is some discrepancy, though, about the effectiveness of computer use. While there have been some improvements in math scores after using computers, there is a decline in reading levels. According to OECD, reading scores of fourth graders who use tablets are virtually one grade level lower than students who do not use computers as often.

There also seems to be a high discrepancy between lower income students and those with more advantages regarding technology. Disadvantaged students tend to spend more time using computers in class but do not perform as well in reading and mathematics.

It’s likely that less information is absorbed by reading from a device than from paper, probably because computers can be a big distraction. Learning from a person who asks questions engages a student more than responding to questions provided on a computer. There is a relationship factor.

Computers also take away from learning communally. It’s helpful for many students to learn from one another rather than simply responding to commands on a screen.

If computers provide information that does not meet student needs or is not presented in a logical format, it does not benefit them. Therefore, it usually works better for math than for reading or the social sciences.

Since one of the most important aspects of reading comprehension is background vocabulary and knowledge about a topic, success rates for checking reading comprehension online don’t work for most children, as their backgrounds vary widely.

Computers may be better suited to reinforce concepts already taught in the classroom instead of teaching new ones, to ensure that students fully understand.