Targeting that Teaching Degree
Lake Washington School District
After graduating from UWB with my teaching certificate I accepted a position at the Lake Washington School District to teach first grade. In the spring of 2007 I began my M. Ed. at UWB. I just graduated with my M. Ed. in spring of 2009. Needless to say, I am excited!
Degrees are not the only requirements to become a good teacher. I took several steps that helped me prepare. Firstly, I worked for the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) as an Instructional Assistant during my freshman and sophomore years in college. There I realized I wanted to be a teacher, and allowed me to form relationships within the school district. As part of my Teacher Certification process I had a year-long internship with the LWSD. This gave me the opportunity to further cultivate the relationships I'd started as an undergraduate.
After earning my teaching certificate, I stayed open to other possibilities by applying to five different districts, but I really wanted to work for Lake Washington. LWSD offered me a position and a pre-school teacher. Although it doesn't require a teaching certificate and was not what I was looking for, I took it to get my foot in the door. A few days later I was contacted for a first grade teaching position in the LWSD and I accepted it.
My willingness to do anything helped me to get the teaching position in the school district I had targeted early on.