On a visit to Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami Florida, I met a nurse. In one of our many conversations, she announced that she was previously a trained school teacher who had taught for several years. A colleague from St. Kitts-Nevis also reminded me that many of her past and current staff members were teachers. This included the only woman in the government team, Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Education Planner and Director of Education.
As a teacher, these experiences ‘shocked me to the core’ because they went against a deep-seated belief that teaching is not a stepping stone or stepping stone to another career. However, while reflecting on my long-held idealistic notion, I came to the conclusion that the ‘teacher-turned-nurse’ action and the other highlighted above, may have ‘come of age’ and are encouraged by the nature of 21st century professional trends and the nature of teacher education and training.
The nature of 21St.-professional trends of the century
What are the trends in 21st century careers? First, it is an understood fact that a large number of people do not work in the area in which they have their degree. Second, even if one is lucky enough to be employed in the area indicated in their title, the average adult will change jobs several times throughout their career. The reasons to do so are many. Given these current professional realities, however, it seems irrational to insist that teachers in general, and especially those who are out of date, embittered, and disenchanted, are simply teaching because they are trained teachers. As we see, limiting yourself to a single job during a lifetime is no longer the norm in 21st century careers, but the exception.
The nature of teacher education and training
The nature of the education and training teachers receive and, in particular, the skills and content knowledge they develop during training are transferable to other jobs. This also helps foster the idea that maybe it’s time to promote teaching as a springboard to other careers. For example, teachers during training develop technical, numeracy, communication and social skills that are highly desirable in most organizations. The skills and knowledge developed make teachers suitable for jobs such as:
Entry level managers
corporate trainers
· Personal sales
Human Resources Staff
· Project Coordinators
event manager
Entry level software developer
Social workers
Administrative positions
real estate agent
Insurance agent
business services
Marketing
This is not an exhaustive list, but it helps to support the point I am making.
I must point out to those who might object to reason number two for promoting teaching as a stepping stone or stepping stone to other careers, that this fact should not be interpreted as an indictment against teacher education and training, but rather as an endorsement of its dynamic nature. .