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Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
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Do IT this week: Layering
By Katie Byard
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 12:20 p.m. EDT, Jul 06, 2009
She was shy.
She hated public speaking.
But friends and family kept telling her she would make a good teacher.
So Lisa Zickefoose, 44, took a gamble on a state program seeking to transform those with science backgrounds into teachers.
So far, she thinks she has made a good bet.
''I've fallen in love with it,'' said Zickefoose, whose day job is that of a financial administrator at the University of Akron. She previously worked in a lab at an environmental company.
''I started seeing changes in students in three weeks of student teaching,'' she said. ''What could I do with a semester, or a year?''
Zickefoose, a Kent resident, said a big advantage of the program was that it provided a provisional teaching certificate — the state's standard-entry license for teaching — in about a year.
The program also is free. (Cost wouldn't have been an issue for Zickefoose, anyway; as a UA employee, she wouldn't have paid tuition.)
Catering to working adults, the program offers classes online, at night and on the weekends.
Students completing the program receive 24 hours of credit — about a dozen shy of a master's degree in education.
Zickefoose was among 22 participants who began the science-teacher training at UA last August. Only 15 were still with the program when the school year concluded in June.
''It is a very intensive process,'' said Tim Sisson, coordinator of the science-teacher training program at UA.
Sisson said he's not surprised by the dropout rate.
''Some just decide they want to focus on their careers and families. It's a stressful time.''
The state kicked off the program in 2006 as part of its beefing up of curriculums and high school graduation requirements.
Hundreds of would-be science, math and foreign language teachers in grades 7-12 have participated, attending one-year programs at various Ohio public universities. UA has offered the program in two areas: science and foreign languages.
''Science has been a high-demand area,'' Sisson said, acknowledging that this year's candidates might have a tougher time landing teaching positions amid the weak economy.
Zickefoose doesn't plan to enter the teaching job market right away, though she will volunteer with the Early College Program for high schoolers on the UA campus.
It's unclear whether the state — facing a budget crunch — will continue the programs.
That concerns Sisson.
''These professionals are very passionate about science, about problem-solving and they want to share that,'' Sisson said. ''That can be very motivating to students.''
Candace Bates earned a biology degree and coordinated education programs at the Akron Zoo before deciding her real calling was teaching science in a classroom.
''I knew I'd be a really good teacher,'' Bates said. Plus, she wanted a career that would mesh more with the schedules of her two young children.
The free tuition offered with the UA program helped her decide to make the leap.
The 34-year-old Akron resident got her provisional license two years ago and is now a science teacher at Akron's Archbishop Hoban High School.
Her students, Bates said, are inspired when she relates her work experience to science lessons.
''It makes them realize what the connection is to someone's future career,'' she said, learning that science ''is not just words in a book. It's action. It's observation and its putting things together to find the best answer.''
This spring, her students designed zoo exhibits, drawing scale models.
''They had to learn about vet care, animal safety, keeper safety, what is nutritionally good for an animal . . . and how to share that information with the general public.''
Ed Savitski, 41, who has a doctorate in polymer science and received his teaching license through the UA program a year ago, said the free tuition was a big incentive.
''I was really contemplating between teaching and some other career options,'' the Akron resident said.
Savitski had been a research scientist before becoming a stay-at-home dad, caring for three young children. His wife is a physician.
When he decided to re-enter the work force, he said, he wanted to ''find a career with value and purpose.''
Earlier this month, he wrapped up his first year of teaching middle school math and science at St. Augustine School in Barberton.
''Part of the deal was teaching health and religion,'' said Savitski, who is Catholic.
He has no complaints.
''We made stronger connections,'' he said.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.
She was shy.
She hated public speaking.
But friends and family kept telling her she would make a good teacher.
So Lisa Zickefoose, 44, took a gamble on a state program seeking to transform those with science backgrounds into teachers.
So far, she thinks she has made a good bet.
''I've fallen in love with it,'' said Zickefoose, whose day job is that of a financial administrator at the University of Akron. She previously worked in a lab at an environmental company.
''I started seeing changes in students in three weeks of student teaching,'' she said. ''What could I do with a semester, or a year?''
Zickefoose, a Kent resident, said a big advantage of the program was that it provided a provisional teaching certificate — the state's standard-entry license for teaching — in about a year.
The program also is free. (Cost wouldn't have been an issue for Zickefoose, anyway; as a UA employee, she wouldn't have paid tuition.)
Catering to working adults, the program offers classes online, at night and on the weekends.
Students completing the program receive 24 hours of credit — about a dozen shy of a master's degree in education.
Zickefoose was among 22 participants who began the science-teacher training at UA last August. Only 15 were still with the program when the school year concluded in June.
''It is a very intensive process,'' said Tim Sisson, coordinator of the science-teacher training program at UA.
Sisson said he's not surprised by the dropout rate.
''Some just decide they want to focus on their careers and families. It's a stressful time.''
The state kicked off the program in 2006 as part of its beefing up of curriculums and high school graduation requirements.
Hundreds of would-be science, math and foreign language teachers in grades 7-12 have participated, attending one-year programs at various Ohio public universities. UA has offered the program in two areas: science and foreign languages.
''Science has been a high-demand area,'' Sisson said, acknowledging that this year's candidates might have a tougher time landing teaching positions amid the weak economy.
Zickefoose doesn't plan to enter the teaching job market right away, though she will volunteer with the Early College Program for high schoolers on the UA campus.
It's unclear whether the state — facing a budget crunch — will continue the programs.
That concerns Sisson.
''These professionals are very passionate about science, about problem-solving and they want to share that,'' Sisson said. ''That can be very motivating to students.''
Candace Bates earned a biology degree and coordinated education programs at the Akron Zoo before deciding her real calling was teaching science in a classroom.
''I knew I'd be a really good teacher,'' Bates said. Plus, she wanted a career that would mesh more with the schedules of her two young children.
The free tuition offered with the UA program helped her decide to make the leap.
The 34-year-old Akron resident got her provisional license two years ago and is now a science teacher at Akron's Archbishop Hoban High School.
Her students, Bates said, are inspired when she relates her work experience to science lessons.
''It makes them realize what the connection is to someone's future career,'' she said, learning that science ''is not just words in a book. It's action. It's observation and its putting things together to find the best answer.''
This spring, her students designed zoo exhibits, drawing scale models.
''They had to learn about vet care, animal safety, keeper safety, what is nutritionally good for an animal . . . and how to share that information with the general public.''
Ed Savitski, 41, who has a doctorate in polymer science and received his teaching license through the UA program a year ago, said the free tuition was a big incentive.
''I was really contemplating between teaching and some other career options,'' the Akron resident said.
Savitski had been a research scientist before becoming a stay-at-home dad, caring for three young children. His wife is a physician.
When he decided to re-enter the work force, he said, he wanted to ''find a career with value and purpose.''
Earlier this month, he wrapped up his first year of teaching middle school math and science at St. Augustine School in Barberton.
''Part of the deal was teaching health and religion,'' said Savitski, who is Catholic.
He has no complaints.
''We made stronger connections,'' he said.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Canton, OH
Posted 05:56 PM, 07/06/2009
I feel all warm & fuzzy inside. . .
Posted 07:06 PM, 07/06/2009
Hey Slovensko: Fear the Roo`?
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 09:16 PM, 07/06/2009
Golly-gosh....maybe we can indoctrinate mental fence-posts about global warming...err..."climate change"!!!!!
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 09:20 PM, 07/06/2009
I mean, honestly....Zickefoose??????
C'mon....almost like Bader-Ginzberg.....ruthless...
