Teaching Life

Is the education system in America really going to change?  That seems to be the buzz word these days: ‘education reform.’  With the large chunk of money from the stimulus package set aside for education, there has been lots of chatter about the need to reform the education system. Education reform means different things for many people, including Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. Some components of reform include teacher’s salary, standardized testing procedures, merit pay, and curriculum.

Today, I read that the University of Houston (UH) is offering a FREE online Master’s degree for middle school math and science teachers.  The $3 million grant from the Greater Texas Foundation will provide teachers a chance to improve their leadership and teaching skills in the math and science arena by rewarding them with a graduate degree.

In the now frowned upon world of Corporate America, free tuition or tuition assistance is a common perk for employees. It is extremely rare for that to be offered to teachers. Most teachers across the country have to pay out of their own pocket for resources and supplies and DO NOT get a hefty bonus. So, a free education is a rare opportunity that teachers should jump on.  The stipulation is that the teacher has to have three years of teaching experience and qualify for the graduate program.

The program, Integrated Science, Math and Reflective Thinking (iSMART), will be competitive but UH encourages teachers to apply. What makes the iSMART program different from most graduate programs is the focus on the integration of the two subjects, instead of each subject separately. iSMART will help teachers design more effective curriculum and lessons which will hopefully lead to more interest in math and science from the students.

For more information, go to the UH website .

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