On the Road to Your Own Classroom
A checklist for future educators
For young people considering education as a profession, here are a few suggestions during college:
- Join at least one service or leadership organization.
- Meet with a career counselor to establish a path to teaching.
- Begin developing a professional résumé.
- Register with the college career center and sign up for career workshops.
- Look for opportunities to build your résumé, for instance, work at a summer camp, tutor students, or volunteer to work with children.
- Make and establish connections with university professors in the College of Education. (You may be asking them to complete a supervisory reference for you.)
- Request to complete your student teaching in GCPS. A high percentage of our teachers were hired after student teaching in GCPS!
- Complete the online application at gcpsjobs.org during your last semester of formal student teaching.
- If you are a spring college graduate, register to attend our annual Certified Teacher Job Fair in March. Registration for the fair typically begins in February.
If you have questions, reach out to GCPS’ Division of Human Resources and Talent Management, Recruitment and Retention Department at 678-301-6076, or email patrice_pendergast@gwinnett.k12.ga.us.
More than 70 future educators attended GCPS’ Teacher Signing Day event on May 8, part of a statewide celebration of young people planning to enter the teaching profession after college graduation. Most attendees were high school students, including Gwinnett students taking courses in related career pathways such as Teaching as a Profession and Early Childhood Care and Education. A few middle schoolers were on hand as well.
A networking reception gave participants an opportunity to talk to School of Education representatives from 13 colleges and universities from around the state as well allied organizations that support teachers such as Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE), and Bright from the Start’s Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL). The future educators learned about education programs and available scholarships along with opportunities for bilingual teachers in GCPS’ Dual Language Immersion program.
During a special program to wrap-up the event, speakers focused on The Promise of Gwinnett and how returning to teach in a Gwinnett classroom carries the Promise into the future.
Dr. Doug Doblar of Head ES— a 2019 Georgia Teacher of the Year finalist was keynote speaker for the event. "I really can’t stress enough how excited I am that you’re here," he said. "I’m so proud that you’re considering becoming a teacher, just like I was at your age." Dr. Doblar went on to share that having a plan is great, but so is taking advantage of the opportunities that come along, even if they're not part of the original plan. He had planned to teach calculus, his favorite class in school. Instead, Dr. Doblar is an award-winning math and science teacher at the elementary level, teaching at the elementary school he attended as a child.
Scholarships awarded to future educators
A number of seniors with plans to teach after college were honored with special scholarships. Congratulations!
- J. Alvin Wilbanks Educator Scholarships: A one-time award of $2,000 co-sponsored by Peach State Federal Credit Union and the GCPS Foundation.
Isabella Rose Fiorentino of Dacula High School
Myra Ashley Gray of Mill Creek High School - Alton C. Crews Educator Scholarship: A one-time award of $1,500 sponsored by the GCPS Foundation.
Haley Hosty of Mill Creek High School - Teaching as a Profession Scholarship: A $500 scholarship sponsored by the Foundation awarded to seniors enrolled in the Early Childhood Education and Teaching as a Profession programs. (Students pictured above.)
Isabel Coke of South Gwinnett High School
Gianna DeSandre of Mountain View High School
Anna Galucki of Peachtree Ridge High School
Yamil Guzman of Meadowcreek High School