Obtaining a Teaching Certificate

In Hillsborough County there are several ways to proceed. You do not have to have a teaching certificate to begin teaching. You can actually enter a program offered through the county called the ACP program (Alternative Certification Program). You would need to interview and be hired by a principal and then enter the program in the county. You have 2 years to complete the classes as you teach.
I would suggest that you try substituting beforehand just to get a feel of the grades and the areas in the county so you know what you would like to pursue.
There are a ton of schools that offer programs for teachers too- NOVA, St. Louis... or good ole USF...
Schools like Nova or St. Louis do the classes on weekends and after school hours because they are geared to working teachers. At USF in a masters of education program you would do internships prior to teaching. Usually in a bachelor's you would do a micro-teach (a few hours each week in a classroom) and then do a full time internship (about 16 weeks) in a classroom.
Hope that helps

J.,

I am in a similar situation. Florida has a new option available for your alternate teaching certification. You can take the ABCTE tests (American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence) in leu of taking extra education classes. Visit www.abcte.org for more info. I have heard nothing but great things about the program and it is a great way to bypass some of the extra schooling that you would normally have to do. I have just enrolled and will begin studying for the tests in the next few weeks.

J.

USF does have a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree in Elementary Education for those who have a BA degree in a non-education area. However, most counties also have an Alternative Certification Program that allows you to get your certification while you are teaching. That option is definitely cheaper than the MAT degree. Check with the county where you want to teach and see what your options are, and what the need is for elementary teachers. If there is a demand, they may higher you out-of-field and allow you to get certified while you teach. Good luck!

Hello,

I would contact USF. I graduated with a couple girls with degrees in liberal arts and they went on to become teachers simply by passing a teaching certification test. I know they did it through USF. The only thing I know about it is that they indicated it was a lengthy test that took them about 3 months to study for. I believe as long as you have a degree you can go on to take this exam, through USF anyway. I graduated in 2004 so I wouldn't think anything would have changed since then.

Sorry I don't have more details but hope that helps!

It would be easier for you to get certified teaching high school. Your BA degrees are taught at the High School level; you could teach English or Social Science (sociology is a social science). Going this way, you would secure a position with a school, and then go through the counties alternative certification program. It used to cost $800, its a little more now. It was 4 classes and a practicum. You were observed while teaching. Its going to be much harder to convince an elementary school principal to higher you without a degree in elementary ed. If you are set on elementary school, you will probaly need to go back and get a degree in elementary ed. You could always go for a Masters!! :)
I teach at the high school level. My BA was in Psychology. I had to go the way I described.