Certification Update – April 27th

Nearly all of my free time right now is dedicated to the process of becoming a certified teacher in the State of Alaska. This requires that I take exams, complete a new educational degree, and perform demonstration teaching, among other things.

With each required step completed, I get closer to a time in life in which I make enough during my day job that I can turn my attention to other matters when I come home from work.

In this multi-part blog series, I present background information about my school, Western Governor’s University, a timeline of the steps towards certification, and what’s next on my list.

Background About My School

Here are my thoughts on my WGU Masters of Arts: English Language Teaching (secondary) program as a whole.

Positives About the School Program

So far, I’m mostly pleased.

Go At My Own Pace

The classes are completed at my own pace and there are no required class times or group meetings.

This arrangement has been a huge blessing because with all the crazy stuff going on in my life right now, I couldn’t have agreed to anything else.

Pass/Fail Coursework

One of the best things about the program is that the courses are pass/fail; there is no A thru F grading system. Students are allowed to make multiple attempts, when necessary.

Essentially, if we just stick with it and do our best, we’re going to pass and move on with our life without feeling like we have the unnecessary weight of a less than perfect GPA.

No one in the world of secondary teaching would really care about a GPA anyway, since a teaching portfolio is a far more useful gauge of accomplishment.

Mostly Relevant Teaching Material

Overall, the classes are mostly applicable and provide useful material to study.

The course reading and study material typically focus on the art of teaching and are geared towards empowering candidates to be effective teachers.

The tests are challenging enough to require study, yet simple enough that preparation time is reasonable.

Guidance in State Certification

Getting a master’s degree from WGU is only one aspect of earning a teaching certificate in the state of Alaska.

The guidance the university provides in navigating the state teaching-certification process has also helped me complete nearly everything required.

By the time I complete the school program, I will only have two more state requirements remaining. More on that later.

Drawbacks to Western Governor’s University

There are a few elements to the WGU program that I would change, if I could.

Virtue Signaling and the Pseudo-Religious Mindset

For starters, I often do feel that there’s a lot of virtue signaling in some of the course content.

The bias towards the modern secular viewpoint of the current American cultural milieu often belies a pseudo-religious mindset. The moralistic approach can be disaffecting, and sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable.

I won’t go into specific examples, because it doesn’t really matter. I just wish they would take a more sterile, academic approach.

Excessive and Disorganized Course Readings

Another drawback is that the readings can be disorganized, repetitious, and excessive.

The teachers seem to simply create a prodigious pile of articles and videos to watch to give the student the impression that there is a lot of work.

Sometimes I wonder if they are simply expecting me to skip most of the reading anyway. I do find myself skimming, as in-depth reading is frequently counterproductive.

In reality, the majority of the useful course content could be presented more memorably, more effectively, and more applicably if it were reduced and rewritten to be about a quarter of its current length.

Cost Ends Up Being Expensive for Busy People

One final drawback to the program is the cost for my personal situation.

To be fair, the way the financial aspect of the program is structured is actually not so bad. Each six-month semester at WGU only costs ~$4500 and you can complete the program as fast as you are able.

Technically, if you had nothing else to do all day, you could potentially finish the degree in two semesters, which would mean you would have a master’s degree for only ~$9000. That’s a great deal.

However, the more responsibility you have in your life, the less time you have to progress in the program, and therefore the more expensive the program is.

In my situation, where I have a full-time job and two children, I almost certainly will need four semesters. The ~$18,000 I will pay for this degree, on top of some existing loans that I had to take out to get this far in my education, will be a significant burden that I will have to bear.

That said, with the public-service loan forgiveness program in the USA, perhaps as a long-term teacher I won’t have to pay anything more than a minimal amount before I can have the loans forgiven?

Concluding Thoughts

In the next part of this blog series, I go into the specific steps of completing the degree and state certification.

How You Can Help

Don’t forget, if any of this is ever going to work, I will need outside support.

Here is a link to a blog post that describes how a supportive reader can help me in my quest.

In short, you can…