| Frequently Asked
Questions:
- Can I earn an elementary teaching license through
this program?
The program is not designed to lead to licensure of any kind. Candidates
for this program must be eligible for a Minnesota teaching license
in grades K-6 and have that license in hand at the beginning of
their year-long teaching assignment. It is designed to assist beginning
teachers with challenges unique to the field of teaching and results
in a Master of Science in Education degree.
- Am I eligible for this program if I already have
teaching experience?
If you have one or more years of full-time, elementary teaching
experience on a regular contract in a public school setting, you
are not eligible for the program. The program is designed for elementary
teachers with little or no experience. You may have worked as a
substitute teacher, including long-term substitute positions for
one or more years.
- Will it be more difficult to find a teaching position
because I have earned my Master’s degree?
Graduates of our program have an exceptionally high hiring rate
(85-100% since 1986) because of the skills they develop during the
program. Our graduates have found jobs throughout the United States
including both metropolitan and small rural school districts. The
inability to relocate is usually the primary reason our graduates
are unable to find a teaching position.
What advantages are there to earning my Master’s degree through
this program?
One of the greatest advantages is the boost to the earning power
that you will carry throughout your teaching career. In some districts
there can be as much as an $8000 difference in salary between a
teacher with a Bachelor’s degree and one with a Master’s
degree. Over a 10-year period, that could result in as much as $80,000
in additional income.
Another tremendous benefit of the program is the intensive mentoring
that you receive from clinical supervisors who are veteran teachers
that have demonstrated teaching excellence in their own classrooms.
This accelerates your learning of how to become the very best teacher
possible.
- Will I have my own classroom or do I teach with
the clinical supervisor?
During the year-long practicum, you have full responsibility for
the classroom on a daily basis. You are the classroom teacher. Your
clinical supervisor simply provides the support needed to be successful
to you and three other graduate residents who are placed in different
buildings.
- How long does it take to complete the program?
The academic coursework begins in early June and lasts for about
six weeks in the summer. Work with the school district begins in
mid-August and continues throughout the school year. After the school
year ends, residents complete additional coursework, their action
research paper, and comprehensive exams. The program is usually
completed by the end of July during that second summer.
- How can I obtain more information about the program?
It is strongly recommended that you talk to someone who has completed
the program to get a sense of the requirements, time commitment
and benefits of the program. More than 100 currently employed Rochester
elementary teachers are graduates of our program.
You are also encouraged to visit our Rochester
GIP website.
You may also call the Graduate Induction Program office at (507)
287-2199.
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