Jenna Bush, the 22-year old daughter of President Bush, graduated last spring from the University of Texas with a degree in English. She could undoubtedly have her pick of cushy jobs. Hell, she could have chosen not to work at all; just be a full-time ‘famous’ person (see: Paris Hilton)
But instead, Jenna plans to put her education to work, she plans to live in DC and teach at a public school serving low-income children.
Kudos to her for seeking a career and life that is her own. Ron Reagan would be well advised to do the same.
Is she credentialed? or is she teaching with an emergency credetial?
Will she teach at a public school and at what grade level?
Jenna will be teaching at a public charter school (3rd grade) in the DC area.
As far as I know, Jenna has not received her teaching certificate (at least not while here in Austin). But in Texas, as in most places, many schools hire people who have college degrees but not teacher certifications (remember, Jenna does have a degree in English). After hiring them, they often have a couple of years to get certified, usually through a teachers alternative certification process.
I don’t know about DC or elsewhere, but generally if you want to teach bilingual, inner city, advanced math, remedial reading, or any of the other in-demand positions, you will be hired on a degree alone. If you want to teach 1st grade in a suburb, you’ll need the teaching certificate. While not an ideal situation, it does help fill positions that might otherwise go empty and it allows former professionals to go into the classroom and share their expertise w/o going back to school.
Is Jenna Bush qualified to teach inner city 3rd graders? I’d say that she is not only quite qualified, but also uniquely qualified. Can you imagine the field trips? “Kids, today we will be touring the Pentagon with our tour guide, Donald Rumsfeld.” Plus, having Secret Servicemen in the classroom should really help with discipline problems.
jenna bush’s bush
Interesting post. I came across this blog by accident, but it was a good accident. I have now bookmarked your blog for future use. Best wishes. Jenna Bush.